What practical steps can you make to increase a lasting and positive impact on our planet?

COP26

• We need to cut our carbon emissions.
• The COP26 event was a global United Nations summit about climate change and how countries are planning to tackle it.
• COP stands for Conference of the Parties and will be attended by countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – a treaty agreed in 1994.
• The 2021 meeting was the 26th meeting, which is why it’s called COP26.
• We need COP26 because firstly, the world is getting warmer because of fossil fuel emissions caused by humans.
• Secondly, the icecaps are melting, and sea levels are rising.
• Lastly, we are seeing more extreme weather events taking place around the world – including heatwaves, floods and forest fires, these naturally occurring events are being made worse because of the effects of climate change.
• Furthermore, COP26 was the biggest summit the UK has ever hosted. It was described as the most significant climate event since the 2015 Paris Agreement. Presidents and prime ministers from around the world have reported back on progress since the Paris Agreement and, hopefully, there will be some new decisions on how to cut carbon emissions.
• Environmentalists say big changes to how people live will be needed to hit climate targets, like people driving electric cars, moving away from gas heating, eating less red meat and not taking as many flights in the future.
• The UK government declared 2020 a “Year of Climate Action”. As well as the targets for changing to electric cars, the government has pledged to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions to ‘net zero’ – which means cutting emissions drastically and absorbing as much carbon as it produces – by 2050. Therefore, this means emissions from areas like transport, farming and industry will have to be avoided completely or offset by sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

So what can you do as a business:

• Use more eco-friendly products. Starbucks are going for an eco-friendly cup
• Purchasing an electric car
• Brewdog is planting trees when you buy their beer
• Utilities company is planting a tree for each new customer
• Use eco-filling shops to cut down packaging
• Recycle plastics and paper both at work and at home
• Have more plants in your office and home
• Use water butts in your garden areas
• Eat less meat
• Walk or ride your bike rather than using a car
• More energy efficient at work and at home
• Upcycle furniture
• Buy from local companies
• Use composter in your garden area

If you need any further information please contact us today on 07770 302504 or email joanne@chestnutassociates.co.uk