Six key lifestyle changes to cut emissions

 From The Guardian 

People in well-off countries can help avert climate breakdown by making six relatively straightforward lifestyle changes, according to research from three leading institutions.

The study found that sticking to six specific commitments – from flying no more than once every three years to only buying three new items of clothing a year – could rein in the runaway consumption that is partially driving the climate crisis.

The research carried out by academics at Leeds University and analysed by experts at the global engineering firm Arup and the C40 group of world cities, found that making the six commitments could account for a quarter of the emissions reductions required to keep the global heating down to 1.5C.

The study was published on Monday alongside the launch of a new climate movement to persuade and support relatively well off people to make “The Jump” and sign up to the six pledges.

Tom Bailey, co-founder of the campaign said: “This ends once and for all the debate about whether citizens can have a role in protecting our earth. We don’t have time to wait for one group to act, we need ‘all action from all actors now’.”

Last week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its “bleakest warning yet”, saying the climate crisis was accelerating rapidly with only a narrow chance left of avoiding its worst ravages.

Bailey said as the world reaches the edge of ecological collapse, it needed a workable alternative to this ‘universal consumer society’ in the next decade.

“The research is clear that governments and the private sector have the largest role to play but it is also equally clear from our analysis that individuals and communities can make a huge difference.”

The Jump campaign asks people to sign up to take the following six “shifts” for one, three or six months:

•  Eat a largely plant-based diet, with healthy portions and no waste
•  Buy no more than three new items of clothing per year
•  Keep electrical products for at least seven years
•  Take no more than one short haul flight every three years and one long haul flight every eight years
•  Get rid of personal motor vehicles if you can – and if not keep hold of your existing vehicle for longer
•  Make at least one life shift to nudge the system, like moving to a green energy, insulating your home or changing pension supplier

The campaign was officially kicked off on Saturday and Bailey said there was already a growing movement emerging in response to the evidence with Jump groups up and running around the country.

The research is based on a study by academics at Leeds University, Arup and the C40 group of leading cities which assesses the impact of consumption by people in the world’s leading cities.

Analysis of that data has found that the six steps set out above could cut global emissions by between 25% and 27%.

My own six recommendations are:

1. Become vegetarian or vegan.  ±15% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from animal husbandry
2. Buy your electricity from a green electricity provider.  Don't choose a provider that uses "offsets" to pretend it's green.  Offsets don't actually cut emissions, and are often scams.  ±30% of global emissions come from electricity generation.
3. If you can afford it, and own your own home, put solar panels on your roof.  Payback periods vary from country to country, but the worst I've seen is 10 years.  
4. Get an EV.  For most of us that's still too expensive, but an ordinary hybrid, like the Toyota Corolla hybrid, will still cut your transport emissions by 40-50% and only costs 7% more than the petrol version, while it will save you its extra up-front cost in lower fuel bills within a couple of years.  ±20% of global emissions come from transport.
5. Fly as infrequently as possible.  Including the warming effect of NOX (nitrous oxide -- N2O) emissions from jet engines, flying is responsible for ± 5% of greenhouse gas emissions.
6. Vote for the political party which has a genuine plan to cut emissions in your country and region.  Once again, watch out for vague promises and distant targets.  To avoid temperatures rising by more than 1.5 degrees C we need to cut emissions by 5% compound every year for the next 50 years.  Realistic climate policies won't just be grand statements of resolve, but concrete actions year-by-year.  Examples: "we will phase out coal generation by 2030", or "we will set rising target percentage sales for EVs/PHEVs/hybrids for the next 10 years", or "we will introduce a price on carbon".