10 things you can do for the planet in 2020

The year of 2020 is shaping up to be a ‘super year’ for the planet. We are fast approaching the rightly feared tipping point and what we do this year will set the course for centuries to come. Some ecosystems such as the Arctic and the Amazon have suffered a great deal in recent years and there is no time to waste. Despite the dire situation there was close to no progress at the COP25, the global climate summit and unsurprisingly carbon emission broke the record again this year. When you think it can’t get worse, you just have to see the Australian Prime Minister giving a full-throated defence for the coal industry while his country is literally burning to the ground thanks to a climate change amplified fire season.

Are we ready to take action?

But there was also hope. The climate crisis has moved from the fringe well into the mainstream. Movements sprung up, people took to the streets in millions and in a number of democratic countries green parties swept the polls. As a result green policies were enacted and some ambitious carbon neutrality targets set, especially across the European Union. Companies also took notice of the shift in consumer demand and set their own net zero targets along with many different pledges ranging from getting rid of plastic packaging to moving to sustainable sourcing practices.

But the jury is whether the world ready to commit to solving this crisis this year. As we approach a point of no return — the 1.5C target is slipping away — we need to ask ourselves: Do just want to enjoy a few more years of “economic growth at any cost” and to condemn ourselves and future generations to a hellish climate or try to chart a path to a sustainable global economy and keep flourishing? And 2020 is a year where everybody needs to think long and hard themselves. It’s a call to arms for the planet:

We need to stop the finger pointing and start acting to save ourselves and the natural world. And it starts with you and me.

Things we can do as individuals

It’s not easy to live a climate friendly life in an economy that was designed without the slightest attention to sustainability. But each of us can make a few commitments that add up. Moreover, commitments can easily become habits over time and contributing to the long-term change we need. So here are my commitments for 2020, I hope they will inspire you to come up with a similar list of your own:

1. Buy only what you need — The complete economy of today’s world is built on consumerism. Sure it has brought some progress for mankind but with little regard to the impacts. I for one will only buy what I really, really need and not anything else, especially not what is on sale. Avoid impulse shopping, buy quality and buy for the long run.
2. Repair anything that breaks down — A lot of today’s goods are designed to have a short shelf life on purpose. Companies force you to throw it into the bin and to buy the latest model. Some are unrepairable (again, on purpose) but a great deal of other items are not so hard to fix. Make the effort to do so and keep using them as long as you can.
3. Reduce air travel — Although air travel isn’t among the biggest sources of CO2, it is growing at break-neck speed and you have direct control over it — unlike your local coal plant. Try to minimise air travel and use long distance train rides whenever you can. For someone living in the developed world, this will probably have the largest impact on your CO2 footprint, besides reducing your meat consumption.
4. Buy no clothes in 2020 — Which industry has a higher carbon footprint than air travel? You guessed right, it’s the textile industry. This industry sells 2x the clothes it sold in 2000. But people had enough clothes in 2000, so what happened? Fast fashion came into fashion and it’s wrecking the planet. So one thing I will do to stop myself from buying clothing I don’t really need: I am buying zero clothes in 2020. OK, I admit I spent an extra 30% on top of my budget last December to prep but I will still end up saving 70%. Actually it doesn’t even matter if you buy what you really need in any short period of time in the year, the point is to stop yourself from impulse shopping throughout the rest of the year.
5. Offset anything you can’t reduce — However hard you try, until countries don’t come together and turn the global energy production carbon neutral you will have some CO2 footprint. But you still have an option to compensate for that and it’s called offsetting. I wrote a short piece on exactly how you can go about that, read it here.
6. Green your portfolio — It’s great if your spending is getting as green as possible but your savings matter as well. If you have money in the bank you probably keep at least part of it in stocks or bonds. You can look out for specific certifications such as the Climate Bond Standards, you can just invest in renewables or find companies that are already carbon neutral. There are plenty of options for greening your portfolio, research it or ask your financial advisor.
7. Erase plastic from your life — Now the plastic problem is not directly tied to the climate crisis but it’s another issue we need to urgently solve. Parts of the ocean have already 7 times more plastic than fish and every person eats a plateful of micro-plastics every year. But you don’t have to be part of the problem. It’s possible to drastically reduce plastic in your life. Carrying a reusable water bottle all the time, bringing your own bag to your local shop and buying your groceries at zero waste shops can go a long way.
8. Reduce your waste and get it recycled — The plastic problem is part of a bigger problem: we are generating way too much rubbish. One thing you can do apart from generally reducing your waste is to make sure it gets recycled. Collect your waste separately and find out the best way to get it recycled in your country. Avoiding waste is option no1. but for that we will need to move to a circular economy first.
9. Support charities — The climate crisis is already impacting the world on an unprecedented scale and sadly its effects will only increase at least until we get to net zero. But there are people on the front line of this crisis that are doing great work. Whether it’s promoting nature based solutions, advocating for climate action or mitigating the impact of climate change, there are plenty of options. Supporting such a charity is not just philanthropy, it’s an investment into your future.
10. Spread the word — Climate action starts with you. The biggest impact you can probably have is not reducing your personal footprint but influencing others to do so. Your family, your friends, your co-workers. Open their eyes to the crisis, explain the problem at hand and patiently nudge them into taking some action. Only through the change of the norm and the change of society can we solve this crisis.