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As A Westerner I am aware that I utilise more energy in my day to day then most people that live in the African continent. Yet, as a non-car owner, vegetarian, one holiday a year, shopping from my local greengrocers and charity shops, I thought my “Carbon footprint” would be lower than it was.
The concept that a resource extracting economic model based on continual growth can ever be sustainable with a healthy planet, is highly questionable.
I scored points for living in a country that has signed the Paris Agreement! However, reading through the things to improve on I was struck by the targets. These targets are becoming legally binding, and one can see where, to achieve such lofty aims, they will need to seriously curtail the consumption of the masses.
That this contradicts the consumerist nature of our society I think is a reflection of how much our society is poised to change. How those in the New World Order are seeking to change it with all the UN sustainable targets and the adoption of Net Zero.
An example of Global Private Public Partnerships
To reduce my footprint it was suggested that I enter into a contract with an “environmentally friendly” electric company to reduce my impact by 90%. Second, to find a “climate friendly" heating source to reduce emissions by 80%. These seem pretty huge targets, they are also clearly directed at individuals. As the literature puts it, half the win is in daily habits. For example, the Aerial challenge to use cold water to wash your clothes.
Cows and sheep came in for a bashing for methane emissions, and much emphasis was put, not on being a vegetarian, but being a plant-based eater. Hard cheese also came under the cudgel. I should give up that one holiday a year. I should car share, in a green car. I should shop less, reduced by 20% - so not as draconian as some of the other targets. No keep shopping still, but buy quality goods, not the cheap mass produced stuff.
The quiz also claimed that products made from wood or bamboo captured more CO2 than to produce them. So go bamboo and avoid glass, metal, plastics, cotton, and stone. Avoid palm oil, well I agree with that one. However, there is only so much an individual can do. When we go shopping products are presented to us in all their plastic packaging. It is not individuals who are destroying the rainforest to produce palm oil. It is industry, it is industrialisation. The concept that a resource extracting economic model based on continual growth can ever be sustainable with a healthy planet, is highly questionable. Sticking a green label on it doesn’t muster.
At the end of the quiz it helpfully directed me to a page where I can pay monthly to offset my emissions. Isn’t that nice.
