Category Fossil fuel divestment

Out of the many tragedies that have emerged from this pandemic, one of the few silver linings is the possibility that, once we have demonstrated the ability to completely shut down and restart our societies, we will, collectively, use that towards restarting in a manner that is safe and sustainable, for people and the planet. The power to do so is in our hands – all we have to do is make the choice, individually and collectively. The data could not be more clear – we know what we need to do, and we know how to do it.

• US urged to cut 50% of emissions by 2030 to spur other countries to action Guardian
• Global lockdown every two years needed to meet Paris CO2 goals – study Guardian
• NYTimes: Volvo Plans to Sell Only Electric Cars by 2030 NYT

Carbon dioxide emissions must fall by the equivalent of a global lockdown roughly every two years for the next decade for the world to keep within safe limits of global heating, research has shown. (Bold mine).

Lockdowns around the world led to an unprecedented fall in emissions of about 7% in 2020, or about 2.6bn tonnes of CO2, but reductions of between 1bn and 2bn tonnes are needed every year of the next decade to have a good chance of holding temperature rises to within 1.5C or 2C of pre-industrial levels, as required by the Paris agreement.

Guardian

Changes of this scale, as with the pandemic, are multi-faceted, including individual actions (eg wearing masks, staying home when needed to protect ourselves and others), governmental (eg clear public health orders, income support as needed), business (eg switching to curbside pickup or work from home, where applicable). Likewise, for the climate crisis, we need all levels and sectors involved, doing everything possible to get us to where we need to be.

So, in the most immediate term, reducing our emissions by 50%+ over the next few years (and then further after that) is not a small task. How are we going to get there, and what actions can we take, starting today, to get us there, in each sector?

• Reducing the size of our home by 50% will reduce our heating/cooling emissions in half (as a rough estimate, simply because we have less space to heat/cool). If, by extension, we also own less stuff, there are emissions reductions (and other gains) to be found there, as well.
• Switching from an animal-based diet to a whole-foods, plant-based diet has a significant impact (exact % depends on what you were eating before, and whether you switch fully or partly to plant-based etc)
• Living in a higher density area helps reduce driving-related emissions, as more day-today trips are within walking distance (as does using public transit or an EV when you aren’t walking or biking)
• Significantly reducing or eliminating flights will take out a significant emissions source, depending on how much you were flying before and how much you reduce. Before flying, consider whether the flight is essential or not.
• Electing governments that are serious about tackling the climate crisis
• Supporting businesses that are working to tackle the climate crisis (zero waste and others) instead of business-as-usual
• Countless others – far too many to list here. 🙂

Naturally, different people will tackle things in their own order – and for someone who already lives in a small home in a high density area, downsizing is obviously not the place to start. However, most of us have room to improve, and places to start. What changes have you already made? Which are you interested in trying next? Which are you most curious about? Which do you think will be easier or more challenging?

We’re all in this together, so let’s help each other out, and build a better future for everyone!

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There are always lots of amazing deals on sustainable, zero-waste items in my online store! Check the website for details!

2020 was not the year that any of us were expecting, when the year began. A global pandemic forced a radical reset of how the world operates, in countless ways. Some of those changes were relatively easy – such as office workers switching to more remote meetings, with less travel for in person work. Other changes were much more difficult – in addition to the catastrophic death toll that results from any pandemic or other major crisis. Some of these changes, however, have resulted in a significant – if temporary – reduction in our emissions. Contrary to the frequently asked question – “When will things go back to the way they were?” – we were, globally, on a trajectory that was not sustainable. Therefore, we should, instead, be asking “How can we come out of this pandemic to something better than what we had before?” (as many people are already doing).

• Covid Took a Bite From U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2020: NYT
• BBC News – Climate change: US emissions in 2020 in biggest fall since WWII
• Amid 2020’s gloom, there are reasons to be hopeful about the climate in 2021 Guardian
• InsideClimate News: Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to Zero.
• InsideClimate News: Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to Zero.
• Lloyd’s market to quit fossil fuel insurance by 2030: Guardian

What does coming out of this to a new, better normal look like? What changes do we need to keep? What new changes will we still need to make? There is not the space here to allow for a comprehensive answer, but there are a few key pieces to highlight:

