CLIMACT’s Post

6.2 That's my number for the year 2023; the number of Tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions for which I was responsible, give or take. This breaks down as ~24% fuel oil 🛢 for the home and water heating, ~22% for food purchases 🥗 ~18% for mobility 🚗 and ~36% for material purchases 📦 This is only around half of the average footprint of a Luxembourger which, according to the government's "myImpact" calculator, is 13T per year (!) but before clapping myself too hard on the back, it's still more than triple the global sustainable benchmark of two Tonnes. The principal tools I used to calculate this footprint included the Luxembourg government's "myImpact" https://lnkd.in/eSsSCu3M , the WWF's (UK focussed) Footprint Calculator https://lnkd.in/erSDcdaF and the excellent Greenworlder's Lifestyle Calculator https://lnkd.in/e5f2nqnS I used a number of tools in order to get specific geographical data relevant to my situation, as well as to calibrate the various platforms against each other. Tools need to be sufficiently simple to use to be relevant, but not so superficial as to lack credibility. I found that using several, and doing my own research (CO2 intensity of fuel oil, for example: https://lnkd.in/eQbZjUxq , or the footprint of a Chinese - manufactured solar panel) helped me to understand not only where the bulk of my emissions responsibility lies, but where I can direct my efforts practical and financial, to bring my own impact down as effectively as possible. Give it a try, you might be surprised at what you learn! Post your footprint below, if you're brave / proud / confident enough...

📰 The front page of the Le Monde today is about how the EU Green Deal is being pushed pack/politicians across the EU are trying to slow down efforts to reduce emissions/tackle climate change. Part of the reasoning for this is fear about a rise of the far-right/new "giles jaunes" movement if they go "too fast". 🙈 Politicians are not operating in a vaccum, they obviously believe that rolling back on climate action will attract voters. Yet apart from a minority of folk, every survey says most people worldwide believe in climate change, its impacts and want change, they "just" don't want to change their lives. 🙉 Sorry to break it to you/them, but your lives/our lives/people's lives everywhere are already changing — think New York in the last 48 hours, if floods and drought in Africa, Asia don't help. 😀 So we can either all decide to grow up and vote for politicians and parties who will act on climate change and give us, our kids and nature a fighting chance, even if it means changing our lives a bit. Or everyone can keep making net-zero pledges and back slapping when signing off on corporate promises to "keep warming below 1.5C" and then vote for "pragmatic" politicians who will deliver just the opposite. 🤔 It is the job of politicians to work out how to pay for the transition and ensure that everyone can transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. No-one says it will be easy, but there are easy wins. Why are they continuing to plough far too much money into fossil fuels and then saying there is no money in the kitty, and trains, heat pumps, insulation etc are too expensive? Why are we not holding them to task? And why are we still voting for pollution and profit (from which most of us reap little reward) as the mainstays of society? 🤒 German scientists said this week that keeping global heating below 1.5C above pre-industrial level has "factually failed". Scientists are clear that going above 1.5C means longer heatwaves, more intense storms and wildfires, loss of wildlife etc. In short, we will all suffer personally and economically. We will all pay. There is no scenario (whether we act on climate change or not) where we don't pay. We can either pay to try to make things better or pay to deal with choas and crises. 💶 Fossil-fuel subsidies surged to a record $7 trillion last year. The International Monetary Fund says: "Scaling back subsidies would reduce air pollution, generate revenue, and make a major contribution to slowing climate change". This is not rocket science, but simple maths. ✍ I'd love to hear from businesses and investors about how you are reacting to our flailing politians and their efforts to slow down delivery on emissions reductions. Do you support them or not? Should EU politicians be slowing down or speeding up and going to COP28 showing leadership and pushing for more action globally? https://lnkd.in/eqJgA_s6

“So we can either all decide to grow up and vote for politicians and parties who will act on climate change and give us, our kids and nature a fighting chance, even if it means changing our lives a bit. Or everyone can keep making net-zero pledges and back slapping when signing off on corporate promises to "keep warming below 1.5C" and then vote for "pragmatic" politicians who will deliver just the opposite.” Well said Philippa Nuttall . This really is simple maths. We’re knowingly choosing to race toward the cliff edge of a liveable future…and that’s a choice. We all have the greatest responsibility and opportunity ever to do something about the catastrophic world we are currently shaping for our children. And that’s why I’m doing the best I can as an individual, and Co-CEO of UK for Good, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with our impact partners Business Declares , Better Business Act, and B Corp UK to amplify our voice and demand more from our leaders. It’s time for us all to step up and speak out. Because if not us who, and if not now when? #betterbusiness #betterfuture #biznotforturning #bcorp #leadership #climateemergency #climateaction

Educational article by L'Echo on GHG emissions, on Belgium’s emissions linked to its production landscape, but also its consumption landscape. 11ton CO2e on average per BE citizen in 2021; still quite a journey before net zero in 2050. 3 top contributors: industry, transport and buildings, no surprise. And as conclusion: Belgium must considerably accelerate its decarbonisation actions.

