RHR HANDLEY - WRITER
  • Musings
  • Contact

RHR Handley

Writer, Novelist, Screenwriter
- and climate good news blogger

Me, myself and I

1/6/2023

1 Comment

 
Picture
My teenage son tells me Climate Change is ALL down to greedy corporations (yes, he's a Leftie... I might have had something to do with that). But researching a story on individual's impact, I uncovered some insights that put some of the ball in 'our' court.
Approximate figures in tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted by the following activities (source): 
  • A typical long-haul flight per person: 3 tonnes
  • 10,000 miles driving in a typical family petrol car: 5 tonnes
  • New clothes, accessories per person per year: 1 tonne
  • Recreation, leisure, entertainment per person per year: 2 tonnes
  • Heating a typical UK home for a year: 1.5 tonnes
  • Lighting, household appliances, per person per year: 1.5 tonnes
  • Eating beef once per day for a year: 2.5 tonnes​
​8 billion people and counting (number as of 6th Jan, 23)
Current World Population
8,009,548,408+
If 10% of the population decided to:
Carbon Offset holidays, travel, recreation
Recycle, re-use, by more 2nd hand
Turned off 'stuff' when not in use (win-win given the £££ of energy)/ Implemented small household changes.
Picture
Ate less meat... switch meat to organic (I know, kerching!)/always buy responsibly sourced/ buy direct from farmers / buy LOCAL where possible.
Picture
I'm struggling to see why individuals in the wealthiest nations can't make even small changes.
From the wealthiest countries, take the stable, 'wealth-distributed' nations,
USA 4.25 % (global population)
Germany 1.07 %
UK 0.87 %
France 0.84 %
Combine Europe, the Northern Americas, Australia for starters, that's easily 10% of us with the means to readily make changes

United Kingdom Population
67,886,011
Here in the UK, there's no excuse to not recycle.
I'm in danger of moralising but it struck me that small changes by us - taking batteries to be recycled... taking 'do not recycle at home' plastic to supermarkets... choosing fewer Amazon deliveries...- DO have huge, environmental ripples. Which is empowering!
1 Comment

Loess Plateau Marvel!

1/6/2023

1 Comment

 
Picture
To kick-start 2023, here's an old news piece that filled me with joy: Re-greening the Loess Plateau.
​In 1994, China began the largest redevelopment project in the world.
​
The Loess Plateau is located in China’s Northwest (which takes its name from the dry powdery wind-blown soil). Centuries of overuse and overgrazing led to one of the highest erosion rates in the world and widespread poverty.


Picture
A staggering combination of: innovation, education and financial support; a huge investment in labour; the switch to sustainable farming practices - lifted more than 2.5 million people, in four of China’s poorest provinces, out of poverty. 
Farmers’ incomes doubled, employment diversified... and a degraded environment the size of France was revitalised. 

PictureLoess Plateau before

Picture
This is perhaps my favourite, inspirational example of what we can do with political will.
While away a happy 10 minutes + to see how it was done
here  and  here 

Picture
Loess Plateau after
1 Comment

    Inspiration from t'internet...

    For a living, I meander down blind alleyways for my research. Shared here, some of the glorious achievements and ideas that educate and inspire me, a reminder that we're not blindly heading for Armageddon:

    ​ Snippets of happiness on a grey day.

    Archives

    January 2023

    Categories

    All
    Climate And Environment
    Nature And Mythology

    Good News Links:
    Saving the Reefs 
    ​Ozone Hole in recovery 
    ​More to follow as I find them!
    Practical Links:
    Calculate your Carbon Footprint 
    ​Offset your Carbon Footprint
    ​
    Ethical Shopping Guide 
    ​Carbon Trust
    More to follow...

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Musings
  • Contact