"Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world." - Howard Zinn
The last two posts we've been going on a journey of understanding, why does climate apathy still exist? What are some of the actual numbers around greenhouse gas emissions, that lead to climate change? Ultimately, we want to 'know' or at least strongly believe, that our individual actions will contribute to change. This is because a world where we actively combat climate change, and now start to actively work on adaptation, requires change. Change in our behaviors or patterns or purchases. That change may feel like sacrifice, many of us want our sacrifice to be acknowledged or validated so we can feel it is worthwhile.
This is such a hard topic to address, because ultimately everyone makes sense of the world in their own different ways, due to their unique upbringing and experiences and also how their brain works🧠. The most logical or emotionally appealing narratives will make sense to one person, and not resonate at all with another.
For me, believing undoubtedly in the science that says climate change is anthropogenic (made by humans) is enough of a rationale to do something about it (we made it = we fix it). For others, it may be their firsthand experience of bushfires, drought or extreme climate events that triggers action, or the exposure to global changes and global science afforded us by the magic of the internet and news and IPCC papers.
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by a large and (relatively) slow moving problem or easy to be consumed by our current way of living, or just surviving, depending on your position. This blog has a specific audience, and it is targeted at those that have the privilege of being able to make different choices about the way they live, get around or what they eat. I realise this luxury is not afforded to all, but quite often (as we saw in the last post) it has been the 'luxury' of choice that has contributed to skyrocketing production of greenhouse gas emissions, from the energy powering the industries that produce goods and the services we consume, the vehicles we drive, the clothing we wear, to the food we eat and the homes we live in.
Corporations are feeding the beast of capitalism, but consumerism is the lifeblood of capitalism, and the middle class is the heart that keeps it pumping.
Energy Transition: the biggest bang for buck
We started this dive into the stats to understand one thing - does reducing my emissions, as a household, here in Australia, actually make a difference?
In this last post in the series, I said I would take you into one more dive into data, this time on emissions carved up by 'sector', which industries they are generated in, and also what expectations are already baked into our Australian emissions reduction roadmap that, in fact, RELIES on household making different choices, to achieve netzero.
If you follow a lot of global news and reporting, you will have heard repeated discussion on the 'energy transition' - which is largely the ongoing shift from traditional fossil fuel-based energy systems to more sustainable and low-carbon alternatives. The energy transition involves a range of different activities and initiatives, including:
Increasing the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix (Solar, wind etc).
Improving energy efficiency (in buildings, transportation, and industry).
Decarbonizing transportation (transitioning away from fossil fuel-based transportation, think electric vehicles, biofuels and even walking or cycling).
Carbon capture and storage (capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other industrial processes and storing them underground - or naturally in forests and peat or soil).
Energy storage (technologies and infrastructure for storing renewable energy, such as batteries, pumped hydro, and thermal storage).
The reason we focus so much on the energy transition to actively mitigate climate change (rather than say reducing plastic pollution or looking after waterways and biodiversity) is because of the substantial contribution from energy to emissions and the global warmng effect. This is from energy use in industry (to make things and food) in transport (to fuel vehicles), in buildings (to heat, cool, power our machines & devices).
Take a look at the breakdown of global greenhouse gas emissions by sector in the image below (thanks, Our World in Data). It's for the 2016 year, and this baseline continues to shift year on year as we make changes in renewable energy and also in improved abilities to report on and measure greenhouse gas emissions. All the pinky-red areas make up 'energy' as a contribution to emissions.
Comparing global averages (above) to Australia's average emissions by sector (below), it's not dramatically different, with a few notable 'higher than averages' - Australia's transport sector. Intuitively this makes sense with the standard and frequency of public transport options and population of electric vehicles a lot lower than other higher income nations. Like Americans, we love our cars and we have large expanses of land to cover with little regional public transport options. Some of the categories are hard to match exactly as they depend on the definitions within them.
Australia's LULUCUF (Land use, Land Use Change and Forestry) is reporting negative emissions, i.e. it has become a 'carbon sink' compared to the baseline 2005 year from which the Paris emissions targets are set. So fantastically, Australia hasn't been out clearing more forest than was already done for existing farming, industry, housing, mining and whatever other purposes. A cynical person might not consider this to be great progress as the damage was already done then, and we've planted a few trees to make up for two centuries of damaging clearing.
For households: Less, Better, or Different
The range of measures and changes that is expected to be made of individuals, in order to hit Australia's commitments to the Paris targets, require us all to do something less, better or different, or all three, the definition of which can depend on your perspective.
