Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions

What is global warming?
Global warming (or climate change) is the name given to the heating up of the Earth’s atmosphere that has been going on for the last 100 years or so.

What causes global warming?
Virtually all scientists agree that global warming is caused by a build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases act like a blanket and keep the surface of the earth warm. The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (but others such as methane also contribute). The scientists also agree that that this build up is almost certainly caused by human activity – mainly the burning of ‘fossil fuels’ such as coal, gas and petrol.

How serious is the problem?
The scientists predict that even if we were able to stablilise greenhouse gas levels today, the effects would continue for around 40 years and global temperatures would rise by at least 2º. Scientists say that global temperatures could rise by up to 6º by the end of the century. For comparison the rise in temperature since the last ice age is around 5º. Even a 4º rise will have very serious effects – sea levels will rise, many coastal areas will be flooded. Scientists say that the maximum safe level is around 2ºC.

What will happen if we don’t reduce our emissions?
If we continue to produce greenhouse gases at the current rate then by the end of this century we are likely to be faced with:

 up to 40% of species worldwide could become extinct including iconic species like the polar bear
 much of north Africa and even Southern Europe could become desert
 rising sea levels and crop failures could create 150 million refugees.
 significantly increased flood and storm damage with some areas of the world becoming uninhabitable and major cities like London and New York threatened

Are these things inevitable?
No but we need to act with determination and speed. We need to take firm action to start to reduce our carbon emissions to the level which would stabilise global temperatures – probably by 80% by 2050 (the Government target is 60% but recent evidence suggests that this is unlikely to be enough to stabilise temperatures and that greater reductions may be needed). This is the level of reduction needed to prevent a temperature increase greater than around 2º.

Who creates these emissions?
We all do. Individuals do. Businesses do. Public sector organisations do. About 30% of the nation’s emissions come from home energy consumption. Another 26% comes from personal transport. Businesses and public bodies are responsible for most of the remainder.

We also cause more emissions indirectly – through the processes which are involved in producing the goods we consume. A lot of these emissions actually occur in other countries - like China where the goods we use are made - but it is our consumption which gives rise to the CO2.

Isn’t the UK's contribution tiny?
The UK contributes over 2% of global emissions, with less than 1% of the world’s population. Our emissions per head are 2.5 times the world average. Developing countries can’t be expected to reduce their own much smaller emissions unless rich countries like the UK really start to take effective action.

What is my contribution?
Each of us has what is called a carbon footprint – in simple English this is the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is emitted as a result of our direct actions – a measure of our own personal contribution to global warming. The average household footprint in the UK is around 10 tonnes of CO2 per year (excluding consumption which may double this basic figure). Whittington (as a relatively well-off commuting area) is likely to be quite a bit higher. Excluding consumption, about 45% of the average household footprint comes from heating energy, 15% from domestic electrical use (non-heating) and around 40% from travel. You can work out your own footprint (see What should I do? below).

What should I do?
We all need to take responsibility for our personal CO2 emissions and make continued efforts to reduce them wherever possible. There are a number of websites where you can measure your carbon footprint. The Government has recently launched one which can be found at http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html

Why a low carbon community?
A low carbon community is a village or parish which commits itself to measuring its collective carbon footprint and where the whole community works together to reduce the CO2 emissions of households, local organisations and businesses. By working together and helping each other to understand how to reduce our footprints we can get further faster and have fun at the same time.

There is a growing tide of realisation across the country that communities working together can be a powerful way of tackling the causes of climate change. Already villages like Ashton Hayes (Cheshire), Wolvercote (Oxfordshire), Marlow (Buckinghamshire) and Bishop’s Castle (Shropshire) have committed themselves to becoming low carbon communities.

What is happening in Whittington/Fisherwick?
A group of people have launched an initiative to promote the idea of Whittington becoming a low carbon community – starting with a campaign to banish the old style incandescent light bulb and replace it with low energy bulbs. This is just the first step in a long journey – but it can make a real difference.

What difference will it make if I replace my light bulbs?
Changing your light bulbs from the oldstyle incandescent to low energy ones will make a small but measurable contribution – if we ALL change then the impact will be significant. In addition each low energy light bulb will save you about £100 over its lifetime – that’s a lot of money if you change them all!

When I’ve done that that?
Insulating your loft to 300mm (about a foot) deep, draught proofing your cavity wall, and insulating your hot water pipes and hot water tanks will save a lot more carbon and save you a lot more money – up to £200 a year. Then you could install a new boiler (another £150 saving), and use the savings to install microgeneration like solar water heating or electricity generation. If you spend your savings on a bigger car, HDTV or more flights you’ll cancel out the CO2 reductions you’ve made on improving your energy efficiency!

And there's lots more you can do. Click here for more ideas and information