Climate Change- are we helpless to prevent it?

January 2023

Can we as individuals do anything or are we just pawns in the bigger game?

Well yes we can do something;it is claimed that two thirds of global warming is produced by individuals not corporations. The feeling of helplessness that it is down to the Government and not us is missing an opportunity.

We can all do something to help. There is an old management saying that for every finger we point there are three in our hand pointing back at us. So what can we do?

Many things we have heard before. But we can all do something to reduce our impact on the environment, however small.

Here are just a few ideas:

• Buy local produce. Think about how far the food on the supermarket shelf has travelled.

• Eat everything you buy. We waste hundreds of millions of tonnes of food every year and food waste produces greenhouse gases.

• Dress retro. Extend the life of your wardrobe.

• Keep electronics for at least seven years. Look to repair before replacement.

• Travel less. Easy to say, but thinking ahead may combine journeys. “Just nipping to the shops because I have forgotten xyz”

• Use public transport. Not easy in a rural community, but it makes sense on longer journeys.

• Holiday local more often. Foreign trips and holidays are lovely and they are important for many of us and part of our bucket list. Consider the balance between local and overseas holidays.

It is important to talk positively as to what we can do and to talk to others. Don’t be afraid to champion individual responsibility for reducing global warming.

Pick the actions that you can do and what is important to you. We can all identify which items above are most important to us or achievable and do our bit.

Carbon Neutral Northleach