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February 3rd, 2007

Responding to climate change

I sat in a coffee shop today reading the Independent and feeling unhappy.

independent

I know we have known for a long time that the lifestyles we choose to lead are having a disastrous effect on our planet, but it now seems even more definite and even more real.

A lot of the things that usually occupy my mind, such as the problems in the Anglican church (Yes, I know – I do need to get out and about more) now seem really very unimportant.

So, what can we do? Well, I can only speak for myself.

First of all there are lifestyle changes. In my case I think the campervan needs to go. I’m beginning to come to the conclusion that someone who calls themselves a Christian can no longer own a campervan with a clean conscience. Campervans are a lot of things, but green really isn’t one of them. Perhaps I should scrap it rather than selling it so that no-one else gets to pollute the atmosphere with the dashed thing.

I also need to be a bit more serious about using my bicycle rather than driving places. I’m quite good at this, but I could be better. I haven’t been very good over the last few months as my bike keeps on developing stupid little problems that I can’t fix, but I need to resolve to do better.

I suppose the other weapons I have at my disposal to do something, (even if it isn’t much) are my cartooning ability and the fact I can make websites. Therefore I am thinking that a good thing to do would be to build a new website with cartoons that have an environmental message, and somehow (via means that I have not exactly fathomed out) use this as a lobbying tool to put pressure on governments to do something. If you can think how this might work please let me know.

I think that is the main thing we can do – demonstrate that we feel strongly about the issue and use whatever skills we have to influence people in power to do what they can. And do what we can to fight apathy and ‘nothing I do will make a difference anyway’. I don’t know what else to suggest.

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19 Responses to “Responding to climate change”


  1. Buzz says:

    My conscience is pricked too. Moved to NZ in part for a greener life(style).

    Due to location of house and my office not to mention the chronic lack of decent public transport, I have ended up with a second car again, having managed to revert to brompton/train in London.

    Carpooling works when I’m on the same hours as folk but the best share here is with a guy who works insane hours, so is self-defeating in terms of work/life balance.

    More soul searching is called for, methinks.

    February 4th, 2007 at 2:28 am
  2. Aaron says:

    God bless you for the thought. I started to reply, but it became a rant against cars and plastic packaging and subdivisions and freeways and Chinese goods shipped all over the world and Wal-Mart. Now I need to take a warm bath and calm down…

    February 4th, 2007 at 4:05 am
  3. Jason says:

    Dave, I’m pleased your environmental conscience has been pricked and agree we all need to do something, anything to make a difference. Scrapping your campervan though is not as straight foward as it may seem – there will be environmental consequences to that too. Also it’s better to drive in a campervan to the coastthan to fly to some exotic getaway. Think it through before the campervan goes – it may not be the best answer.
    I was watching some actor chap (who’s name I’ve forgotten) on BBC Breakfast in the week. He has just started a green campaign. He was questioned on all the flights he took etc. as a film star. He said environmental change is not about one person living like a monk but lots of people making small changes that make a difference i.e. not leaving the TV on standby and unplugging your mobile phone charger. I think he’s probably right. Love your work/blog etc. keep on keeping on.

    February 4th, 2007 at 7:30 am
  4. Kathryn says:

    Dave, I expect you do it anyway, but there are some things at generous.org.uk that might help a wee bit…I totally agree that even though we knew, the impact of the report on top of the bizarre non-winter is truly sobering. Lots of people read you, so your thoughts really will make a difference

    February 4th, 2007 at 9:31 am
  5. Dave says:

    Thanks all.

    Jason – I think that small changes are a start, but it seems to me that if we stop at small changes we’re still going to be in big trouble.

    As for the campervan, I suspect it is one of the most polluting vehicles allowed on the roads in the UK. It meets the emmissions requirements, but I don’t quite know how. The alternative in terms of holidays would not usually be flying somewhere.

    Kathryn – I’m not signed up to the generous site, but I think perhaps I will do at some point soon.

    February 4th, 2007 at 10:00 am
  6. ash says:

    The Guardian did some special reports last year where they sent some reporters to far-flung holiday locations using non-flight travel.

    The results were interesting… The CO2 emmissions from their trips were about half what they would be flying, but the cost of their trip was at least 4 times more.

    One girl went to Thailand by train and boat, and it took months and thousands of pounds. So I really don’t think we’re going to stop people flying for their holidays. I propose, instead, that emissions off-set costs are built into all flights, especially those over-cheap ones. You could also limit the amount of flights people can have per year for personal recreation.

    With internet video-conferencing becoming so reliable, I wonder why it is so necessary to send employees all over the planet.

    February 4th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
  7. Dave says:

    Good points ash. Going by other means than flying is better, but not a huge amount better and video conferencing has to be a way forward.

    Unfortunately the idea that you can ‘offset’ your carbon emissions is not really true. See http://www.newint.org/issues/2006/07/01/

    What is really needed is to cut down on emissions, not offset them.

