Can You Save The Melting Ice?

By Beth Holloway

---

Source: Daily Sabah

A recent publication has found that the earth lost 28 trillion tonnes of ice from 1994-2017. This aligns with the IPCC’s ‘worst-case scenario’ of climate predictions, made in 2015. So, what can we do?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a UN body which produces reports that amalgamate existing scientific research to determine the risk of future climate change. The IPCC has created a set of scenarios to demonstrate how changing variables such as climate policy, population size or ener

gy use will alter the pathway of future global warming.

While the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement saw 197 countries promising to aim to restrict global warming to 1.5°C by 2100, the IPCC’s worst-case scenario projects that we could reach this level by 2030. At the 1.5°C mark, sea level could rise by 60cm, displacing 69 million people worldwide.

IPCC model illustrating previous global temperature change and future pathways

However, results from a study conducted by scientists at the universities of Leeds, Edinburgh and University College London reveal that the ice is melting at a much higher rate than any predictions. This study represents the first calculation of total ice loss from mountains, poles, sea ice and glaciers across the globe and concludes that 28 trillion tonnes of ice have already melted since 1994.

Professor Andy Shepherd, director of Leeds University’s Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, puts the risk as follows: “Every centimetre of sea level rise means about a million people will be displaced from their low-lying homelands”.

So, what can you do?

Such huge loss of ice cannot be prevented by your actions alone, and it is easy to feel helpless. However, individual actions can cumulatively make a significant impact and you can do more than turning off the lights to reduce your carbon footprint.

1. Reduce your food waste

The emissions produced by the production, disposal, packaging and shipping of food waste amount to 3.3 gigatons of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to ranking 3rd in a list of the most polluting countries worldwide, after only China and the US.

Source: Olio

Sharing food that would otherwise be wasted reduces the volume burnt at landfill sites. Personal items as well as unused supermarket food can be collected and listed for free on the food-sharing app Olio. The produce will then be consumed by a member of the local community rather than going to waste. In total, Olio has stopped 6 million portions of food going to landfill (also saving 891 million litres of water). Ensuring that existing products are used reduces the scale of mass consumption which greatly contributes to CO2 emissions.

2. Reduce your fast fashion consumption

Fashion accounts for around 1/10th of global greenhouse gas emissions and, according to a report from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, added more CO2 to the atmosphere than all international flights and shipping combined in 2015. Most of these emissions are associated with the production of cotton and polyester, transportation of items and disposal of old clothing. Second-hand clothing is a great option to reduce your carbon footprint, especially as apps like Depop have seen a surge of interest and therefore have a huge market for fashionable pieces.

This is where collective individual action makes a huge difference; if every person bought one used item rather than brand new, the CO2 emissions saved would be equivalent to removing half a million cars from the road for one year.

Moreover, using cold-water laundry detergent, which is just as effective as hot water, can reduce your energy consumption by up to 90%.

3. Switch to renewable energy

Switching to renewable suppliers like Octopus Energy is usually cheaper than the fossil fuel equivalent. Octopus Energy sources electricity from solar, wind power and water and offsets gas consumption by investing in reforesting areas of the Amazon.

Sustainability can therefore be easy and effective at an individual scale. The IPCC has stated that unprecedented changes will be required to limit warming to 1.5°C, with most of the responsibility lying with governments and heavily polluting industries. But that doesn’t mean we are helpless individuals. Reducing your food waste, fashion consumption and fossil fuel use are easy ways to reduce your own carbon footprint and contribute towards a carbon zero future.