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Eating greener to reduce our impact?

Eating greener (not literally of course, despite appearances) can help reduce our impact on the planet.

“if everyone in the world was able to eat like us in Europe, the world would collapse immediately.” Not sure about immediately, as it would presumably take a while for everyone in the world to reach that stage and things would probably fall apart on the way, but the overall point is clear – the current system is not scalable across the whole planet .

You might get pleasure from your steak, but what was the environmental impact of its journey to your plate? Should we prioritise saving money on our food bill over saving the planet, if we can afford to make more responsible choices about what we eat?

Although you can make better choices, many of the problems are of course systemic rather than individual. Making the cheaper choices the healthier choices is perfectly possible. This would help the 8.5 million people in the UK who are currently food insecure, but doesn’t seem to fit in with current systems for food production and distribution, globally or nationally.

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Global plastic recycling problems – you can run but you can’t hide

Global plastic recycling problems emerged when China severely restricted imports of plastic and other kinds of waste in January 2018. As a result, plastic waste imports are down by 99%. So even less of your plastic waste may actually be recycled and plastic waste is piling up, or going to places with lower standards.

However, this does create opportunities for alternative recycling processes nearer to the point of use, where we create the waste. Another reminder that we should cut down on single-use plastics.

Global plastic recycling problems - plastic bottles on dry lake bed
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Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy

“Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy” – Vice interviewed Jem Bendall about his allegedly “depressing” paper. If you read the whole article, it emerges that some people have actually found it empowering.

The paper is intended to be an “ethical and philosophical framework”. You will note that the word “map” appears in the title, which is a clue to the content.

While the factual content about the environment is disturbing, there are better strategies than collective denial when we are confronted with existential risks.

“The longer we refuse to talk about climate change as already here and screwing with our way of life – because we don’t want to think like that, because it’s too frightening or will somehow demotivate people – the less time we have to reduce harm”

Download the original paper here and please try not to be frightened or demotivated – these are not useful responses.

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Climate change versus plastic pollution – environmental priorities

Climate change: obsession with plastic pollution distracts attention from bigger environmental challenges.

This article from The Conversation suggests that our reusable coffee cups may not quite be enough to save the planet – “We must reform the way we live rather than tweak the choices we make.”

Includes an infographic which attractively presents various priority issues – however the content is not so attractive, unless the situation has improved dramatically since 2009

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Paper or plastic bags – which is really the better option?

Paper or plastic bags – which should you choose, in terms of their total impact on the environment?

Morrisons are trialling the use of paper bags instead of plastic bags, which seems like a good idea, provided the overall impact isn’t increased – the trade-off between the environmental (e.g. energy) cost of producing the paper bags versus the plastic waste from the existing ones seems to have been addressed to some extent.

Previous environmental concerns about this plan focussed on energy, although on closer inspection, the Environment Agency source material for these concerns wasn’t exactly recent.

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Ethical dilemmas – 2

More ethical dilemmas…

Is it better to put window envelopes in the landfill rubbish or in with the paper recycling, if you don’t have time to tear or cut out the windows? But then if you stay up all night with the lights on, separating the envelopes from the windows, that uses more energy in your home.  How do you compare the environmental impact of not recycling an envelope versus the light being on for a few extra minutes  – and maybe the heating too if it’s winter?

What about disposing of low energy light bulbs which contain toxic chemicals? What is the total life cycle environmental footprint of a low energy bulb?

Saving fuel is good for climate change around the world, but what if that uek saving means you pollute the air with particulates, which could make people ill in the area where you drive?

Carbon emissions could be reduced by nuclear power but there’s the risk of a meltdown or leak, and waste that is radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years. Which is worse? And what about the carbon footprint of building and maintaining the nuclear power station?

Is it better for the environment to buy non-organic local produce or organic produce from another part of the country, or abroad; or flowers grown in tropical sunshine and flown over, as opposed to being grown in a heated greenhouse in Europe?

Should you buy fair trade or organic bananas, if you can only find one or the other?

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Ethical dilemmas – 1

Ethical dilemmas about the environment start with an apparently simple choice which quickly becomes very tricky.

Is the environmental impact of buying a small packet of beans from Africa worse than the impact of buying a bag of potatoes from continental Europe?

What happens to the farmer in Africa if you don’t buy the beans because you’re worried about food miles?

What happens to the farmer’s family? Will they need to make a living in some other way, that harms the environment even more?

How much packaging is too much?

How do you balance the total environmental impact of the food being damaged and wasted against the impact of manufacturing and recycling or disposing of the packaging?

Is carbon offset just shifting the problem somewhere else?

Should you fly on holiday? If your children see more of the world might they feel more responsible for it?

Can their improved social responsibility offset the air miles?

How far could you all travel?

How do you quantify social responsibility so you can trade it off?