Key Takeaways:
- Reducing our individual carbon footprint shouldn't be our emphasis for the following reasons:
- Reducing our individual carbon footprint shouldn't be our emphasis for the following reasons:
- The current system often fails to incentivise the right habits
- We understandably resent making sacrifices when lots of others don't
- There is poor consumer information meaning it is very difficult for us to make informed decisions
- As long as we have an underlying system that's reliant on fossil fuels then our activities will always have a carbon footprint
Incentivise the transition
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Communicate the scientific advice
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Create a uniform and robust carbon accounting system
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Support R&D where needed
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The Problem- Carbon Footprints (Why individual carbon footprints shouldn't be the emphasis)
Although important, we don’t think the emphasis should be on individuals to drive change through altering their consumption habits. Here’s why...
Reason 1...
The current system often fails to incentivise the right habits, meaning you get punished for trying to do the right thing (for example, it is more expensive in the UK to buy an electric car and getting the train is often more expensive than flying… a friend just got a flight from London to Cornwall for £40, which, under a government declared “Climate Emergency”, is slightly ridiculous).
Reason 2…
However much you do as an individual, you know that lots of other people won’t bother or are unable to do so (leading many people to question why they bother either).
Reason 3…
Information around the carbon footprint of individual products/ services has a long way to go (i.e. it’s very difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about their purchases and many people, understandably, give up trying). There’s also currently no uniform way of accounting for carbon emissions, meaning there’s limited trust in any figures that are actually produced.
Reason 4...
As long as we have an energy system that’s reliant on fossil fuels, it’s impossible not to have a carbon footprint. As soon as we have a clean energy system that’s sustainable, for example we’ve switched to renewable sources and have ways of flying from A to B that doesn’t add carbon to the atmosphere, the problem more or less goes away (i.e. we won’t have to worry about our carbon footprint). Let’s get to that point, ASAP.
As much as we hope you do what you reasonably and realistically can to reduce your carbon emissions in the short to medium term (and certain changes can have a huge impact when done by enough of us), we don’t think people should give up everything in an attempt to save the planet.
The emphasis should be...
We believe the key changes have to be driven at an institutional/ government level, they are:
Although important, we don’t think the emphasis should be on individuals to drive change through altering their consumption habits. Here’s why...
Reason 1...
The current system often fails to incentivise the right habits, meaning you get punished for trying to do the right thing (for example, it is more expensive in the UK to buy an electric car and getting the train is often more expensive than flying… a friend just got a flight from London to Cornwall for £40, which, under a government declared “Climate Emergency”, is slightly ridiculous).
Reason 2…
However much you do as an individual, you know that lots of other people won’t bother or are unable to do so (leading many people to question why they bother either).
Reason 3…
Information around the carbon footprint of individual products/ services has a long way to go (i.e. it’s very difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about their purchases and many people, understandably, give up trying). There’s also currently no uniform way of accounting for carbon emissions, meaning there’s limited trust in any figures that are actually produced.
Reason 4...
As long as we have an energy system that’s reliant on fossil fuels, it’s impossible not to have a carbon footprint. As soon as we have a clean energy system that’s sustainable, for example we’ve switched to renewable sources and have ways of flying from A to B that doesn’t add carbon to the atmosphere, the problem more or less goes away (i.e. we won’t have to worry about our carbon footprint). Let’s get to that point, ASAP.
As much as we hope you do what you reasonably and realistically can to reduce your carbon emissions in the short to medium term (and certain changes can have a huge impact when done by enough of us), we don’t think people should give up everything in an attempt to save the planet.
The emphasis should be...
We believe the key changes have to be driven at an institutional/ government level, they are:
- Create a system that incentivises the right behaviour and factors in the enormous externalities associated with burning fossil fuels (i.e. take into account the negative side effects of these products that aren’t directly factored into the price… it’s Economics 101, yet it’s not happening currently). A carbon tax, in the same way we tax cigarettes because we know they’re really bad for people, seems like the most obvious solution.
- Where we already have solutions, incentivise more rapid adoption.
- Take a lead on driving Research & Development in the areas where innovation is required.
- Clearly communicate the scientific advice to the public and highlight why it's important.
- Provide much more robust and trustworthy carbon reporting so consumers can make informed decisions. Companies aren’t realistically going to join together to come up with a uniform system, so this needs to be a regulatory change.