Why we need One Planet Living

Climate change is with us. A decade ago, it was a robust scientific theory. Now, we are starting to see it happen with our own eyes. Climate change is one of many issues we have to deal with in our lives. The good news is that by addressing climate change, we can address lots of other issues. For example, making sure we have well-managed water supplies, healthy and affordable food and the protection of endangered species. So when we talk about a one planet vision for Sutton, we are talking about climate change, but also lots of other issues that are important in creating a way of life that will protect the planet in our lifetimes and for future generations. Addressing the issues of climate change can help us lead healthy, happy lifestyles, and build strong cohesive communities that work together.

Further resources:

The Royal Society: Climate change: A Summary of the Science

Met Office: Climate Change Guide

IPCC: Climate Change Reports TED talks on Climate Change

New scientist: Climate Change Guide

The way climate change affects you depends on your circumstances and where you are. In some parts of the world it is having severe effects right now and in other parts it is less noticeable. In the UK, average temperatures are likely to increase more than the global average through the 21st century, as will the intensity and frequency of heatwaves (see the Met Office for more info). The measures we take to respond to climate change are likely to influence your job and the way you work, your holiday destinations, the technologies you use, the way that your children are educated, your expectations of life, and many other things in some way or another. Some change might happen quickly, some slowly, but we think many of these changes have the opportunity to make us more resourceful and more content.

Further resources:

The Met Office: Climate Change – Effects on our world. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climatechange/guide/effects/

Understanding our environmental impacts helps us put things in perspective and understand where we should focus our efforts. There are a few different ways of measuring our environmental impacts, the main ones are:

1. Carbon footprinting. This measures the amount of carbon emissions that result from your lifestyle. We measure this in tonnes CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent).

2. Ecological footprinting. This measures the amount of land space that is required for your lifestyle. This is measured in global hectares (gha). Both measures are useful. For people, we find ecological footprinting is particularly interesting as we can compare the amount of land required for an individual’s lifestyle with the amount of land available on the planet.

Using this approach, we clearly know our limits: If everyone lived like the average person in South London, we would need three planets to support us.

Further resources: Global Footprint Network: An introduction to footprinting science Stockholm Environment Institute: UK ecological and carbon footprinting data: Resource Accounting

When people talk about “tackling climate change” they may be referring to either mitigation or adaptation:

• Mitigation is about taking steps to limit the extent of climate change
• Adaptation is how we make changes to the way we live in response to actual or expected climate change

Until recently, most action has been directed towards climate change mitigation. Mitigation is essential for creating a more sustainable future. However the climate is changing now and is projected to change over the coming decades making adaptation also necessary. Adaptation applies to our lifestyle, our homes and communities and our workplace. It requires us to think about our future environment and how we can change now to make us less vulnerable to the effects of climate change in the future.

What are we adapting to cope with?

In the UK, some of the greatest impacts will be the increasing risk of flooding, droughts and heatwaves:

• Floods. The Met Office predicts there will be wetter winters, more frequent and intense heavy rain, and rising sea levels that mean a greater risk of flooding. As well as infrastructure damage, flooding can have significant physical and mental health effects, from the immediate to the long-term (source).
• Droughts. As temperatures rise there is more chance of soil drying out during spring and summer.
• Heatwaves. These are very likely to increase in frequency, intensity and duration, increasing the need for cooling of buildings during the summer. Heat waves in the summer cause uncomfortable environments for people and create problems with water availability. In cities, heat waves are also exacerbated by the urban heat island effect, which is a phenomenon where built up areas have a higher temperature than surrounding rural areas. It occurs as buildings and paved areas absorb a significant amount of light and radiation, emitting it as heat.

Using our One Planet Sutton calculator, you can calculate your own personal footprint. It takes about 5-10 minutes.

Visit: http://www.oneplanetsutton.org/take-action/sutton-footprint-calculator/.

We think our footprint calculator is the best out there, especially as it helps you work out your ecological footprint and will give you Sutton-specific information and advice. However there are plenty of others ones out there you can try.

Other carbon calculators

The Guardian’s quick carbon footprint calculator

Global Footprint Network’s carbon calculator

Act On CO₂: This is the government’s carbon calculator