An Inconvenient Truth?

In 2006 Al Gore, who likes to introduce himself as “the former next US President” (a reference to his unexpected defeat by GW Bush in the 2000 election), made a compelling documentary movie entitled “An Inconvenient Truth” which surprisingly was a box-office success.  The film focuses on his efforts to educate the public about the severity of the climate crisis.

Gore concludes the film by saying:

“Each one of us is a cause of global warming, but each one of us can make choices to change that with the things we buy, the electricity we use, the cars we drive; we can make choices to bring our individual carbon emissions to zero. The solutions are in our hands, we just have to have the determination to make it happen. We have everything that we need to reduce carbon emissions, everything but political will.”   

Also in 2006 David Attenborough made a similar environmental documentary for TV – “Can We Save Planet Earth?”

Both films end with almost identical lists of “what you can do to help”

• replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescents 
• use your car less often (DA suggests 50% less) 
• check your tyre pressures (AG)
• buy a hybrid-engined car (AG)
• use a low-flow shower (AG) or shower more quickly (DA).  (I don’t recall any mention of solar hot-water systems)
• switch off all standby power lights
• keep your fridge clean (DA)
• insulate your house (DA)
• don’t buy excessively-packaged products (AG)
• adjust your thermostat by 2 deg (upwards in summer, downwards in winter)
• re-cycle more
• plant trees (AG)
• divert a steam (?) (DA) 

The most noticeable thing about this list is that the measures suggested are so trivial and then, even in the extreme unlikelihood that 50% of people would adopt them, the reduction in CE would be no more than about 5%.

If I were to make a similar programme followed by my own list of “to-do’s”, the first 2 items on the list would be…..

• MOVE – into a rented apartment close to your work, shop, and play, and from where your kids can walk or bus to school..!   (why rent and not buy?  I’ll explain that later)
• CAR – don’t just use it less often (a waste of an expensive toy) – get rid of your car or cars..!!    When you need one for a pleasure trip you simply rent one..!

OK, that said, sadly it is not quite that easy…

The first problem (applies especially in London) – at present there are 4 grades of central city apartments

• Very Expensive
• Very Tiny
• Very Crappy
• All the above

The second problem is that, due to the unplanned physical nature of our big cities (even the centres sprawl) it is virtually impossible to find an apartment within EASY WALKING DISTANCE of work, shops, play, and schools.   This means you will need to rely on public transport, also expensive, which is over-crowded and uncomfortable at peak times and often used by hooligans.

 

The obvious answer is that we – and by “we” I mean the richest consuming nations – must reduce our impact – our “ecological footprint” if you like.

But the Really Inconvenient Truth is that the entire world (not just the greedy West) needs to reduce its GG emissions not by a mere 20% or so implied by Al Gore, et Al, but probably by at least 60% if not 80% or even 90%.

The 80% figure might bring us back to 1950 levels, but there is no guarantee that this would work.

Until 20 years ago we were only talking about Europe, N.America, Australia/NZ, Japan, Taiwan, HK, Singapore.

But how do we achieve the necessarily great reductions in consumption without also greatly reducing the standard of living to which we have become so attached?