Verdict and Sentencing
Whether you have a suspended sentence or are looking at a life behind climate bars - see how your score was worked out below...
What car do you drive?
Did you know...
...that driving an SUV with a large petrol or diesel engine can be worse for the environment than flying on a mile per mile basis?
Petrol and diesel SUVs and sports cars produce such high concentrations of greenhouse gases that there really is no place for them in a sustainable world. And there are so many electric or hybrid alternatives available today. Small petrol and diesel cars are obviously better, but if not well-maintained can creep up towards the damage of the larger more polluting vehicles. If you feel you are not quite ready for the jump to full electric, you can always test the waters with a hybrid (self-charge or plug-in). But the best thing you can do in respect of transport is to move to a pure electric vehicle. And there’s the added bonus that they are so much cheaper to run in any event! A full charge at home overnight costs in the region of £5 – £10. How much did you pay last time you filled your tank with petrol or diesel?
What car do you drive?
How much do you fly?
How much do you fly?
Did you know...
...that emissions from fossil fuels released higher up in the atmosphere are more damaging to the environment and harder to remove?
What do you eat?
Did you know...
...that eating a burger a day for a week has the same impact on the environment as travelling from London to Newcastle on a bus?
Everyone knows that driving or flying is bad for the environment, but did you know that what you put on your plate has a massive impact too? Red meat, especially beef and lamb, have a surprisingly high impact on the environment. This is because most cows and sheep are fed from crops grown by us which take up loads of space and are one of the primary causes of soil erosion and deforestation in the world. Cows and sheep are also ruminating animals, meaning they burp up a lot of methane, a substance that is four times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than Carbon Dioxide. Chicken and seafood are better, but the same feed crop issues apply (although it is clearing mangroves rather than forests for seafood). From an environmental perspective, it is a primarily plant-based diet that is best. And it is worth noting that there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the cause of pandemics such as the COVID-19 crisis stems from factory farms and other unsanitary animal facilities where pathogens such as viruses can easily pass between animals, mutate and jump from one species to the next. So when next doing your shopping online or getting your takeaway, think twice about the meat options. Certainly lean towards grass-fed, local meat if you are going to have it. And meat should be a treat, not a staple in our sustainable future.
What do you eat?
What's your fashion sense?
What's your fashion sense?
Did you know...
... that the carbon footprint of the fashion industry is worse than the whole of aviation and shipping combined?
Making 1kg of cotton for your jeans requires 10,000 litres of drinking water, the amount one person consumes in about 10 years. And the fertilizers and pesticides used to grow that cotton cause soil erosion, which means future harvests just won’t be possible, whether for cotton or food. So perhaps synthetic fibres are better then? Where do you think synthetic fibres come from? Yes, oil. Fast fashion not only operates to risk the lives of low-paid workers in developing countries, it simply does not take into account the cost to environment in the price-tags we see. A sustainable world cannot accommodate people buying loads of clothes and considering them “last season” once worn once or twice. A sustainable world cannot see most articles of clothing dumped as waste by both consumers and retailers alike when recycling or simply reusing are real and viable options. Please think twice if you are a Fashion Freak and consider all the options of: (1) buying from a sustainable clothing brand, (2) swapping clothes with your friends when you’ve finished with them, and (3) taking old items to a charity shop and picking up a bargain when there.
Who is your energy provider?
Did you know...
...that the sun delivers more solar energy to the Earth in one hour than the whole human population of the planet uses in a whole year.
It is common knowledge that the burning of fossil fuels is bad for the environment. But many people still happily use an energy provider that relies exclusively (or at least heavily) on such fossil fuels. Sustainable alternatives have been around for a long time and have developed massively in recent years such that the cost of a unit of energy from a sustainable resource is now cheaper than the same from fossil fuels. So it is up to us consumers to ensure that the transition away from fossil fuels happens now before it is too late. There are wealthy companies and even countries that are heavily reliant on fossil fuel income to keep them in money and power. Please don’t continue to support these short-sighted money-driven entities. If you haven’t moved to a green energy provider (or at least the green tariff with your existing provider), please do so without delay. The more people that do, the lower the price will become… hopefully making the use of fossil fuels something for the history books. Please visit www.bigcleanswitch.org to see some of the great deals on green energy providers out there.
Who is your energy provider?
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You use a renewable energy provider or you’re on a green energy tariff…
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You are not with a renewable energy provider or on a green energy tariff
Who looks after your pension/investments?
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You have moved your pension/investments away from investments in fossil fuels?
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You haven’t moved your pension/investments away from investments in fossil fuels.
Who looks after your pension/investments?
Did you know...
... that since signing the Paris Agreement in 2015, the world’s banks have invested more than US$3trillion in coal, oil and gas companies.
Where do the large oil and gas companies get their money to invest in new projects such as digging for oil, shale gas extraction, new coal power plants etc? From investments vehicles, including your pension and share ISAs. Whilst money is pumped into these companies, they are not going to stop their environmentally damaging ways because the pay-out is too great and keeps them in money and power. If all consumers diverted their investments away from such companies, they would have no choice but to stop their damaging ways. And it is a very easy thing to do nowadays. Please visit www.makemymoneymatter.co.uk to ensure your money is invested in projects that help save the planet, not destroy it.