Why we’re chasing zero

Why I started this blog.

Climate change is one of the biggest and the most important challenges of our time.

I believe most people care about the future of our planet and limiting global warming as much as possible. But the actions we can take to combat climate change are often unclear.

Mainstream media coverage about addressing the causes of global warming is often dominated by the inadequate actions of governments and obfuscated by the propaganda, greenwashing, and covert lobbying from the fossil fuel sector.

Genuine greenhouse gas emissions reduction requires strong actions from governments and drastic reductions in burning oil, gas and coal. But to avert the worst scenarios of global warming, I believe that we all have a part to play.

This blog aims to share stories about how we can all contribute to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that are so toxic to life on earth. As a consumer, it’s not easy to make decisions that have a lesser impact on the planet. Often this is because of conflicting information about environmental sustainability attributes of the products and services we can buy.

Choices that help our climate

The choices we make as consumers today will affect our climate for decades to come and will impact the health and lifestyle our children and grandchildren have in future.

In 2023 I studied the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s Business and Climate Change – Towards Net Zero Emissions certificate. It was an inspiring course and helped me understand in more depth the consequences of climate change and the pace at which changes need to be made worldwide to reduce the likelihood of climate catastrophe.

While the course was focused on business, I decided to see if my own household could map out a pathway to net zero emissions, halve our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement.

Why ‘chasing zero’?

In basic terms, net zero emissions means that the greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere are equivalent to those that we remove from the atmosphere – either through natural processes or innovative technologies. Getting to global net zero emissions as early as possible (and no later than 2050) is the key aim of the Paris Agreement.

I chose ‘chasing’ for the very reason that there are so many conflicting stories about what effectively combats climate change and navigating the claims made by brands and businesses can be like nailing jelly to a stick!

Also, because many of the solutions to tackle climate change are rapidly emerging, as scientific knowledge improves and new technologies emerge, it often feels like we are chasing the truth; chasing the latest and most reliable information.

This blog intends to share the ideas and changes we can make as citizens and householders to reduce our carbon footprint. I don’t profess to have all the answers but I want to share our successes, failures and mistakes so others can learn from them.

The intent is to learn from each other.

I welcome other viewpoints and encourage others to share their stories of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Hopefully we can make a collective impact that helps reduce emissions and contributes to limiting the worst effects of climate change in the decades to come.

Thank you for reading.

PS if you’re not sure how vital combating climate change is, I’d urge you to take ten minutes to watch Breaking Boundaries on YouTube.