A Low Carbon Life|Post 7 2016|Less Than No Emissions

Two friends regularly send me articles and links to websites about climate change.  Independently of these friends, I have long subscribed to the Alternative Technology Association’s Renew magazine.  Many Renew stories are about home innovation, with a smattering of policy analysis on the broader implications of new technologies.  A few days ago the two sources merged in a very interesting article by Alan Pears, a favorite Renew analyst.  His article, written for the blog One Step Off the Grid, calls for ‘voluntary abaters’ (us) to reduce our emissions to below zero.

One of my objectives is to use this blog to explore how low our personal emissions need to go for us to survive, while still living a secure and safe lifestyle.  In that context, this is the first time I’ve heard a direct call to individuals, for a lifestyle of less than zero emissions, despite the name of the very interesting website Beyond Zero Emissions.  So how can we achieve negative emissions after we have ‘aggressively cut the emissions from our own activities and (the emissions from) the inputs of our lives and businesses’?

Alan says we (you and I) need to buy and surrender internationally recognized, quality, carbon trading permits from the United Nations website Carbon Neutral Now.  This is the same as buying carbon offsets, which I partially explored in a previous post, and found wanting.  Given the respect I have for Alan Pears, I will explore these permits further but the overarching message is, low to zero to negative emissions are needed now, to avoid climate disaster.  Climate disaster sounds much worse than living a low carbon life.  My low carbon life is grounded in the good things; community, care of the environment, valuing things over the long-term, plus much more.  Yours can be too!

Until next time, Jane