• We must continue with the significant, rapid reduction in emissions that we saw during this pandemic. The rapid pace of change that happened showed that change is possible, where there is a will. Now, we need to maintain the momentum of these changes, without the catastrophic pressure that comes from a global pandemic. Globally, we all need to act fast, without waiting for others who might be further behind in this process.
• A Universal Basic Income is essential, for many reasons, and should be implemented as soon as possible.
• Multi-party systems, with proportional representation, seemed to fair better (based on research that others have done), and also are key to reducing polarization and misinformation campaigns. Countries that still have First-Past-The-Post or other non-proportional systems should put serious effort into switching as soon as possible.
• Food and travel/transportation are big areas of emissions, both of which we have significant control over in our daily lives. Changes are critical – and will need to go beyond what is easy or comfortable at times.

Moving into a better 2021 – and beyond – means living within our planetary boundaries, not taking more than our fair share and living simply, in balance with our global neighbours and with the earth. (Photo Credit)

Here’s to a new year, filled with lots of good things, including (but not limited to…) progress towards the end of this pandemic, strong climate action, electoral reform, peace and justice locally and globally, and civility towards each other.

Stay tuned for more website updates in the coming months. 💻😊

Link

Guardian

Further data here from the Guardian on the massive environmental impact of air travel, particularly among those who take the most flights in an average year. In addition, the failure to demand that the airline industry pay for the pollution it contributes results in a massive subsidy for airlines, while also contributing significantly to environmental degradation.

Frequent-flying “‘super emitters” who represent just 1% of the world’s population caused half of aviation’s carbon emissions in 2018, according to a study.

Airlines produced a billion tonnes of CO2 and benefited from a $100bn (£75bn) subsidy by not paying for the climate damage they caused, the researchers estimated. The analysis draws together data to give the clearest global picture of the impact of frequent fliers.

Only 11% of the world’s population took a flight in 2018 and 4% flew abroad. US air passengers have by far the biggest carbon footprint among rich countries. Its aviation emissions are bigger than the next 10 countries combined, including the UK, Japan, Germany and Australia, the study reports. (Bold mine).

Guardian

With the significant pause in air travel as a result in the pandemic, what will governments and other players do to ensure that, instead of getting back to “normal” (as it was pre-pandemic), that we build back differently, with a true aim to create a sustainable future?

As a start (and this should have been done decades ago), every industry (airlines and others), must be expected to pay for the damages they create. Furthermore, there can absolutely not be any more subsidies (direct or indirect) that contribute to environmental degradation.

The researchers estimated the cost of the climate damage caused by aviation’s emissions at $100bn in 2018. The absence of payments to cover this damage “represents a major subsidy to the most affluent”, the researchers said. “This highlights the need to scrutinize the sector, and in particular the super emitters.”

Guardian

Building back better is possible, if we, collectively, choose to do it, and put the full power of government, non-profits, civil society, industry and others all together. Individually, tackling this issue means looking at giving up non-essential flights and voting in governments that will take strong action on holding polluters accountable. If we don’t do it now, when will we act?

I saw a quote on social media few days ago, and am sharing it here. While I was searching for that one, I came across a couple of others, that I am sharing as well. Happy Monday!

These quotes are relevant in all of the areas that we talk about here – development, food, sustainability and others. As we all deal with this pandemic, and the climate crisis, our collective failure to listen to experts – who have been calling for massive changes to prevent a climate crisis for decades – can not be ignored. Changes to our choices – individually and collectively – need to be radically rethought, so that we come out of this pandemic with a Green New Deal (in various forms, locally and globally), with related changes to how we live, work, eat, use energy, get from place to place and support each other collectively, among others.

And a couple more…

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NOTE: During this pandemic, and always, immediate safety, health and other concerns come before discussion on other related issues. Discussion on policies during the pandemic, their implications and choices we make collectively for the future do not, in any way, minimize the impacts of the present crisis.

Also, we have approx 200 new people (and growing rapidly) joining us here via the new Menno Adventures Facebook business page. Welcome here! 🙂

Impacts from this pandemic are being felt in countless ways. I have put things into some rough (but not exhaustive) categories below. Naturally, many resources could be cross-referenced to more than one category, but are listed in only one spot.

Emissions

With the global shutdown, it is true the actual, real-time emissions are down. However, climate change is a result of many decades of emissions. This halt, if followed by a huge surge in emissions when the shutdown ends, will not result in any net positive impacts on climate change. However, if this crisis is used as an opportunity to create better systems, locally and globally, we can increase the changes of turning things around before it’s too late.

