Limiting global warming to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels requires reaching net zero emissions by the middle of this century. This means that, in less than three decades, we need to reverse more than a century of rising emissions and bring annual emissions down to near zero, while balancing out all remaining unavoidable emissions by actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.

To help speed this process as individuals, we’ve got to do everything we can to cut down our use of fossil fuels. But many people aren’t aware of the most effective ways to do this. Thankfully, the latest report by the UN climate change panel IPCC devotes a chapter to all the ways in which changes in people’s behaviour can accelerate the transition to net zero.

The chapter includes an analysis of 60 individual actions which can help fight climate change, building on research led by Diana Ivanova at the University of Leeds – and to which I contributed. We grouped these actions into three areas: avoiding consumption, shifting consumption and improving consumption (making it more efficient). The charts below, produced for the IPCC report, show what we found.

What to avoid

By far the most effective things to avoid involve transport. Living without a car reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 2 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per person per year, while avoiding a single long distance return flight cuts emissions by an average of 1.9 tonnes. That’s equivalent to driving a typical EU car more than 16,000km from Hamburg, Germany to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and back.

Since the vast majority of the world’s population do not fly at all – and of those who do, only a small percentage fly frequently – fliers can make very substantial reductions to their carbon footprints with each flight they avoid.

What to shift

But living sustainably is not just about giving things up. Large reductions in emissions can be achieved by shifting to a different way of doing things. Because driving is so polluting, for example, shifting to public transport, walking or cycling can make an enormous change, with added benefits for your personal health and local air pollution levels.

Likewise, because of the high emissions associated with meat and dairy – particularly those produced by farming sheep and cows – shifting towards more sustainable diets can substantially reduce your carbon footprint. A totally vegan diet is the most effective way to do this, but sizeable savings can be made simply by switching from beef and lamb to pork and chicken.

What to improve

Finally, the things we do already could be made more efficient by improving carbon efficiency at home: for example by using insulation and heat pumps, or producing your own renewable energy by installing solar panels. Switching from a combustion car to an electric one – ideally a battery EV, which generates much larger reductions in emissions than hybrid or fuel cell EVs – will make your car journeys more efficient. Plus, its effect on emissions will increase as time goes by and the amount of electricity generated by renewables grows.

In the race to net zero, every tonne of CO₂ really does count. If more of us take even a few of these suggestions into account, we’re collectively more likely to be able to achieve the ambitious goals set out in the Paris climate agreement. Of course, these changes will need to be backed by major political action on sustainability at the same time.

If we’re to use less fossil fuel energy, the use of fossil fuels needs to be either restricted or made more expensive. The social consequences of this need to be carefully managed so that carbon pricing schemes can benefit people on lower incomes: which can happen if revenues are redistributed to take the financial burden off poorer households.

But there’s a whole lot more that governments could do to help people to live more sustainably, such as providing better, safer public transport and “active travel” infrastructure (such as bike lanes and pedestrian zones) so that people have alternatives to driving and flying.

There’s no avoiding the fact that if political solutions are to address climate change with the urgency our global situation requires, these solutions will limit the extent to which we can indulge in carbon-intensive behaviours. More than anything, we must vote into power those prepared to make such tough decisions for the sake of our planet’s future.

Max Callaghan, Postdoctoral Researcher in Climate Change, University of Leeds

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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After leaving Lundy she re-trained and worked as a primary school teacher. Wendy is a volunteer at North Devon Foodbank where she is a trustee. She also volunteers and supports charities working with refugees in this country and abroad.

Wendy will bring her skills in environmental issues as well as her local knowledge of Northam to serve you. She will focus on : 

Climate Change 

Counter impacts of rising sea levels on the local area

Stop sewage/effluent discharges into sea/water courses 

Planning 

Protect greenspace to stop urban areas joining up

Ensure infrastructure (schools etc) is provided with new housing Restrict number of second homes 

Affordable Housing 

Increase the proportion and hold developers to it 

Address homelessness and shortage of social housing 

Waste and Recycling 

Support more recycling and more re-use 

Discourage fly tipping by making recycling easier 

Leisure Services 

Ensure leisure centres offer a full programme of activities Improve the cycle and footpath networks across the area

Vote for WENDY LO-VEL

Green Party candidate

Council By-elections 

Northam Ward 

Torridge District Council 

Orchard Hill 

Northam Town Council 

IF YOU WANT REAL CHANGE VOTE FOR IT

✔ THINKING GLOBALLY, ACTING LOCALLY

✔ FREE TO STAND UP FOR OUR AREA

✔ YEAR ROUND HARD WORK 

✔ PEOPLE AND PLANET BEFORE PROFITS 

VOTE GREEN Thursday 9th December

The Green Party has two district councillors in adjacent wards – Peter Christie (Bideford North) who is Deputy Chair and Peter Hames (Appledore) who is Chair of the Climate Emergency Committee.

