The Japanese poet, Ryunosuke Satoro, once wrote: “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
Household activities account for about two-thirds of the heat-trapping gases that are released globally, and the average family in the UK emits 45.80 tons of carbon emissions every year.
While each member of that household might not be making a significant impact individually, once grouped together their carbon impact becomes much greater.
This notion can also be applied to the fight against climate change, and while each and every one of us has a responsibility to make mindful sustainable choices, if we come together as individuals, families and communities, collectively we can make a real difference.
Earlier this year we saw carbon emissions reduce slightly when the world went into lockdown and, although this was a temporary effect, it shows that when we work together we can make a change that many would think was impossible.
In June 2019, the UK committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Since then, the Science and Technology Select Committee has warned that the UK is set to miss this target unless better climate policies are implemented.
There are many ways we can all contribute to reducing our personal and collective impact on the environment. Sadly, even though it’s important to reduce our carbon impact by thinking carefully about our lifestyle choices, becoming completely carbon neutral as an individual is somewhat unrealistic.
Here at Climate Wise, we want to help individuals to offset their unavoidable carbon footprint by pooling donations into projects that are helping to reduce and slow down climate change.
Without the help of our donors, we wouldn’t be able to support vital projects that are reducing the carbon emissions of many communities each year.
Already the Kenya biogas programme has provided 15,140 smoke-free kitchens and reduced 333,500 tonnes of CO2. Their overall objective is to develop a commercially viable biogas sector that supports the use of domestic biogas as a local and sustainable energy source.
Similarly, the Cleaner Safer Water Project in Cambodia has already saved 90,000 tonnes of CO2 so far this year, by distributing over 600,000 ceramic water filters to rural areas. In doing this, they have helped Hydrologic (who manufactures the filters) reach more than 1.5 million people, which is approximately 10% of the population of Cambodia.
Alongside responsible, sustainable life choices, projects like these can massively reduce humanity’s global carbon impact and help to preserve our planet for future generations.
The change starts with you, and together we can make a real difference in tackling the climate emergency.
View more our projects here to see how together we can make a change.