COP26 / Climate Action

[Sphinx]

COP26 has got me observing my lifestyle choices more, reading up on the climate crisis, and making some changes. Do you have any environmentally friendly practices you tend to keep? Has COP26 given you more impetus to make changes? 

Not exactly groundbreaking stuff but I feel that, whilst we should all try to do our bit individually, the system we live in needs an overhaul for us to be able to really minimise our impact on the planet. Whilst we live in a consumerist capitalist society we're accelerating down the wrong path. When our goal is a growth economy we're exacerbating the issue.

I feel one of the bigger changes I could personally be making is to get involved in something that puts government and corporations to task. I'm not particularly extroverted so struggle to see myself as the voice of activism but I believe there's ways for anyone to help. If anyone has any experience with this it'd be great to hear your stories.

[Hannibal Scorch]

The reason I went vegeterian was for climate reasons, though I mostly eat Vegan now days. More conscious about food packaging as well. We're just getting an electric car and my daughter is very excited as she is really interested in climate change and ways we can help. I got a bike as well to make small journeys that i'd have used a car for. Small things, but if we all did small things they would amount to bigger things.

[David]

13 minutes ago, Sphinx said:

Has COP26 given you more impetus to make changes?

COP26 has done nothing but annoy the fuck out me to be honest, especially when I saw this kind of shit going on in the city.

[BomberPat]

Do what I can, basically, which isn't much in the grand scheme of things.

I don't drive, and have been vegetarian for 20+ years and leaning toward vegan more recently, so all that kind of stuff that I would support a more widespread adoption of I'm already doing anyway. 

I'm pretty strict about recycling properly these days - when I lived in Jersey, there was just an appalling lack of infrastructure to support recycling; the nearest bottle banks etc. were a significant walk away, and there was no roadside collection in my area, which rendered it pretty much pointless. Now I stay on top of recycling properly and reusing a lot of stuff, try to be cautious of buying things with too much plastic wrapping, order Who Gives A Crap bamboo toilet paper in bulk rather than buying the normal stuff from the shops, just generally try to be a bit more sustainable.

My girlfriend gets a car through work, and is being incentivised towards going electric for the next one. 

 

It's all pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things - we know who the companies responsible for the most carbon emissions are, and any meaningful climate action/protest needs to be directed at them, at the banks, and at the government. But I'd rather be doing something than nothing, particularly when that something isn't even really inconveniencing me in any substantial way.

[tiger_rick]

7 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

We're just getting an electric car and my daughter is very excited as she is really interested in climate change and ways we can help.

Anything wrong with your old car? Not going to pretend to understand all this stuff but had some friends bin off perfectly good cars to go electric and I'm not sure that's the in the spirit of this. I've got a perfectly good Diesel car with low emissions. I've barely driven the thing for 2 years anyway. Doesn't the footprint of making a new car exceed running a perfectly good one? I dunno.

Anyway, I agree with Pat. Do what I can. I recycle, I don't eat meat (won't lie that it's environmental, but it counts!), I walk everywhere I can, I've cut down on any single use plastic, cling film, etc that I can. It's tiny stuff and it seems pointless when you see people flying domestically, etc, but if the world's going to burn, it's not going to be my fault.

[Merzbow]

None of those companies at COP26 are actually going to do anything are they? The entire thing felt like people patting eachother on the back and greenwashing it all, extreme overproduction and waste isn't stopping or even reducing any time soon so the solo actions we're shamed into doing (and yes, I do them) aren't helping on any real level, are they?

Has anyone read Ted Reese's Socialism or Extinction? I noticed the sentiment was picking up especially surrounding COP and am likely going to pick up a copy.

Edited November 9, 2021 by Merzbow

[SpiritOfTheForest]

50 minutes ago, David said:

COP26 has done nothing but annoy the fuck out me to be honest, especially when I saw this kind of shit going on in the city.

Yeah it's disgusting how the local people have had their lives completely disrupted by this. The one that really, really pissed me off was seeing how climate activists sailed a boat up the Clyde, despite not getting the police permission. As a result, the Erskine Bridge was suddenly closed without warning in the middle of the afternoon. As somebody from a town on the other side of the bridge, that really turned me against them. If someone from that side of the river was undergoing a medical emergency and needing an ambulance, that closure of the bridge could very realistically be a death sentence. 

[tiger_rick]

2 minutes ago, SpiritOfTheForest said:

The one that really, really pissed me off was seeing how climate activists sailed a boat up the Clyde, despite not getting the police permission.

I don't think they had police permission to walk up the M25 or sit in front of the Dartford Tunnel either. It's not really what they're going for.

[Briefcase]

I would buy an electric car if the range was decent and if it was affordable but feels more stressful than it needs to be as not many charging stations in my area or on route to work but hopefully that changes in years to come, feels like its a little too early with electric cars with much better technology around the corner. Probably hold off a few more years.  