They have a track record of bringing environmental concerns to the fore and Wendy’s election would form a strong team of three.

Green Party policies offer a real alternative to those of the main parties and reflect the serious environmental problems facing us and the need for greater equality and social justice. They aim to create economic and ecological sustainability and a fairer, healthier society.

The post Meet our Northam Candidate Wendy Lo-Vel appeared first on Torridge Green Party.

Stitches for Survival 1.5 Mile Blanket:

This is being created in blue and green to represent the 1.5 degrees of global warming which we must not exceed. North Devon have been contributing and all the sections will be joined together for the COP 26 conference.

Probably there will be a lot more than 1.5 miles of it as so many places are contributing.

On Sunday, 26th there will be a picnic from 12 midday at Victoria Park and the section – green and blue for the planet – will be displayed on the railings in front of the Burton Art Gallery.

Fossil fuels and banks:

XR will be “cleaning” Barclays in Barnstaple on Saturday October 2nd from 10 am to 12 midday.

Mass Insect die in:

North Devon and Torridge Climate Forum:

Diana is the former Head of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Team at the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and has worked in nature conservation for 25 years. She was a major contributor to the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity. She has lately focussed on international processes such as the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) having led for the UK on several of their assessments.

Andy is the Director of the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is responsible for its development. He has a strong experience of working with intergovernmental, government and NGO sectors.

GREEN GATHERING ON 3RD 0CTOBER

On Sunday 3rd October come to a Green Gathering at Cathrine and John’s house, Church Lane Cottage, Church Lane in Torrington from 12.30 pm to around 4.30 pm. It will be a bring and share and Cathrine will have a sales table to raise some funds..

Come early, come late, stay as long as you can and bring a friend.

Divestment from fossil fuels by Peninsula Pensions:

There was a meeting of the Peninsula Pensions Committee who pay local government staff pensions in Devon and Cornwall last week and campaigners camped at county Hall on Wednesday and Thursday and demonstrated the need to divest from fossil fuels. This makes economic sense as well as planetary sense as fossil fuel investments are more likely to go down in value from now on. The pressure is on to divest in the next year Oxfordshire and other County Councils have already done it.

The pensions are also invested in coca cola , one of the Dirty Dozen listed by Surfers Against Sewage as the companies responsible for two thirds of the UKs’ plastic and packaging pollution. The other companies are Pepsico, Macdonalds, Heinekin, Mondelez International, Carlsberg, Suntory, Haribo, Mars, Tesco, Aldi and ABInBeu.

Women’s Institute Handbook:

This has been produced to help local Institutes campaign in the run up to COP 27.

Chris Jordan’s funeral:

This was held on Wednesday 14th in a full church in Westward Ho!. It was a great celebration of his life and the Vicar “ordered” us all to join in with “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” heralding a wonderful whistling.

The post Extra News, COP 26 & Big Green Week appeared first on Torridge Green Party.

Cop 26 takes place in the first two weeks in November in Glasgow. The report of the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) is unequivocal that this is crunch time: the last chance saloon for all the leaders who have dragged their feet on putting genuine policies and not greenwash in place. Polls show that a clear majority of the population think the issue is vital.

You can also listen to “39 Ways to save the planet” on BBC sounds and visit

At our next meeting on 19th September we will plan an event to coincide with the run up to Cop26. Your ideas are welcome. We hope to include the School Strikers, Bideford Sustainability and other Green Groups so we make a big noise.

VERY SAD NEWS

EXTINCTION REBELLION LOCAL ACTION

During their fortnight of action they are demanding an end to extraction of fossil fuels. HSBC and Barclays are the biggest investors among the banks so this Saturday 4th September you are invited to turn up at the HSBC bank in Bideford between 10 am and 1 pm suitably dressed with mop, bucket, dusters etc. to “dramatically “clean ” the bank.

