13
Climate Action Written by Tamara McKay Illustration by Beth Hammond
What’s the Problem?
What can you do?
Climate change is a global issue and affects every living organism on the planet. Its impacts are not only affecting the environment but national economies and people’s lives. The 2015 Paris agreement sets out to increase the global response to climate change and strengthen our ability to deal with the impacts of it. The end goal is to prevent the global temperature from exceeding a 2 degrees Celsius increase from pre-industrial levels.
The demand for dairy and meat (predominantly beef) products needs to decrease. By swapping out meat for even a couple meals a week, or even just consuming chicken instead of beef, you can make a huge impact. There are numerous plant-based alternatives on the market which is a massive step in the right direction for the food industry- it just goes to show how responsive the industry is to consumer demand!
Contributors to climate change: Agribusiness (the business sector including all farming-related commercial activities) is one of the leading causes of climate change due to the over-production of cattle for meat and dairy products. Not only does farmland now cover almost half of the land on our planet, but 77% of that land is used for livestock. The methane cattle produce is more potent and destructive than CO2, speeding up the destruction of our ozone layer and therefore global warming. It also yields less produce than if the same land was used to grow food for human consumption. Other factors that contribute hugely to climate change include the burning of fossil fuels for energy, industry and transportation.
27 Green Zine 2021
Other small changes you can make is using public transport over your own car- leave it at home and save yourself some money! Bournemouth’s transport links are great! Be more responsible for your electricity and heat consumption- turn off lights, chargers and TVs! Put a hoodie on if you’re cold- small changes are key to a better future. Accounts to follow: @thevegankindsupermarket @violife_foods @aubsu_green @bosh.tv Documentaries to watch: Cowspiracy (Netflix/ Amazon Prime), Rotten (Netflix), Chasing Coral (Netflix), David Attenborough: A life on our planet (Netflix), Before the flood (Disney+).
Sustainable Development Goals