Climate change is a topic that is very current in our lives today as people are beginning to debate whether it is a natural occurring process of our planet or if it is a more man-made process due to effects such as the industrial revolution causing decades of greenhouse gas emissions. Having read the Climate Change Scotland Act (2009) I am now aware of the objective set my the Scottish Government to reduce the emissions in Scotland to below 80% of the baseline by 2050. In order to achieve this, they have implemented various strategies including the land use strategy and adding a charge to the single-use carrier bag. The land use strategy was first published in 2011 and is revised every 5 years. The strategy is a long-term goal of having a sustainable, well-integrated land use which will benefit society greatly in many ways. The second strategy put into effect is the introduction of a five-pence charge to carrier bags in October 2014. It was estimated that without the implementation of this charge, the seven main grocery retailers would have used over 800 million carrier bags in a year. This Act has therefore changed the way in which I shop as I am more likely to buy and re-use a ‘Bag for Life’ than a single-use carrier bag as it not only allowed me to be more aware of recycling but it has also saved me money in the long run as I am not having to constantly buy carrier bags when I am shopping.
As part of the study task we were asked to watch a documentary entitled ‘Antartica on the Edge’ which followed 55 scientists who took part in 22 experiments in Antartica to understand the significant changes in the region. This documentary shocked me as it allowed me to physically see and understand the effects of climate change. I had previously heard of the ‘ice caps melting’ through various mediums such as the news and social media, however, this documentary allowed me to understand how this ice melting would affect all of us out-with the region as it is predicted that sea levels could rise by up to 1 metre by the end of the century due to Antartica warming faster than anywhere else on the planet.
I was able to measure my own carbon footprint by using the WWF Measure Your Footprint activities. My carbon footprint was measured at around 290% and my total carbon emissions was measured a 28.3 tonnes which stunned me as it is considered good to be under 100%. My largest contribution to my carbon footprint was travel which was measured at 65%. I commute from Paisley to Ayr 4 days a week for University however, I do car share with 2 of my peers so had their been a question regarding car sharing I believe this figure may have been slightly lower. I could also reduce this by walking more and using the bus or train when travelling locally. I was also really surprised to see how much my diet could affect my carbon footprint. I discovered that the “live-stock industry is responsible for 14.5% of global emissions” (WWF, 2017) so by reducing my meat consumption and increasing my vegetable consumption I would further reduce my carbon footprint.
To conclude, it is extremely significant that Climate Change is an topic that children, as well as adults, are well-educated in and are aware of the changes that they can make in order to improve the future of planet Earth. Having taken part in these tasks I believe that I will be more conscious to make changes to my carbon footprint in order to help provide a small, yet useful, contribution to society and our future.
References
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2009/12/contents
http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/?_ga=1.176985891.745195644.1442412124