Global lockdowns might reduce CO2 emissions but won’t halt climate crisis, scientists say: CBC

Oil Companies Are Collapsing Due to Coronavirus, but Wind and Solar Energy Keep Growing: NYT

Financial help for airlines ‘should come with strict climate conditions’: Guardian

Food

Ban wildlife markets to avert pandemics, says UN biodiversity chief : Guardian.

There has also been a fair bit of coverage around the increase in baking bread and other food-related changes that I have seen in the last few weeks. It will be interesting to see where this leads. Plant-based staples (eg dried beans etc) are, in my opinion, much easier and more cost-effective to stock up on than frozen meat, for example. Will this change how people eat once the crisis is over?

Economy/Universal Basic Income

Ottawa is handing out $2,000 cheques to out-of-work Canadians. Could a basic income be next? Star

Tackle climate crisis and poverty with zeal of Covid-19 fight, scientists urge Guardian

To be very clear, I, and countless others, based on the overwhelming climate science, are calling for an end to fossil fuel use and other significant changes to how we eat, live and go about our days, without the added stress and crisis that a pandemic brings. Also, we are asking that major fossil fuel companies and other not be bailed out, with public funds, to continue to earn private profit at the expense of the climate. Protect workers, not wealthy corporations – especially those that are heavily polluting.

As with any crisis, tackling the climate crisis requires a multi-faceted response. Eating red meat three times/week has a certain carbon footprint, as does one medium-length flight/year. Instead of debating which particular change to recommend or justifying poor emissions choices (ie “Flying is bad, so everyone should be encouraged to eat as much red meat as they want because it’s not as bad…” or “My per capita emissions aren’t as bad as others so I don’t have to change” any other combination), let’s all do our best to be sustainable, given our own individual circumstances, out of desire for a livable world for everyone. 🙂

I am supportive of a universal basic income, free post-secondary education, a Green New Deal and job retraining for anybody who wants to transition to a cleaner job. (There are lots of details on various ways to do a Green New Deal for anybody who wants to read further on this.) The only, possible silver lining that I see to this crisis is if we use it to build a better future for everyone. 🙂

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CBC

True – with one clarification. The time to end fossil fuel subsidies is not just now. The time was decades ago, and somehow it still hasn’t been done. We absolutely can not transition to a clean energy economy as long as we are spending money supporting fossil fuels.

The amounts at stake here are staggering:

A post-tax estimate includes direct subsidies, along with what fossil fuels cost in terms of their negative social impact, such as pollution and global warming. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report places Canada’s post-tax subsidy to the fossil fuel industry at an astounding $43 billion US in 2015-16, which amounts to nearly one-fifth of the current federal budget. (On a global scale the IMF post-tax estimate is astronomical: $5.2 trillion US in 2016, or 6.5 per cent of global GDP.) (Bold mine).

CBC

If we want to invest that money in clean energy, I am completely supportive. If anybody who works in the fossil fuel industry wants to retain, I completely support paying for some retraining to learn how to install solar panels, or some other clean energy project. Likewise, if somebody is on a farm that grows animals for meat or dairy consumption and is losing business as trends change, I want them to be able to support their families, and would happily support redirecting some of that fossil fuel subsidy money to helping them change their farm over to something more sustainable.

I do not believe the critics, who say that others are going to continue burning fossil fuels, so we can continue, with a clear conscience, until the worst offenders stop, and then we’ll stop after that. We don’t use that logic in anything else. Imagine what it would sound like if we did… “There’s somebody in my class who isn’t studying or doing their homework. So, until they get straight A’s, I’m not doing any homework…” or “Once everybody else in the world stops smoking, then I will too, but I’m not going to be the first. If I stop, somebody else will buy that pack of cigarettes, so I might as well buy it for myself…”

We rise or fall together, as a planet, and we are each responsible for doing our best – to bring the global average up, together. Supporting the fossil fuel industry brings the average down for all of us, and change is past due. There is lots that we can do: pressure our local MP to support an end to these subsidies, sell our gas vehicles and buy electric and/or use public transit as much as possible, live in a smaller house (or apartment) that needs less energy to heat, install rooftop solar panels, reduce or eliminate animal products in our diet, Lots has already been done, and we still have a long ways to go. We’re in this together – let’s make it happen. 🙂