Transportation is the fastest-growing source of emissions worldwide and now accounts for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions - behind only the power sector. Of these global numbers, the U.S. is the greatest contributor to global transportation emissions. Most of this involves fossil fuels burned for road, rail, air and marine transportation. Petroleum-based fuels (i.e., gasoline and diesel) account for almost all of the world’s transportation energy. As we confront these challenges, it's clear that innovative solutions are crucial for a sustainable future. 🌍 📅 Join Us on June 17 and 18 for the 2024 Climate Solutions Prize! This groundbreaking event will recognize Quebec's most innovative climate technology companies, giving them access to investments, prizes and visibility. Let's explore how innovation can lead us towards a cleaner, greener future. See you there! Register here: https://lnkd.in/eEKSdqi2 #climatechange #sustainability #climateaction #globalwarming ----- Le transport est la source d'émissions croissante la plus rapide au monde et représente 20 % des émissions mondiales de gaz à effet de serre, juste derrière le secteur énergétique. Parmi ces chiffres mondiaux, les États-Unis sont le plus grand contributeur d'émissions de transport mondial. Cela implique la combustion de combustibles fossiles pour les transports routiers, ferroviaires, aériens et maritimes. Les carburants à base de pétrole (c'est-à-dire l'essence et le diesel) représentent presque toute l'énergie de transport mondial. Alors que nous faisons face à ces défis, il est clair que des solutions innovantes sont cruciales pour un avenir durable. 🌍 📅 Rejoignez-nous les 17 et 18 juin pour le Prix des Solutions Climatiques 2024 ! Cet événement révolutionnaire reconnaîtra les entreprises de technologies climatiques les plus innovantes du Québec, leur donnant accès à des investissements, des prix et de la visibilité. Explorons comment l'innovation peut nous mener vers un avenir plus vert. Au plaisir de vous rencontrer! S'inscrire ici: https://lnkd.in/e_AtgAcN

According to the UN today, GLOBAL CO2 emissions are still not compatible with objectives for SURVIVAL. Now tell me WHO gets on a plan and goes on a vacation in this day & age? Because I do not understand how any person, least of all a person with children, does this given current circumstances. WHO drives a car to the corner when they could easily walk there? WHO builds on protected greenspaces? And then covers it up? Who believes things like 'fashion week' or 'film festivals' require travel? NO ONE. Because they do not. These are EASILY things that could be streamed and enjoyed without a single person ever having to board a plane (outside of potential actors for filming locations. Not for premieres, awards shows, etc. WHO can call themselves a leader and still protect corporate, oil & gas & carbon interests and banks' covering up of fossil fuel investments rather than demanding financial accountability and change for long-term sustainability practices? NOBODY with a human brain in their head and a beating heart in their chest that doesn't suffer from a psychopathic tendency to abuse.... WHO goes to these lengths to try to promote profit when there may be no planet left to stand on soon enough? SHORT TERM HEDONISTS. ADDICTS. NUCLEAR FAMILIES groomed to behave like they matter more than every other lifeforms. Period. WHO has a restaurant meal delivered for breakfast, lunch and dinner when there are endless selections in your very own neighbourhood? SO MANY PEOPLE in this neighbourhood - the ones who live in the biggest spaces and drive, especially. There. You have your DSM 5 list, compile a list of these individuals, STILL incapable of care as they are OBVIOUSLY dangerous individuals for a dying planet and yes, some of them are even parents. Many of them. Because it is inconsistent that a thinking and feeling person be told that unless they modify their CO2 emissions, their planet will not survive AND still seeing that some of the very same people will continue to procreate, drive, fly and endlessly abuse. It blows my mind. Sorry - some of these things DO NOT go together. You cannot claim to love your children and be unwilling to make changes for the sustainability of the planet - THIS is their ultimate inheritance. As much as there is no consistency in denying an infant healthy mirroring and replacing that with screens, there are no healthy parents out there who are engaging in day-to-day life practices that do not set an example for long-term sustainability. Giving your child zero chance to breathe or eat or survive IN THEIR LIFETIMES is not loving them. It's just being a narcissistic parent. Eco friendly or STOP. Stop buying new clothes. Stop producing new clothes. Limit your water usage. Limit what you buy. Eat only what you need. Drink only what you need. Clean waters. Protect sacred green space. Stop using chemicals. THERE IS NO PLANET B.

Very interesting article exploring the history and structural limitations (inefficiency?) of #carboncredits and #carbonoffests. In a nutshell, you can't really prove that the project you are funding is actually saving CO2: 🏞 Is the forest you are protecting really under threat, and won't protecting it just displace the deforestation problem somewhere else? ⚡️ Do the #renewableenergy projects you are funding really need your money to be implemented? how can you prove they wouldn't have happened anyway? (additionality criterion) Carbon credits should never be used as a substitute to #climateaction within the boundaries of a company, be it by reducing its direct emissions or partnering with its suppliers or clients to reduce their own. These reductions are more easily tracked by standards such as the #GHGProtocol, and that's probaly where your money should go. It takes more time to see the benefits, since you need to implement and track the measures first, but you have a real positive impact, instead of waving a certificate claiming that you have magically made your emissions disappear, at the risk of being accused of #greenwashing https://lnkd.in/epdNzdyR