The solutions to climate change are already here, we ignore them

It has been more than a week since the heat wave and the hottest day in the country.

Lost life, fire The house was destroyed and the building burned. Such moments are not just “summer”, but the heat of 1976.

As many Met Office experts are saying, what we witnessed last week was not normal, but what happens if we don’t realize we’re in a climate emergency and act accordingly is showing.

Now it’s up to us to remember how we got here and what we can do to change it. The underlying reason is that our economy, society, politics, and lifestyle are at odds with what our planet can support.

Last week, the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee, where I sit, burned the head of the oil giant. It was shocking to hear that the CEO of Harbor Energy could be considered “incompetent” because his company was unable to adapt to the reality of the climate due to his ability to invest in renewable energy.

These companies are becoming increasingly prosperous by constantly pumping out climate-destroying oil and gas. BP made a £4.9bn profit and Shell made a £7.3bn profit in the first three months of this year.

And it’s not just fossil fuel companies. The bosses of the water companies have already been exposed to brazenly giving out extraordinary bonuses on top of huge pay packages: all of our water pollution and raw sewage dumping into our rivers and oceans.

Meanwhile, according to energy expert Cornwall Insight, the energy bill could hit £3,250 in October, pushing 8.2 million households into energy poverty. And this is a patently inadequate £400 energy tax rebate given to former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Governments can help segregate our homes to lower energy prices and cut climate emissions, creating new green jobs in the process, but spending on energy efficiency is currently £1.4bn less than the 2019 Manifesto promise.

These are all examples of fundamentally purposeless approaches based on failed economic models that prioritize growth above all else, such as the health of people and the life-giving planets that sustain us.

That’s why today’s Earth Day is so important.

This marks the date when the consumption of the Earth’s resources began to exceed its ability to replenish them. 2022 is less than seven months away, but this year’s date has already arrived. In other words, our ecological balance is in the red.

All of this may sound pretty disastrous: a climate emergency is just around the corner. Organizational failure of governments and large corporations. Unprecedented overfishing of the Earth’s resources.

But you don’t have to. That’s because the solution is already here. We have big, bold ideas to protect our climate, transform our economy, and restore the natural world awaiting adoption.

And fortunately, by decarbonising our economy and restoring nature, we have an economic model that not only harms the environment, but also harms the vast majority of people in the UK as a result of Covid-19. They were cruelly exposed.

According to the IMF, it does not meet that requirement, we are now ready for slower growth in the G7. We need a new economic model that puts people’s quality of life and well-being first. This means doing more good things like a prosperous society and less bad things like climate-destroying fossil fuels.

This is our precious home and it’s time to stop destroying it.

There are also positive solutions for the climate. We can, and should, adopt a large, local government-run home quarantine program on every street free of charge to those in need.

Not only does this reduce energy costs (a typical three-bedroom terraced house can save £310 a year by installing cavity wall and dormer insulation), but it also reduces carbon emissions. The cheapest and most environmentally friendly energy is the energy that we do not use.

When our precious natural world is exposed to irreversible damage, we must recognize its value and importance and not use it for capital gains.

The United Nations Decade on Biodiversity is an opportunity to start living within reach of the planet and agree to stop harmful industrial agriculture, plastic pollution and the destruction of wildlife through fierce battles and international cooperation. ..

Earth Day is global, it is not about one person, one community or one country.

People certainly have the power to make a difference, in the choices we make at home, what we eat, or the way we travel. But the reality of a planet where governments and companies have limited resources to create a world where climate and natural emergencies are controlled and we can all live healthy, happy and fulfilling lives, makes it necessary to adapt policies and strategies.

This is our precious home and it’s time to stop destroying it. Instead, it’s time to restore, restore, and upgrade.

So let’s make that our goal on Earth Overshoot Day 2022. And aim to thrive, not grow unnecessarily.