CLIMATE ACTION WENDOVER

With Wendover experiencing ‘tropical nights’ during August whereby night time temperatures don’t drop below 20˚C whilst parts of Wales had flash flooding, it is becoming apparent that climate change is not a thing of the future. It is happening today.

However, this should come as no surprise. Climate scientists have been informing us for decades that global warming is due to carbon emissions from human activities. Whilst many carbon offsetting schemes such as tree planting and switching to renewable energy sources are underway, perhaps now is the time for everyone to think about their individual footprint on the planet.

How big is your carbon footprint?

So how can you understand what impact your everyday activities have on the environment? Justine Hammer who is co-ordinating the carbon group at Climate Action Wendover said that ‘calculating your carbon footprint should be as easy as knowing how much you weigh because if you understand your footprint, you can then take steps to reduce it.’

There are lots of carbon footprint calculators available but one that our volunteers found to be easy to use can be found at https:// footprint.wwf.org.uk/. Answering the guided multiple-choice questions takes about 15 minutes resulting in your personal footprint.

One volunteer said that her 2020 carbon footprint was 18.2 tonnes, well above the 2020 individual target of 10.5 tonnes. However, the tool is easy to return to and make changes so when her trips overseas were cancelled, she updated the flight data and her carbon footprint reduced to 9.8 tonnes.

Paul Moring, chair of Climate Action Wendover commented that ‘whilst the UK is on track to meet its third carbon budget, government and citizens need to make further reductions to reach net zero by 2050. Knowing your individual footprint is the first step on the journey and we encourage residents of Wendover to try the calculator and find out what actions you can take.’