    February 4th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
  8. Sam says:

    As far as travelling without flying goes, I can’t resist plugging http://www.seat61.com/.

    Obviously going to Thailand without flying is slow and expensive (though possible), but a surprisingly large number of places are surprisingly quick and cheap to get to. London to Cologne in 5 hours 5 mins is my favourite.

    Factor in the much quicker check-in (get there 20 mins before instead of 2 hours), the fact you end up in the city centre (30 seconds walk from the cathedral in the case of Cologne) and the fact that you don’t have to be treated like a terrorism-suspect / crammed into a bright orange plane, and you’re laughing, really.

    Time to get off my soapox.

    February 4th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
  9. Septuagent says:

    I think perhaps we are going to have to get used to the idea that it is not the means of travel that we have to change. We look as though we are going to have to change our expectations – and cease the travelling.

    In my far distant youth (WW2) we had a car, but it was “immobilised”. Most local trips were on foot (but there were local shops then), necessary further afield trips we did by bus or train, and occasionally we had a “day out” – also by bus or train within an hour or so’s travelling time. There was, I recollect, a “holidays at home” campaign.

    For heavy shopping we had a home-made cart on pram wheels, and perhaps the important thing in that memory is that it was home made out of scrap (today we would say “recycled”) and not factory produced out of plastic and such (in China !)

    February 4th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
  10. David Keen says:

    I was struck (not literally) by the wedding couple who had a carbon-neutral wedding, and a biofuel wedding car, in contrast to the normal 14.5 tonnes of CO2 emitted by the average wedding. Perhaps we should make this part of our marriage prep courses.

    February 4th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
  11. Ann says:

    Thanks, Dave – due to your blog I put this in my sermon about “call” – and a couple who work with Chinese and American coal companies to lower “greenhouse” gases. They felt very supported in their work. BTW if you have not seen the Unitarian Univeralist Green Sanctuary project – check it out for things your church can do.

    February 5th, 2007 at 12:52 am
  12. Ann says:

    Thanks, Dave – due to your blog I put this in my sermon about “call” – and a couple who work with Chinese and American coal companies to lower “greenhouse” gases. They felt very supported in their work. BTW if you have not seen the Unitarian Univeralist
    http://uuministryforearth.org/cgi/news.cgi
    Green Sanctuary project – check it out for things your church can do.

    February 5th, 2007 at 12:55 am
  13. Chris Clark says:

    We must all do our bit and abrogation is not acceptable…however…

    Our whole world economy is based on growth…this is the root problem in my view. Converting poorer economies to become more like ours is causing the fundamental strain. There are too many of us and we in our comfortable West are relying on cheap goods from abroad to keep us prosperous. I fear at some point it is going break seriously and as the household of faith we need to think what our stance is on this before it happens..

    Sorry only mote problems not solutions

    February 5th, 2007 at 8:27 am
  14. Gregory Porilo says:

    I’m not sure whether this is the correct place to post this but hopefully it could be moved to wherever it is supposed to be. I just wanted to thank Dave and express my appreciation for all the excellent cartoons which appear both on this website and also in the Church Times newspaper. They really brighten my day and I take pleasure in sharing them with others. Unfortunately, I have recently discovered that they are not always appreciated by certain people who have had a “humourectomy”. For those who haven’t come across this kind of operation before, it is basically a removal of the sense of humour. Yesterday I gave a copy of Dave’s excellent “Sermon” cartoon to one of the assistant priests in my parish church, as I thought it might brighten his day. I had earlier given a copy to my Parish Priest and he thorughly enjoyed it, however the copy given to the assistant priest was promptly screwed into a ball by the priest and propelled forcefully into my face, hitting my right eye, dislodging my contact lens, and causing a 30% loss of vision.

    February 5th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
  15. Rick says:

    Yesterday I saw an (undated) article pinned to the noticeboard in a local methodist chapel. It proposed that Churches should be equipped with wind turbines or solar panels to generate their own electricity. The thought was that, since most are only used once a week, they would not only eliminate their electricity bills but might also be able to sell power back to the National Grid. Since the Bible tells us “The sun shines on the righteous” I can see how this might work.

    We could also try to reduce our (personal) electricity consumption by having PC-free days. All this surfing is bound to be upping the power bills!

    February 5th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
  16. Ann says:

    So I started a blog

    to keep track of what I find on the web and also to commit to what I will do.

    February 5th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
  17. James Clayton says:

    Losing the campervan seems a shame, given that they’re just so, well, cool. Can’t you get it converted to run on solar power or something?

    February 6th, 2007 at 10:18 am
  18. John says:

    You could have a look at this post if you would like to save energy on your blog:
    http://savingenergy.wordpress.com/2006/11/21/saving-energy-one-monitor-at-a-time/

    Keep up :o )

    February 10th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
  19. Sally Kimmis says:

    Have you seen this site

    As reported in Church Times 2 February, A Year of Living Generously began at GB a couple of years ago and has taken off as a community of people trying to make a difference to people and the planet.

    February 12th, 2007 at 3:42 pm