What about China?

The floods in Burma are the latest in a long list of natural disasters reported the news.The Tsunami in Thaliand in 2004 and floods in New Orleans and Bangladesh in 2005 have claimed thousands of lives and destroyed millions of homes. Scientists argue that the increasing rate of extreme weather, including cyclones, hurricanes and earthquakes is directly related to the rate of climate change. But haven’t we always had storms and earthquakes? How can climate change be the cause? Isn’t global warming making the world warmer?

Confusing isn’t it! It’s tempting to think global warming is a good thing and welcome the warm weather especially in the UK when sunshine seems so rare. Unfortunately, as James Bruges points out in ‘What about China?’ that kind of thinking isn’t very realistic – not even in the short term.

Remember last summer – we all thought it would be long and hot but in fact it was pretty murky for the most part apart from a burst of intense heat wave. Meanwhile Europe and the US had catastrophic fires that devastated homes and crops. There’s no doubt the world is warming up but that doesn’t mean picnics in the park and a better tan. If no action is taken the greenhouse effect could lead to a rise in average global temperatures of between 1.5-4.5 degrees C. Such increases will make the world hotter than it has been for more than 100,000 years.

That means more bad weather; storms and hurricanes become more frequent and stronger as oceans heat up causing more water to evaporate. Continental heartlands dry out more in summer causing massive droughts and crop failure and floods increase as sea levels rise (currently at a rate of 1 to 2mm each year) due to expansion of the top layer of the oceans as the polar ice caps melt.

Not a pretty picture is it? So what can you do? Being well informed is the first step; If you want to learn more, the open university has a fantastic website with detailed information about various climate change topics.

Bethan

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Boris Johnson was voted Mayor of London this weekend. Considering the emphasis Ken Livingston placed on the need to address London’s climate change issues Boris has a hard act to follow. So, I took a look at the environmental policies in Boris’s campaign to see how seriously the new Mayor is taking his responsibility to the planet…

So here you have it, in Boris’s own words…

Oh dear… the phrase ‘polishing mud’ comes to mind; Boris seems unprepared to tackle the root of the issue – cutting pollution and CO2 emissions at source doesn’t appear on the agenda. In fact he’s even championing the return of the routemaster! Even though new ‘clean fuel fleet’ is proposed the move is still little more than a token gesture that panders to a nostalgic whim – at huge expense to tax payers. The bendy buses may not be popular but they are more economical than predecessors.

Boris is also ‘reforming’ the congestion charge – and will not be imposing Ken’s proposed £25 levy – another step back in the fight to make London greener. Capping the congestion charge or even reducing it may make all those SUV driving yummy mummies in west London happy but what about all the residents who cycle to work? More cars on the road increase pollution and make the roads more dangerous. By reforming the charge he is actively encouraging people to leave their bike at home…

As for Boris’s pledge to ban bottled water… saving on plastic is a good idea — but most offices have water dispensers don’t they? Considering that one of the biggest climate concerns in future is global water shortage, surely effort is best directed at reducing the pollution reaching our already contaminated water and finding ways to conserve supplies?

Bethan

Ask a climate change question…

Making a change for the greener doesn’t have to be a mammoth effort or cost you loads of money – how about making your life easier and saving money? National Downshifting Week (NDSW) runs for 7 days from the 19th of April – don’t worry if you missed it; when you see how simple it is to make your life easier and your environmental impact less you’ll be wanting to downshift all year long.

Tracy Smith, founder of NDSW, is passionate about “slowing down your pace, finding a better work/life balance, embracing living with less and leading a simpler, greener and happier life!” Sounds great doesn’t it?

So how do we go about it? The NDSW website is full of practical and fun ideas; now the sun’s out how about starting with your garden? Try turning one of you’re sunnier beds into a vegetable patch and what about starting a compost heap? You’ll be recycling your food waste and providing nutrients for your new plants. If you’re not green-fingered what about supporting your local growers by getting your produce from them. A trip to a farmers market is great fun and you can often pick up varieties you won’t find in the supermarkets.

Look out for Tracy Smith’s new ‘Book of Rubbish Ideas’ – it’s an interactive guide to reducing your household waste, it’s published by Alastair Sawday’s and will be available in September.

Bethan

Ask a climate change question…

We’ve all been there haven’t we… one minute you think the fuel crisis is set to be solved by the use of bio-fuels and the next someone’s telling you that using land to grow them is leading to a global food shortage.

Or, thinking it’s still okay to take that mini-break so long as you offset the C02 from your flight until a well-meaning soul tells you it’s all a load of ‘green wash’ intended to make you feel better while lightening your wallet. Who do you believe?

If you feel confused you are not alone; it’s becoming harder and harder to get a clear picture of the situation. The problem is that so much time and money is being invested in researching climate change and developing new ‘green’ technologies that there seems to be a new theory everyday. More and more it’s big businesses, with dubious motives, who fund the research so it’s easy to be cynical about the statistics they provide. The media doesn’t help either; end-of the-world sells, and news channels seem set on terrifying us with predictions of impending doom on Earth.

None of this very empowering, in fact it’s tempting to stick your head in the sand and pretend it’s not happening. Unfortunately it is happening and it really is up to us as individuals to take responsibility for our actions. If we wait around for the government to take action we could be here for some time – their priority is keeping the economy growing in the short term not investing in long-term climate change solutions. Unless individuals make their voices heard politicians will continue to make policies informed by corporate lobbyists. Rather than being a horrible chore it should have you leaping for joy – the future is in your hands! You have the power to make a difference.

Bethan

Ask a climate change question…

Welcome to the all about what about china Blog…

What about China? is the latest in Alastair Sawday’s Fragile Earth series, it answers all those awkward questions about climate change that you’re afraid to ask and lays to rest the speculations and misconceptions that are bandied around amongst even the most well meaning individuals.

The book is laid out in a series of questions with jargon-free answers provided by a panel of experts from The Soil Association, WasteWatch, Ecover, The Centre for Alternative Technology, James Bruges (author of the Little and Big Earth Book) and Alastair Sawdays.

Topics covered include climate, recycling, energy, travel and food and this blog is your chance to ask even more questions, discuss any issues raised in the book, keep abreast of relevant current related news articles and lots more…

I’m looking forward to hearing your questions and finding out the answers…

Bethan
  
Ask a climate change question…