News & Updates

Commonly people refer to a “carbon footprint” as a way of measuring their greenhouse gas emissions. When I started writing this post I realised that the idea of using a “footprint” as a metaphor in this context is potentially confusing. Traditionally a footprint as a metaphor comes in one of two flavours. Either thinking of a set of footprints in the sand and focusing on their transient nature before they are washed away to leave no trace; a carbon footprint is not like that, it leaves a long lasting imprint on our environment. Or, thinking of footprints as a mark of achievement and the bigger the footprint the better as its’s a sign we have had more impact; a carbon footprint should not be big, quite the opposite! We need to learn to tread as softly as we can and leave almost no trace at all if we are to live in harmony with our planet.

How much we each contribute to the global level of greenhouse gas emissions very much depends on where we live in the world and what kind of lifestyle we enjoy. To reduce global emission levels we all need to contribute by reducing our individual footprint.

Everybody has to look at his or her own footprint and do the best they can. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about doing something. If we’re looking for perfection, we’ll never, ever get there.

Laurie David, environmental activist and producer of the film “An Inconvenient Truth”

We have developed the Carbon Walk Concept as a simple way for people to visualise their carbon footprint and explore how they are contributing to it through the things they do in their daily lives. So why not take a “carbon walk” with us, you may find some surprises along the way…

Footnote:

There are several online calculators that can help us to calculate our “carbon footprint”. If you use more than one you will most likely get a different answer from each of them. Some people may find that confusing or frustrating; which one gives the right answer? Actually, none of them do but that isn’t really the point. They all ask you some fundamental questions about your lifestyle and give an indication of which ones are probably having the biggest impact helping you to decide which changes are most important for you to make.

When I first started on my “Climate Journey” I used some of the online calculators to try to understand my carbon footprint better. There were some big things which really shocked me such as just how big a contribution flights make. So I set about trying to reduce my footprint, some things were simple and made a big impact quite quickly, others have required more of a commitment to change my habits. Everyone’s climate journey will be different depending on where we live and work and, what our financial situation is. I think the most important thing is to remember that you can’t make all the changes in one go. What we can do is start with one thing today and maybe next week or next month think about the next change to make. Many of the changes I have made have not only cut my carbon footprint they have also made my life better too. Watch out for the “Climate Journey” page which is coming soon on the Climate Concepts website where I will share a lot more details on this.

Understanding the Climate Emergency using the Climate Bathtub Concept.

As humans we find it easy to imagine what happens when we change things which are in a static state (on or off) we are not so good at imagining things which are changing over time (a dynamic system). This quote from Donella Meadows in her book “Thinking in Systems” sums it up nicely.

“Systems fool us by presenting themselves – or we fool ourselves by seeing the world – as a series of events… Events can be spectacular (victories, tragedies)… they hook our emotions… its endlessly engrossing and constantly surprising because that way of seeing the world has no predictive or explanatory value… We are less likely to be surprised if we can see how events accumulate over time into patterns of behaviour.”

Donella Meadows, Thinking in Systems

Traditionally, when experts try to describe such systems they use graphs and mathematical equations to represent those “patterns of behaviour” which, does not make them easy to understand and accessible to everyone. Global warming and the behaviour of greenhouse gas levels is one such example of a dynamic system. The Climate Bathtub concept provides a simple, visual representation which is much easier  to grasp and is the topic for the next instalment in our Climate Concepts journey. Click on the link to view or latest video.

Footnote:

To truly understand why we are in a Climate Emergency we need to be comfortable with the idea that greenhouse gas levels are in a changing state (a dynamic equilibrium). Reducing greenhouse gas levels is not like flicking a switch, the response is not instant, it’s more like trying to change the course of a massive container ship, it responds very slowly. As we start to reduce our  greenhouse gas emissions the global temperature will only stop rising after we reach the balance point with absorption and even then there will be a delayed response.

The use of a bath tub to help visualise the changing level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere was first introduced by Professor John Sterman at MIT and further developed by the team at Climate interactive. I found it a really simple and effective way of showing the level of change we need to make and the urgency with which we need to act without having to use graphs. I believe this makes it much more accessible to people from non-scientific backgrounds. You can also try it out in real life in your own bath or sink but take care not to cause a flood if you do!

Taking action to limit the progress of Climate Change has never been more urgent! We see frequent reminders of this across a range of media; the challenge is to make the key information accessible enough to everyone so that we are all empowered to act and to enable people to continue having conversations about Climate Change even in these times of limited social interaction.

Today I am excited to be launching the Climate Concepts platform! Our goal is to provide access to a set of resources to help people untangle some of the aspects of Climate Change which they find complex and overwhelming, to empower everyone to feel part of the Climate Conversation and encourage them to take meaningful action. We have developed a range of resources which can be used equally well on-line or in person (where practical).

In this first instalment I would like to share with you the story behind Climate Concepts and what inspired me to start the journey. In addition you can view an introduction to the Climate Concepts resources which sets out how you can use them to stimulate your own Climate Conversations and the first of four concepts videos called “Planetary Fever“.

I hope you find the videos useful; please let us know what you liked and anything you think we could improve by visiting the contact page.

The world is on fire… … do we watch the world burn or do we choose to do what is necessary to achieve a different future? Who we understand ourselves to be determines the choice we will make. That choice determines what will become of us. The choice is both simple and complex, but above all it is urgent.

— Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac, The Future we Choose [My must read book for 2020]

Footnote: Why did I choose to launch on 21st Sept? Firstly because this week is Climate Action Week and this time last year, in solidarity with Fridays for Future movement, I took my first step on my Climate Action journey by organising a Climate Action Workshop at my former company.  Along with some of my colleagues from our sustainability group we held a workshop in the canteen, sharing information about climate change and encouraging people to make their own Climate Action pledges. It was a great success with many pledges being made and veggie sausage sandwiches being consumed. Secondly, because there is a growing sense of urgency that, as we move towards a post-Covid-19 “new normal”, we keep climate change at the centre of our focus and put in place new and better ways of doing things which will make our lives more sustainable. There has never been a better opportunity to create such a change, so let’s start that journey together today!