For example - to save emissions from generating electricity to power our air conditioners in summer we could:
Less - turn on the aircon for less hours in the day. This less behaviour could be accommodated by some better ways of cooling our house - improving insulation, planting shade trees near windows, using window coverings and opening up to the breeze in the afternoon.
Better - power our air-conditioner with solar panels on hot days, not relying on fossil fuel generated electricity, or from swapping a lower energy efficiency device to a higher energy efficiency rated device - same cooling, just delivered in a better (less energy consuming) way.
Different - turning on the air-conditioner, but changing the temperature we cool to, or having a practice of turning it on earlier in the day (before the heat) but leaving on a lower setting to consume overall less energy - a difference in behaviour.
Here is a list of changes in behaviors for households, that are required to lower Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, along with targets or other measurements:
Renewable energy:
Installing rooftop solar panels or participating in community solar projects.
Purchasing green power from renewable sources.
Ensuring transition of Australia's fossil fuel electricity generation transitions to renewables: Rewiring the Nation 2022-23 Budget has $20 billion in low-cost finance to expand and modernise Australia’s electricity grids at lowest cost.
Funding of $224.3 million over 4 years in the 2022-23 Budget to deploy 400 Community Batteries across Australia to reduce bills, cut emissions and ease pressure on the grid.
Funding of $102.2 million over 4 years in the 2022-23 Budget for the Community Solar Banks initiative.
Target: achieving 50% renewable energy by 2030.
Energy efficiency:
Switching to energy-efficient appliances and equipment, such as LED light bulbs and high-efficiency air conditioners.
Setting energy-saving habits, such as turning off appliances when not in use and adjusting thermostat settings.
The Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Program aims to improve the energy efficiency of appliances and equipment by delivering a single, integrated approach to energy efficiency standards and labelling (the star ratings). Standards specify the minimum level of energy performance that appliances must meet before they can be sold. Labelling provides energy efficiency information to support consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. These activities encourage investment in energy efficient products and reduce energy costs for households and businesses.
Target: Australia's National Energy Productivity Plan aims to improve energy productivity by 40% by 2030.
Transport:
Incentives for household to switch to electric vehicles: the $345 million Electric Car Discount Bill, exempting eligible electric cars from fringe benefits tax (FBT) and the 5% import tariff.
Funding of $275.4 million over 6 years in the 2022-23 Budget for the Driving the Nation Fund which takes total investment to over $500 million to help reduce transport emissions, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen highways.
Target: Australia aims to reduce emissions from the transport sector by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Waste:
Reducing food waste and composting food scraps.
Reducing packaging waste by choosing products with minimal packaging or reusable packaging.
Target: The National Waste Policy aims to reduce Australia's waste generation by 10% per capita by 2030.
Agriculture:
Adopting sustainable farming practices, such as reducing tillage, increasing soil carbon, and improving nutrient management.
Encouraging plant-based diets and reducing meat consumption.
Target: Australia aims to reduce emissions from the agriculture sector by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Overall, these changes in behaviors and practices can contribute significantly to lowering Australia's greenhouse gas emissions and achieving its climate targets.
Baked into Australia's climate plans, is the expectation that we as individuals will contribute to these actions. We will benefit from large scale renewable energy instead of fossil fuel dominated electricity generation, incentives or price reductions on electric vehicles, and increases in charging stations will encourage more transition to EVs. Appliances we buy will be gradually improving in energy efficiency ratings.
So here we are after a few posts jam packed with stats and facts and figures and plans. At the end of it here is the takeaway I leave for you:
Not only can household changes make a difference to climate change, those changes in behaviours and consumption are actually part of the plans and commitments we have made as a nation to achieve our Paris agreement target of keeping warming at 1.5 degrees.
If you have the privilege of choosing what to eat, how you prepare & dispose of food, what clothes to wear, what goods and services you consume, how you get around, the amenity of your home - then you can make a difference.
Beyond your individual household or family choices, armed with general info on where greenhouse gas emissions come from, you can use this information in workplaces, volunteer groups, community groups, school communities or similar using the power of voice to influence, lobby or make decisions to the way these groups:
use energy,
where energy comes from or how it is purchased or stored,
how waste is disposed of or recycled,
how goods and/or people are transported,
how our groups' impact on the environment, including waterways or biodiversity,
to be a change for good.
The quote at the start of this post about small acts comes from Zinn's belief in the power of grassroots movements and the ability of ordinary people to effect change. Zinn believed that collective action was necessary to create meaningful social and political change, and that every individual had the ability to contribute to those efforts in their own small way. I believe this too and I hope you continue to follow along and explore the ways in which we contribute to this collective change.
Comments