OUR REPRESENTATIVE IN PARLIAMENT, GEOFFREY COX QC

Private Eye (6 – 19.8.21) informs us that “in the latest entry in the register of interests, between 29th April and 31st May when apart from the last three days parmianment was sitting, he earned £157,000 from law firm Withers LLP for 140 hours, or around 18 working days, of “legal services”. this is on top of the 48 hours per month, or another six days, he works as “consultant global Counsel” to the firm in return for a further £468,000 a year.”

This goes a long way to explain why his replies to emails from constituents are obviously generic replies already on file so his staff can pick an appropriate one to send when you write to him. Hardly working for his constituents.

A NEW GREEN PARISH COUNCILLOR

We are delighted that Rosemary Gent, who is our Membership Officer, has been co-opted onto Littleham and Langtree Parish Council after attending a meeting and asking questions. She has hit the ground running, as they say, and is developing a Climate Action Plan for the Parish alongside the co-ordinator of Littleham and Landcross Climate Action community Group.

It would be good if more Party members could join their Parish Councils. Just go along to the next meeting and see how the land lies. You could bring a Green influence to your Parish.

BUCKLAND BREWER

If you live in the surrounding area, Brewer Parish Council is hosting a climate change awareness event on Saturday 23rd October 2021 at Buckland Brewer Hall.. Everyone is welcome. It is a free event with the added bonus of coffee and cakes!
The doors will open at 10:30am. There will be a panel of experts giving brief presentations with a question and answer session to follow (about an hour altogether) A number local companies and organisations have been invited to exhibit their services, including solar panel and air/ground source heat pump suppliers. There will electric cars on display and a number of other suppliers demonstrating services and products aimed at small businesses, the farming community and home owners.

CYCLING AND WALKING INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN

This local carbon cutting initiative is being supported to the tune of £5000 by Bideford Town Council at Peter Christie’s request and has gathered similar support from Barnstaple and Northam. Lobby your local councillors to get similar support from Holsworthy, Torrington and the Parish Councils.

DECIDE WHO WILL LEAD OUR GREEN PARTY?

Don’t forget to have your say in the Leadership elections. The candidates’ biographies are on the Green Party website and voting opens on 2nd Septmber until 23rd.

NEXT TORRIDGE GREEN PARTY MEETING

Our next meeting will be on Sunday 19th September at 3.00pm (one hour earlier than recently) at 9 Kenwith Road, Bideford. If you haven’t been to one before, come along. The meeting lasts about two hours and is fairly informal and friendly. If you aren’t a Green Party member yet, come and take a look at us. We welcome new members.

GREEN GATHERING

Cathrine has kindly offered her house, Church Lane House, Torrington, for a Green Gathering on Sunday 3rd October. Details in the next Info but save the date.

The post Green Party Info September appeared first on Torridge Green Party.

We stood in all five of Torridge’s County Council seats.   Last time we only stood in three.   Our share of the vote rainged from 7.6% in Northam to 11.3% in Bideford East.   This is a significant increase in our share despite being unable to do door to door canvassing or our usual “tables in High Streets” which helps our visability.

Thank you to everyone who put up stake boards or put posters in their windows.   We will build on this for the District Council in two years time where we hope to add to our two current seats.

On Devon County Council we now have two Green Councillors – Broadclyst and Totnes and Dartington.   

As you may have seen, there are now 183 Green Councillors around the country, up from 84, including an amazing result in Bristol where the Green Party now hold 24 seats, equal with Labour, with the Conservatives on 14 and the Lib Dems on 8.   Once we begin to win seats we not only hold them but add to them all around the country.

We will have a pitch at the Torrington Car Boot sale held at the Old Bowling Green which is just as you come into Torrington from Bideford at the top of the hill on the left.   We welcome donations of books, CDs and DVDs as well as saleable bric a brac.   You can bring them  to Fairlight, Torridge View, EX38 8DN beforehand and leave them in the porch or bring donations along on the day.   We will be setting up at 7.30 am and will stay till around 11 am.   Alternatively, contact me by email and we can collect.   We also hope to use this as a opportunity to recruit new members.

A new shop has opened in Torrington selling food, cleaning materials etc.    Bring your own containers and reduce your plastic use.   It is in South Street opposite the Co-op.   Let me know if you are aware of similar green initiatives so I can draw your attention to them

The next meeting for members will be on Zoom (hopefully for the last time before we resume face to face meetings) next Sunday, 16th May at 4pm

Ruth Funnell, Secretary of Torridge Greens

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