Though the article focuses on Greece, I read similar conditions in Turkey as well.
So in a nutshel, literally like bullet points, what is the worst few things we are doing to cause this, and how do we put it right?
Quickly looking at the Met office and EU website on this both quote
- burning of fossil fuels i.e. coal and gas
- deforestation
- livestock farming
- fertilizers containing nitrogen
- industrial processes that use fluorinated gases.
- Iād also add concrete production
No mention of travel unless itās wrapped up in burning of fossil fuels. That said meeting our ever increasing energy needs is a massive problem. No easy way out of that one.
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Capitalism probably, as this leads to over consumption and lots of waste
Go back to scraping a living off as little land as possible?
Edit: I wrote this a few hours after Richieh wrote his post but for some unknown reason didnāt hit reply. (perhaps it would have been better if I had left it at that but i still think itās valid so ā¦)
Recently got a hybrid with a 30 mile battery range. Itās done 3000 ish miles now and only filled it up 3 times. Almost all our family trips are less than 30 mile round trips. Works very well given its limitations.
As ever, Yes Minister spot on:
That doesnāt work for me as thereās huge numbers of people that simply dont ave access to the land. So do we give them land (more deforestation) or divide up existing spaces?
Youāre right on capitalism though.
Addressing āeasy winsā is always a good start but unless we address the alternative energy problem now I see no choice other than restrictions. In fact iād perhaps look at introducing some now. Ultimately we need to start taking hits to sort this which is one reason why the pandemic was a great opportunity.
For example - the airline industry was hit hard. Perfect time to decrease the overall number of flights and aircraft in the air at any one time, while limiting the number of flights people can take in a year (say).
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perfect timing. UN wades in with a report that shows how deep in the doo da we are.
Yeah not the happiest reading ever
This one is a silent killer and donāt get the attention it should.
The covered surfaces (roads, driveways, and off course, buildings) reflect, generate, and store heat; they are also a big hindrances to replenishing the ground-water.
This also leads to more water running into the rivers and subsequent erosion and siltation.
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Very true, but the actual manufacture of cement produces enormous amounts of CO2. It accounts for something like 2% of all emissions
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I have no problem with accepting the infeasability of ādrasticā solutions. We do have to accept ādrasticā solutions are necessary.
This is soo true unfortuneately we see the opposite where all this must restart with urgence.
Meanwhile, human nature kicks in and we all fly like mad as soon as the restrictions are eased. Iām off to Disneyland as soon as holidays and restrictions allow. Not doing so will make zero difference to global warming. I know, I know, I knowā¦
Same. Iām looking at a skiing holiday next Winter. Looking with more than a touch of guilt this time round if Iām honest.
But then this will be my first flight 2 years. Still not really an excuse.
One more very important point: to preserve biodiversity, at all costs. That goes along with immediately stopping the ongoing deforestation of the remaining primary forests, and helping them to gain ground again.
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That went without saying when I was at school and thatās one hell of along time ago.
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Actually the to do list is rather long. Thatās because the nature is a very intricate thing while us screwing it in whatever way we could hasnāt helped either.
However, all those to do are very simple and doable.
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Spent a lot of time driving today and listening to various talk shows on the radio which of course were all jumping onto this topic.
The daft thing is there is a whole lot that is both achievable and feasible. It simply needs the leadership, and political will to deliver it.
Enter Boris Johnson and one of his ministers today that today insisted that all civil servants should return to the office or get a pay cut.
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Beat me to it.
Thereās a chance though that COVID and remote working could do wonders for the planet.