Environmental Ethics. What Can We Do to Lower Our Carbon Footprints?

“It’s real. It’s us. It’s bad. Scientists agree. There’s hope.” — Tonny Lasserwitz

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

Introduction

Every day we have to make choices. Some of them are big, some of them are small, but all of them exist in a certain decision-making structure, that could be best described as an ethical framework.

A person might say that he doesn’t need ethics, and that he does not adhere to any overarching mode of conduct. That is not true. Everyone needs an ethic in order to speak, act, and think, and if you say that you don’t, well then you are a follower of “the ethics of no ethics!” :) It’s our basis for moving (or not moving) forward, our guide, the context in which we behave and formulate our values. It helps us prioritize and tells us when to say “no” and when to say “yes”. The Greeks used to describe it as a spirit living within us, a daemon. We, instead, call it conscience.

Ethics has many branches. Today I would like to talk about a specific branch, that is getting more recognition and concern over time. We can call it environmental ethics.

The Paris Agreement

As some of the readers might know, the annual Earth’s Overshoot Day this year is scheduled for the 28th of July. This will be the day when humanity will have used all the biological resources that Earth has regenerated during the year 2022, meaning, that by the end of July we will have consumed everything that our planet can sustainably offer this year. Globally, we are living on a deficit, taking more than we can afford and without paying of the credit bills. It seems that Earth is a rather generous credit provider. But what will happen if we don’t pay our debts soon?

Back in 2015, many world leaders gathered in Paris to discuss the ensuing problems related to climate change. The participation was voluntary and the meeting acted as a platform to create an overarching global plan in order to tackle the problems caused by our planetary overproduction of heat-trapping gasses (also known as greenhouse gases). Later, an agreement was signed, where all the participating countries agreed to “do what they can” in order to minimize their carbon emissions and other environmental hazards. This agreement got its name by the place where it was held:

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, which was adopted by 196 Parties in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.

Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

From one perspective, The Paris Agreement is a great thing. 196 parties worldwide have agreed that global warming is not just real, but also a threat both to humans and thousands of other species. But it has one problem… The agreement is advisory, suggestive, meaning that if a certain country decides to act against the accord, it will not be held accountable. Let’s make an example. Say 90% of countries worldwide decide to move towards renewable energy sources, while a few great superpowers continue to burn fossil fuels… No fines or legal consequences, no nothing. Thus, the enaction of this agreement rests solely on the conscience of the elected politicians and what they deem to be important, valuable, and necessary. It rests on the world leaders’ ethics.

How should we partake individually?

“In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ultimate power but carries the ultimate responsibility.” — Norman Cousins

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

The world would be a wonderful place if everyone did what they promised to do. The dishes would be cleaned, the house would be vacuumed, everyone would exercise and no one would be miserable. Unfortunately, the world is not an ideal place, nor are the people that are inhabiting it. We drink, we fight, we don’t carry out our promises, and we lie both to ourselves and others. It wouldn’t be fair to direct these vices only toward our politicians. They are also people, just like us. Mice didn’t elect them, we did. Thus it is natural for them to act according to their flawed nature: to make promises, and later contradict them.

For this reason, trusting that another (be it the politicians or environmental activists) will take care of our collective problems is a symptom of wishful thinking. Nonetheless, if the majority of people would remind them that global warming is indeed a serious problem, maybe the elected representatives would take these grievances into consideration more often. Dialogue and community engagements are important, or as Dr. Rosina Bierbaum has said:

“Democracy is a participatory sport.”

One of the best ways to influence the decision-making process of any specific subject is to have authority, competence, and power over that matter. Unfortunately (or maybe not), not all of us wield that type of power. For that reason, if we want to mitigate the after-effects of the overproduction of greenhouse gases, we have to convince the local authorities to act accordingly to the guidelines laid down by the Paris Agreement. Mitigating the effects of global warming should come before and first to profit and business concerns. Cutting forests for profit is not a good climate change mitigation strategy. Polluting local lakes or rivers isn’t either. Thus we have to organize and have a say against these matters.

The next best thing to do is to focus on yourself, your friends, and family members. Let’s think. What are we doing to lessen or worsen the state of our planet? As said by Dr. Rosina Bierbaum:

“Think about every decision in your life, from purchases to behavior. Are you exacerbating climate change or contributing to mitigating it? Are you making yourself, your community, and your country more adaptive?”

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Even though the majority of the adaptive and mitigative measures to the ongoing problem lay on the shoulders of the politicians, much can be done on the individual level as well. All of us live in somewhat smaller or larger social circles, thus our actions and dispositions influence not only the physical environment, but the social environment as well. Illustrated by the psychologist Jordan Peterson:

“You’ll know at least 1,000 people over the course of your life and they’ll know 1,000 people each and that puts you one person away from a million and two persons away from a billion. That’s how you’re connected and the things you do, they’re like dropping a stone in a pond, the ripples move outward and they affect things in ways that you can’t fully comprehend and it means that the things that you do and that you don’t do are far more important than you think.”

