Episode 6: Influence & Control
In this episode we are making things personal. Watching the bushfires ravage Australia has left many people with a desperate need to bring about relief and change, and take back control in their lives when it comes to their personal climate impact. Australian’s live largely beyond their means when it comes to their personal carbon impact, and part of the challenge is understanding the everyday choices and decisions we make that have have a climate impact. So what are those choices? What are the hidden and surprising carbon aspects of our lives and what are the three things you and I can do to steadily reduce our impact, together doing our bit for climate action? Breaking it down with us today is Dr Kimberly Nicholas. Kim is an Associate Professor of Sustainability Science and Director of PhD Studies at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS) in Lund, Sweden. In her research, she studies the connections between people, land, and climate.
KEY QUOTES
“It’s warming. It’s us. We’re sure. It’s bad…And we can fix it”
“What’s really important now is that we very quickly stop adding greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere… That’s going to be a big change but it is doable, it’s technically and economically feasible, and it’s necessary.”
“from now until 2030 is really a decisive moment for life on earth”
“The actions we that can most quickly reduce emissions are to live car, flight and meat free”
“most people are surprised at just how climate damaging flying it …hour for hour there is no better way to wreck the climate”
“we’re talking about big changes but it is doable and there are people leading the way showing that its possible”
“The biggest climate different you can make is cutting out beef… beef is just in a class of its own, it’s so much more resource and climate intensive than anything else”.
“Cars today are machines for turning fossil fuel into climate pollution… that is what they do”
“the next decade is really a race between two tipping points, between a catastrophic ecological tipping point and amazing social tipping points. We have to really push and do everything we can to make sure it’s the good type of social tipping point into a safe and fair and climate just world rather than a world of ecological breakdown.”