The good news is that there is a friendly gremlin in the system: one that is on our side: let's call it the power of four!
And more generally - the awesome power of many small ripples and actions is available to us. (Goethe captured this in words....)
Just as it was many drips (of CO2) in the ocean (of air) that got us into the mess, so it can be many drips in the ocean (avoided) that saves us.
It is literally a 'POWER' effect - and a power law - the power of four.
If we all manage to go without just a little, say R% (restraint)
If we all manage to organise and manage things a little better, say M% (management)
If we all seek to acquire only the highest efficiency stuff, say E% (efficiency) and
If we all put pressure on central supply - to reduce carbon intensity, say S%
then all of a sudden, many small actions, individually inadequate, collectively become viable.
Read through the list again, and see how each line - on its own - appears futile.
It hardly seems inspirational to do any one of these things.
Then grab a calculator, have some fun with the numbers, and see how quickly we can make the sums add up and make the carbon count!
25% improvement (at all four levels - 0.75 to the power of 4, accumulates to 0.3 or a 70% improvement overall) = FACTOR 3
33% improvement - at all four levels = FACTOR 5
50% improvement - FACTOR 16 - yes factor 16 improvement !
I suppose the football analogy is that if each England player plays just 10% above their usual game - we get a team that is 300% better collectively!!
Instead of thinking 'but what can just one person do' - when we act as a team we score goals.
So much more fulfilling than moving goal-posts.
One light bulb example:
Choose to leave the lights on for 6 hours a day, instead of 8 hours a day. (R = 25%)
Organise so that two of you occupy (and light) just one room - for four of those six hours a day (M = 33%)
Bin the tungsten bulb,and plug in to high performance light bulbs (E=80%, yes five times less energy used)
Demand that at least 20% of the electricity you buy from the grid comes from renewables (S=20%)
Overall improvement FACTOR 12.5 reduction. 80 kg of CO2 instead of 1000 kg.
One car example:
Do 7000 miles a year, instead of 10,000 (R=30%)
Drive a little slower and more economically. Get 36 mpg instead of 30mpg (M= 20%)
Trade up to a more efficient car that does 150gmCO2/km and not 250gmCO2/km (E=40%)
Demand that biodiesel mix be increased over time (S=10%)
Overall improvement FACTOR 3.3 reduction. 300 kg of CO2 instead of 1000 kg.
See how soon the carbon chasm that lay ahead start to appear more like a small jump.
See how the so called 'energy gap' vanishes.
We have no need for nuclear.
We have all the power we need in our hearts and heads.
Dave Hampton
The Carbon Coach
Carbon Coach Ltd
9 Hyde Green, Marlow, Bucks SL7 1QL
T 44 (0) 1628 486667
M 44 (0) 7768 806 451
E dave@carboncoach.com
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