Companies, local government, schools, charities, community groups and parishes are working together with Giki to inform and help people across the UK to cut a tonne off their personal carbon footprint in 2021. The initiative is supported by the UN High Level Champions for COP26 and its Race to Zero campaign. Personal behaviour change, particularly in high income countries, is a crucial step to reach the goal of Net Zero. Cut a Tonne in ’21 breaks this target into bite size, measurable, achievable chunks.
How individuals can get to Net Zero is detailed for the first time in Reduce, Replace, Repair – A Practical Pathway for individuals to reach Net Zero a report written by James Hand, co-founder of Giki and Dr Richard Carmichael of Imperial College London.
“Many of the everyday changes that cut carbon, also improve wellbeing and as this report shows, using a framework of Reduce, Replace, Repair, it is achievable by 2030 or sooner. We believe that citizens and consumers can come together to choose a new future and we invite everybody to start now. You can use Giki Zero to Cut a Tonne in ’21, as your first step to reaching net zero, for a healthier, resilient zero carbon future for us all”, says Nigel Topping, UK High Level Climate Action Champion.
Policy and business transformation is fundamental in order to reach national and international net zero targets. But individuals also play a major role. On a global basis, individuals account for almost three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions.
In the UK, we have an average carbon footprint of 9 tonnes per person per annum. This compares to 5 tonnes globally. So kicking off with “Cut a tonne in ‘21” will be an important first step in the Race to Zero for citizens.
Report authors James Hand and Dr Richard Carmichael explain, “Whilst many people want to do the right thing they are often unsure about what “right” looks like, or what exactly to do. The Reduce, Replace, Repair framework helps answer those questions by providing a practical pathway for individuals to reach Net Zero. It’s hugely encouraging that by taking the right steps people can dramatically cut their carbon footprints based on choices available today.”
Professor Emeritus Tim O’Riordan of the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia said: “The lead up to the opening of COP26 gives us all the time to find the most suitable ways to cut a tonne of our carbon equivalent emissions by its November 2021 opening in Glasgow.
The first tonne is the easy tonne for most of us, but for some it will be more difficult due to cost and degree of effort. So the cutting of a tonne is a communal task, shared with everyone and leading to a better world for everyone. If the whole of the United Kingdom can do this through joint but variable contributions, what a wonderful contribution that would be for the healthy future of this planet and its peoples.”
How can people get involved?
Anyone can join and there are three key steps for anyone wishing to get involved:
About Giki
Giki, the social enterprise behind the campaign, will help people work out the best way for their lifestyle and budget to cut a tonne of carbon emissions from their day to day lives. They can do this through the free tool Giki Zero, which provides a choice of over 130 steps, all rated on ease and impact, so that people can select the right steps for them. Giki has built a science-based carbon footprint calculator that uses 32 footprint models, and over 10,000 variables, to help estimate an individual’s carbon, water and land footprints.
Giki Zero: https://zero.giki.earth
Contact: Jo Hand, Co-founder Giki, jo.hand@giki.co.uk
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