How to Measure and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint A practical - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How to Measure and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint A practical response to the climate emergency ROBIN BROOKES JOHN SCHOFIELD Slide 1 of 24 September 2019

Basic Assumptions • Climate Change is happening • It is caused by human activity ◦ Largely the burning of fossil fuels ◦ Also due to land use • We still have an opportunity to reduce the severity of Climate Change So: We should reduce carbon emissions to reduce the severity of climate breakdown September 2019 Slide 2 of 24

Carbon Footprint Oxford Dictionary: “The amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization, or community .” September 2019 Slide 3 of 24

Quiz time!! Rank the following in terms of carbon dioxide emissions – highest to lowest • A leg of lamb • Return flight to New York • Driving 8000 miles in a medium sized car • 1 Kg of Rice • Leaving a low energy bulb on for a year • A new Toyota Prius • A large loaf of bread • A pair of jeans September 2019 Slide 4 of 24

Quiz time!! Rank the following in terms of carbon dioxide emissions – highest to lowest • A leg of lamb – 38Kg • Return flight to New York – 3,000Kg • Driving 8000 miles in a medium sized car – 2,600Kg • 1 Kg of Rice – 4Kg • Leaving a low energy bulb on for a year – 45Kg • A new Toyota Prius – 15,000Kg • A large loaf of bread – 1Kg • A pair of jeans – 6Kg September 2019 Slide 5 of 24

UK Emissions - 2016 Greenhouse gas emissions associated with UK consumption: 784 million tonnes CO 2 equivalent (DEFRA, 2016) Population in 2016 was 65.65 million  12 tonnes per person Note: Headline figure used by government is production emissions and was 468 MtCO 2 e (National Statistics, 2018) September 2019 Slide 6 of 24

UK Consumption based emissions September 2019 Slide 7 of 80

Theoretical reduction paths September 2019 Tonnes Co 2 e 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 UK Annual Carbon Budget per Person 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Year 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 2040 2041 2042 2050 net zero 2043 2044 2045 2046 2047 2048 2049 Slide 8 of 24 2050

Theoretical reduction paths September 2019 Tonnes Co 2 e 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 UK Annual Carbon Budget per Person 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Year 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 2040 2041 2042 2030 net zero 2050 net zero 2043 2044 2045 2046 2047 2048 2049 Slide 9 of 24 2050

UK Emissions vs income (JRF, 2013) September 2019 Slide 10 of 24

Global equity 40 35 30 Tonnes Co2e per capita 25 15th USA 20 66th UK 15 150th Angola 10 5 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 Country by emissions ranking September 2019 Slide 11 of 24

Measuring your carbon footprint www.resurgence.org/resources/carbon- calculator.html September 2019 Slide 12 of 24

Homes - Where the problem lies Energy loss through the building envelope ▪ But it also depends on: ▪ Shape and size ▪ Window size and number ▪ Heating method - age of boiler, controls, emitters ▪ Lighting - CF bulbs, LEDs, T5 florescent tubes - but low voltage is not low energy September 2019 Slide 13 of 24

Why do we need to upgrade? ▪ Climate change - need to reduce CO 2 ▪ Peak Oil ▪ Energy security - imports make us vulnerable to supply ▪ Rising fuel costs - the general trend is ever upwards ▪ 47% of all CO 2 emissions come from all buildings ▪ 23% of all CO 2 emissions come from dwellings ▪ 78% of all houses which will exist in 2050 already exist now September 2019 Slide 14 of 24

The problems to overcome Existing properties throw up a few difficulties ▪ Solid walls - no cavity to fill ▪ Solid floors - no insulation ▪ Sloping ceilings - no access ▪ Historic buildings - must be allowed to ‘breathe’ ▪ Older houses very drafty - 12-17m 3 air passes through each m 2 exposed surface per hour ▪ Site is too restricted to allow renewables to be installed - i.e. overshadowed, no land space for a heat pump September 2019 Slide 15 of 24

Taking charge of energy use It is not just the building which needs to change Studies have shown a wide varience in patterns of use -some people are very sparing with energy, some are very wasteful Thermostat settings taken from a survey of 250 homes September 2019 Slide 16 of 24

Breakdown of average UK footprint (Kerr, GW, 2012) September 2019 Slide 17 of 24

Reducing transport emissions • Walk or cycle for short journeys • Use the train or bus when possible • Take holidays close to home, or travel by ferry & train September 2019 Slide 18 of 24

Saving energy in the home • Perform an energy audit • Make a plan of action • Follow the plan to: • Reduce drafts • Improve insulation • Better control heating use • Consider sources of renewable energy September 2019 Slide 19 of 24

Beware! William Stanley Jevons: argued that improvements in fuel efficiency tend to increase (rather than decrease) fuel use. September 2019 Slide 20 of 24

Tackling food choices • More locally produced • More seasonally available • Less meat and dairy • Less processed and highly packaged September 2019 Slide 21 of 24

Stuff • Buy less • Look for durability • Seek locally made • Consider what it is made of YouTube: The Story of Stuff September 2019 Slide 22 of 24

Tackling structural issues September 2019 Slide 23 of 24

September 2019 Slide 24 of 24

References • DEFRA (2016) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7 94557/Consumption_emissions_April19.pdf • National Statistics (2018) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-uk-greenhouse-gas- emissions-national-statistics-1990-2016 • JRF (2013) https://www.cse.org.uk/downloads/file/distribution_of_uk_carbon_emissions_implications_for_dome stic_energy_policy.pdf Kerr, GW (2012) Climate Change: The Role of the Individual Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258169307_Climate_Change_The_Role_of_the_Individual Data for per country emissions from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions September 2019 Slide 25 of 24