[Hannibal Scorch]

1 hour ago, tiger_rick said:

Anything wrong with your old car? 

We had an X-Trail which we got on the mobility scheme. Had it 3 months before we got hit from a car who swerved across the other side of the road into the side of us at about 60mph, writing the car off and leaving us injured, but it could have been so much more. The X-Trail has been stopped being made before a new model comes out next year and when looking at new cars they suggested electric as the scheme have some good incentives and want everyone on it to be electric by 2025. So just waiting to get a new Peugeot in the next few weeks.

12 minutes ago, Briefcase said:

I would buy an electric car if the range was decent and if it was affordable but feels more stressful than it needs to be as not many charging stations in my area or on route to work but hopefully that changes in years to come, feels like its a little too early with electric cars with much better technology around the corner. Probably hold off a few more years.  

217 miles on a full charge for ours. I appreciate that depends on size of car and what not, but means we’ll probably only need a full charge once a week or so. Surprised about the lack of charging stations. Both my local supermarket and cinema have them and I see more going up regularly. But that’s near me, I know that’s not representative of the country.

[David]

1 minute ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

217 miles on a full charge for ours. I appreciate that depends on size of car and what not, but means we’ll probably only need a full charge once a week or so. Surprised about the lack of charging stations. Both my local supermarket and cinema have them and I see more going up regularly. But that’s near me, I know that’s not representative of the country.

There's a few companies doing deals where you can rent electric cars on a monthly basis, but I don't think that there's many charging stations in Glasgow either, which is usual considering it's a major city. I could be wrong though and just haven't checked properly. I'll need to look into it more when I get the chance.

[Keith Houchen]

1 hour ago, tiger_rick said:

Doesn't the footprint of making a new car exceed running a perfectly good one? I dunno.

Massively. Years ago, a friend of mine ran a vintage car and was offered two grand to go towards part exchanging it. It was a Labour government scheme under the guise of environmental benefits but in truth it was to prop up the car industry. She replied with “How about giving me the two grand to keep the car running for a years instead” and attached data showing the carbon footprints of both. I think Seasick Steve pretty much said the same thing on Top Gear a year or two later. 
 

I would love an electric car but it’s classist at the moment. There is no way I could afford one and wouldn’t be able to for about ten years anyway as I can only afford very used cars. I think it’s important to do our bit. If we all used metal straws, recycled everything and whatnot, the same 100 corporations would still produce 71% of emissions. Carbon footprints was invented by Shell to guilt us into action and take the spotlight from them

And in a bizarre event, China are always pointed to as being the biggest polluters but I’ve only ever heard one commentator point out that the west buying their products adds to that and added that China lead the way by miles when it comes to renewable energy and research into a green future. That commentator was none other than Stanley Johnson. 

[Sphinx]

2 hours ago, BomberPat said:

It's all pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things - we know who the companies responsible for the most carbon emissions are, and any meaningful climate action/protest needs to be directed at them, at the banks, and at the government. But I'd rather be doing something than nothing, particularly when that something isn't even really inconveniencing me in any substantial way.

Something I've seen more recently is changing your pension provider to one that divests from fossil fuels. That led me to look into bank accounts too. There's one called Triodos that finance green companies that popped up. It seems to have mostly good reviews and I've no loyalty to my bank other than being with them since 15. I'll have a proper look into it though as it still feels a little daunting switching everything over for whatever reason. 

Edited November 9, 2021 by Sphinx

[69MeDon]

For me personally, eating way less/cutting meat entirely out of my diet is the biggest one I need to do. All the other small stuff we can do as individuals, I already do (and as has been pointed out, every, single one of us could change everything about how we live and it wouldn't do the job because it isn't you and me not using plastic straws that is going to make or break this thing.

Part of my new job is in ESG securitisation and I attended an event today on the subject and it's quite disheartening to see financial institutions pat themselves on the back for making net-zero pledges while doing very little else.

[patiirc]

Do what I can, have done since school 30 odd years ago. 

Recycle, stay away from single use plastics where I can (transformers aside) don't by a lot of new new clothes, free cycle and recycle where possible for things

Try to stick to responsibly sourced, and low carbon emission food, cleaning cleaning products etc. Amount of recycled packaging also effects choice

Haven't had a car since my last one died two years ago and no plans for another, walk or bus or train where I can. 

The only thing I cant give up entirely is meat and sadly I don't think I can commit to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle wholly, though will go through periods of both, but end up missing meat too much. 

Massive fan of renewables and have lived where waste/rain waters recycled etc. 

Wish that Severn Tidal Power would become a thing as would power most of the Southwest etc and hope that Britain goes more green. 

Not sure entirely what else I can do right now, but do worry about things for future generations and have done for donkeys.