A plant based diet is not an end in itself. So it’s useful to regularly remind myself…
Why a plant based diet?
One reason is to reduce my carbon footprint.
Why do this?
To avoid the global heating that has been forecast by scientists, and the consequences for the environment and the next generation.
It’s being sorted out, isn’t it?
There is some progress, but it is not fast enough, according to the science.
You won’t make a difference
Together, we can make a difference
So how bad is the problem?
Two images show that CO2 emissions continue to rise, and how little time there is left to reduce them.
A chart from The Global Monitoring Laboratory [1] shows carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere (parts per million, ppm) , oscillating with the seasons, but on average it continues to steadily increase with no significant slow down up to the current date (Update August 2024: 423 ppm)
Governments have set targets for net-zero CO2 by 2050, but in The Concept of Net Zero is a Dangerous Trap [2], the authors explain that this is a fairy tale designed to protect business as usual rather than the planet. Net-zero is a policy to continue with significant CO2 emissions balanced by unproven, currently unavailable technology.
No one is suggesting zero emissions, but we need to aim for significantly reducing emissions
A running counter from The Mercator Research Institute shows that at the current rate of emissions we will exceed the quota allowed for a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees by the end of 2029.
The next generation will ask, What did we do to avoid this?
References
[1] https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends
[2] https://theconversation.com/climate-scientists-concept-of-net-zero-is-a-dangerous-trap-157368
[3] https://www.mcc-berlin.net/en/research/co2-budget.html
