Our planet is in an undeniable, human-induced crisis, heading towards the wall at high speed. Here are our top 5 tips of what you - as an indivudal and a global citizen and inhabitant of this planet - can do right now to help ensure our children and grandchildren can still inherit a liveable planet.
Stop eating meat
Raising meat for human consumption requires 160 times more land and causes 11 times more greenhouse gas emissions when compared to crops like wheat, rice or potatoes. Shifting to a plant-based diet will reduce global land use, free up land to restore depleted ecosystems, and successfully feed the world population. For example, on a vegan diet, the UK could feed 220 million people. In addition, a meatless diet also boasts improved overall health and reduces grocery bills. And this is even before we consider animal welfare issues and the ethics of rearing and killing animals for their meat. Like giving up smoking, this is a no-brainer and there really is no reason to continue eating meat (not even the enduring protein myth). This is why all our expeditions are vegetarian. So switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet now, then buy locally produced plant-based food and you are on a very significant winner for the planet.
Come off the fashion bandwagon - buy no more than three new items of clothing per year
The environmental impact of the fashion industry is huge, but not well known. It is responsible for 8-10% of humanity’s carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. It uses some 93 billion cubic metres of water annually – enough to meet the needs of five million people – contributing significantly to water scarcity in some regions. And it produces around 20% of industrial waste water pollution worldwide. Do not feed that monster any longer and come off the fashion bandwagon, especially fast fashion.
Stop flying
Flying is very energy-intensive, dependent on fossil fuels and bad news for the planet. Because aircraft emissions are released high in the atmosphere, where they trigger chemical reactions and atmospheric effects, they heat the planet more than any other industry. At the same time, generous subsidies mean that passengers do not see the true environmental costs of their air travel. To make matters worse, emissions from aviation are growing faster than any other mode of transport. If unmitigated, aviation emissions are expected to double or triple by 2050 and in doing so consume up to one-quarter of the global carbon budget under a 1.5C scenario. And carbon offsetting is just a fig leaf. All this means that you should stop flying or reduce flying to an absolute minimum. For example, we recommend that you choose an expedition that you can reach by car or train instead of one you have to fly to. All our staff only fly if absolutely necessary.
Get rid of your car
Cars have a significant footprint - from very environmentally costly production to burning fossil fuels with harmful emissions that drive climate change and contribute to poor air quality, to standing around 95% of the time, clogging up our cities, to difficult recycling and filling up landfills. If you live in a city with car share options, then switch to this. If you live rurally, use your existing car until end of life, use ride share or car pool options, and travel on public transport whenever you can. Biosphere Expeditions has gone down the car free route: we no longer own any cars and now use car share, car hire or existing vehicles of staff, partners or participants whenever we can.
Get informed & join the fight
Make yourself aware of and accept the dire situation the planet and humankind is in. The NASA and Monbiot sites are a good starting point. as are our 2022 and 2023 annual magazines. But do not despair, channel your frustration into activism instead! Tell your politicians and leaders what you think and ask them to do more of the things you care about. Be aware, though, that this might not work as neoliberalism and corporations have captured our democratic processes and institutions. Given the situation we are in, it has been argued that only rebellion will prevent ecological collapse, and we tend to agree. So consider joining revolutionary organisations based on activism and civil disobendience (such as Eradicating Ecocide, Client Earth, Extinction Rebellion and Fridays for Future), because facts about our ecological crisis are incontrovertible and sitting on our hands is simply no longer good enough. We need 3.5% of the population to reshape society and we have a duty to act to save our planet from sliding into destruction, if we want to be able to look our grandchildren in the eye!