Following up, I will share a couple of tips and strategies on how we can help lessen our environmental footprint, by adopting some changes to our personal day-to-day behavior. If the policymakers decide not to help, at least something will be done, right?

Photo by Luis Del Río Camacho on Unsplash

A few strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change:

1) Eat consciously

• Eat more of the foods that rank low on the carbon footprint index.
• Reduce the consumption of red meat, as its global production produces more or less the same amount of greenhouse gases as the transportation sector. Some alternatives are Mediterranean, vegetarian, vegan, or other plant-based diets.
• Shop locally. It lowers the production of greenhouse gases by cutting down on the carbon emissions made through the transportation of goods.

2) Reduce waste

• Use reusables. Reusable bags, cups, and other items reduce our daily waste exponentially. You can look up more about the zero-waste lifestyle here.
• Remember — you don’t need to put every single shopping item in a plastic bag. It will survive without it. :)
• Donate old clothes and household equipment to local charities, poorer families, or recycling centers.
• Limit your food waste. Don’t buy more than you can eat. Also, reusing or composting leftovers is also a good practice.

3) Become energy efficient

• Make sure that your house is as energy efficient as it can be. Are your windows well sealed during the winter? Are you using energy-saving light bulbs? What about your washing machine, the vacuum cleaner? Are they energy efficient too?
• If you use less electricity, water, and gas, it will help not just the environment, but your pocket as well. Grandmas had this one right!
• Share your flat. Two people use less energy while living together than living alone. If you were hesitating whether to move in, now’s the time! ;)

4) Think about transportation

• Walk more. Cycling is also good. Even public transport is ok, but try to avoid driving if it is not necessary.
• Share a car. If your colleague or a friend is going in the same direction, why not drive together? You’ll have the double benefit of catching up and protecting the environment. Seems like a good deal to me! What do you think?
• Make your car fuel-efficient. Are you using the right oil? Is the car technically sound? Do your tires have enough air? While driving, make sure you are not carrying unnecessary weight. Also, try to take the most direct (and if possible — the flattest) route, while keeping a steady pace. Avoid road rage and angry driving. Roads can be frustrating, but traffic accidents and added carbon emissions can be even worse.

5) Shop ethically

• Avoid the traps of consumerism. Are you actually in need of that new gadget? Do you really need to replace your phone every year just because a new model is out? Many practices of consumer capitalism are damaging both on a financial, and a psychological level. Unfortunately, it is also bad environmentally.
• Don’t fall prey to fast fashion. Think about the clothes you purchase. Do you actually need new clothes every season? Why not invest in better-quality ones instead? Fewer clothes, less cleaning, less impact. And of course — more space.

6) Plan for your built environment

• The carbon footprint of suburbanites is twice as high as that of urban dwellers, thus choosing the right place to live is important.
• Apartment buildings are on average more energy and spatially efficient than detached houses.
• Cities that paint their rooftops and streets in light colors reflect more solar radiation, limiting the trapped heat and reducing the “urban heat island effect”.
• Planting trees and greening the roofs are important as well. While shade provides protection and cools down hotter areas, vegetation also traps some of the greenhouse gases. As an added benefit, spending time in forested areas reduces stress, anxiety, and has other positive psychophysiological benefits both on the individual and the social levels.
• If you have some free space, why not plant a garden?

7) Focus on your immediate circle

• Help your family, peers, and the local community understand the importance of climate change and guide them through the appropriate (yet manageable) actions that they can take.
• Form groups and sign petitions in order to protect the environment from hazardous threats, such as deforestation, pollution, animal cruelty, and worsening food quality.

Photo by Providence Doucet on Unsplash

Finishing notes:

As mentioned by the University of Michigan doctorate Rosina Bierbaum, a good question to ask yourself is:
“How can I reduce my greenhouse emissions by 20%?”

That doesn’t mean that you have to instantly become a vegetarian monk, disregarding the pleasures of secular life, propagating asceticism, and working towards liberating all living beings from the pain and suffering of samsara. Although it is an honorable goal, it is not realistic for most of us. Instead, figuring out your current carbon footprint and working towards a 20% reduction is more realistic.

To calculate your environmental footprint, you can use one of the carbon footprint calculators available online, such as this one.

To check a country-level ecological footprint you can explore Global Footprint Network’s open data platform. A link to their world map’s visualization is here.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Also, here’s an additional infographic, taken from Carly Robert’s post on the same topic that might help you visualize and plan your climate action plan. :)

Hope you have enjoyed the reading and settled down on your personal greenhouse gas mitigation plan. Remember, you are not alone in this journey. It is a global struggle and many of us are working together, yet independently to tackle it. Stay strong and motivated. It’s much nicer to live a life in accordance with one’s values than to contradict them. It’s not easy, yet meaningful, and a life deprived of meaning is not a life that we should be living.

Thank you for reading. If you’ve enjoyed this article, be sure to follow my account and leave a comment expressing your thoughts and opinions about the subject. Peace! ✨

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