All of the countries are discussing climate change. But what can we do ?

twiglet98

Until the biggest industrial polluters (China, India, Russia...) change out of all recognition, I won't pretend I'm making a difference by giving up my diesel car, oil fired boiler, or the free-range meat that I enjoy a couple of times a week.

Our esteemed leaders can spout all they like about banning this, phasing out that, creating their own clouds of hot air.  How many of them are vegan, drive electric cars, and have replaced their old heating systems with heat pumps?  It's utterly bonkers.

Coffeekup

Hmmmmmmm here goes....

I like to think for the last 10 years or so I've (or my household) have lived a lot more environmentally friendly... For example..

Recycling better, sorting plastics and card into the required bins so they get re-used or recycled. So they get remade into the same/similar or other products.... Only to find out that it gets shipped to other countries so it can be sorted, where it actually most of it just lies on the ground polluting other area's of the world.

Choosing to pay more for green energy tariffs yay 100% clean energy. Only to find out years later it's not green it's just a certificate that the company holds to say it green.

Have an electric vehicle, which emits less pollution..... But apparently they are only 40% cleaner as it's only moving the emissions elsewhere, that's also not factoring in the precious resources used to mine the stuff used in batteries.

Grow your own fruit/veg.... Only to find out that the compost you have been using contains peat (which is a precious resource), the plastic bag it comes in can't be recycled.
Don't be disheartened, your doing a good thing feeding your family home grown food. The compost you're using is from the local area's garden waste which is turned into compost. Yep that's right even the neighbour who killed their lawn with glyphosate last year and binned all them lawn clippings, to be sent off to be turned into compost is all local.

Comforting knowing your doing your bit for the planet whilst eating home grown veg grown in soil with traces of chemicals. All getting a bit much? Have a walk, have a look at the rubbish thrown into streets, hedge's and river's breathe them pollutants in from other car's running idle outside a drive thru's. The future is bright the future is Orange.... Just like our skies in the evening's these days, which are plastered all over social media with "beautiful" "pretty" comments... When actually it's a calling sign... Sound barmy? Have a look at the layer of filth on their cars these days.

So what can we do?
Carry on regardless....

cuddlymarm

That doesn’t mean we should just give up. Any positive comments guys ?

Effician

cuddlymarm said:

That doesn’t mean we should just give up. Any positive comments guys ?

I certainly won't be giving up, but approaching it from a different angle.

Being green is not really my aim, more a by-product of being frugal, & i'm frugal so i don't need to work, that's my incentive.

If we take Coffekup's gripes above for instance. our experiences are different.

1, we recycle very little because the items we generally buy cheaper have less packaging.

2, rather than buying green energy we just use much less of it.

3, only do  2k/yr in the car ( which is also a workhorse ), bought a dirt cheap small diesel that was destined for the scrappy & repaired for  a few quid .

4, grow some veg but also make own compost & fertilizer= better quality & free.

Being green for greens sake can be frustrating & disappointing , far better to have a reason that directly affects you & gives satisfaction.

Pollycat

Effician said:

Our small savings pale into insignificance in the grand scheme of things,  just take the carbon footprint of the climate activists effort to get to Glasgow, never mind the global elite/aides etc etc etc, everybody & their dog seems to be full of good intentions whilst consuming vast amounts of resources going about thier quest .

And all for what, to set a climate goal ( if we're lucky) that has no relevance for 30 yrs & if we're still a functioning society will be ignored anyway.

+1 to this.

I read all the recycling packaging and recycle as much as I can.
I catch the bus to the shops and usually walk home with my shopping trolley.

I have reusable shopping bags, I haven't bought a plastic carrier bag for years.

We have very little food waste as I menu plan. Any left over veg is blanched and frozen.

I save the packaging from any parcels and reuse.
I save brown paper Primark bags and reuse for storing potatoes.

We rarely use the car.

When all the celebrities and politicians start reducing their travel, then I'll see what else I can do.

maryb

If you live frugally (which isn't always the same as cheaply eg fast fashion is cheap but ruinous for the environment) then you tend automatically to live lightly.  That's what I'm focusing on  There was a saying many years ago Live simply that others may simply live.  

CCW007

I like that saying @maryb

skogar

I think what coffeekup is saying has some truth to it. Attempts to live a greener life are disappointing when you find the results aren't making the difference that had been hoped. I think that this is true to some extent however it is also a case it takes time for things to become the norm and also time for things to improve both in terms of technology and because politicians tend to bend to public opionion probably more than to the actual environmental issues. An economic model which encourages mass consumption does not help.

So although it is disappointing that the electric car may not immediately produce the amount of environmental benefit anticipated as more are built and there is incentive for the technology to improve then gradually the benefit may increase. Hopefully future cars will be more efficient, battery technology will improve and mass production will bring costs down. The fact that there is seen to be a demand for greener electricity helps investment but as time goes on the legislation surrounding these things tends to improve. Obviously it doesn't help when govenrment incentives to try and be more environmentally friendly (few that there are) are found to be flawed. For example when the emission tax was worked out on emissions which took no notice of the higher particulate levels from diesel cars.

Although there are posts agreeing with these frustrations there are also many examples on the same posts of people doing sensible measures to save resources, reducing plastic waste, use more sustainable transport etc.. Unfortunately these things are usually a balancing act. Yes - it makes sense to look at what changes can be made relatively easily with obvious environmental benefit and many of these have a money saving effect and so are easy to justify. Less convincing is using "pseudo green" marketing to encourage you to buy a more environmentally friendly product where it may mean that the old one is binned producing more waste than if the "ecofriendly" item had not been bought. So I don't think the responses are as negative as they seem. This is the old style board after all and many of us regard sensible eco options as the norm. She says wearing a thick jumper with the heating off!

maryb

When my green utility company went bust and I ended up on an expensive tariff with - of all things - a subsidiary of an oil company, I was tempted to say that's the last time I try to save the plant humph!!  But I will keep on doing what I can.  And I'm not dumping my efficient little petrol car any time soon.  The greenest car is often the one you've already got and the same goes for a lot of things.  Even discounting the sunk cost of past emissions and looking at future emissions, it's funny isn't it? how manufacturers always focus on the efficiencies in running costs but there isn't much about the carbon cost of manufacturing the new super efficient whatsit

Ami13

1. My food waste is now minimal 
2. I really do need to do more recycling 
3. my car is a hybrid 
4. second hand shopping
5. Reusable face pads and lunch wrappers 

however I know there’s so many more things I can do but I’m getting there. 

So recycling is my first priority to sort
plastics need sorting, I sat and worked out that between the household it’s plastic overload. Electricity need to be lowered too