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Supporting the transition to a healthy, sustainable future

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From 2.5 billion in 1953, 6.7 billion now, 8 billion 2028, 9 billion in 2050. Rampant materialism in the developed world' Gross inequalities. An elite of 1.2 billion ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Supporting the transition to a healthy, sustainable future


1
Supporting the transition to a healthy,
sustainable future
  • Jenny Griffiths
  • www.healthandsustainability.net

2
Essential characteristics of todays world (J.
Porritt)
  • Population growth
  • From 2.5 billion in 1953, 6.7 billion now, 8
    billion 2028, 9 billion in 2050
  • Rampant materialism in the developed world
  • Gross inequalities
  • An elite of 1.2 billion
  • Declining natural resource base collapsing
    ecosystems
  • The 6th mass extinction of life on earth
  • Accelerating climate change

3
How serious is climate change?
  • Mankind has put 120 ppm carbon dioxide into
    atmosphere in last 150 years
  • Previously 260 ppm in warm period, now 380 ppm
  • Rate of change 10-20 times faster than natural
    processes
  • Positive feedbacks in the climate system will
    accelerate climate change, e.g.
  • Melting of West Antarctic ice sheet
  • Greenland permafrost
  • Alpine and Himalayan water supplies
  • Ocean acidification

4
Evidence suggests urgency
  • Thresholds for catastrophic climate change
  • 2 degrees rise in temperature
  • Very close to that now
  • 450 parts per million carbon dioxide equivalent
  • 2007 423 ppm
  • Going up at 2 ppm every year
  • Global emissions must stabilise within 5-10 years
  • 80 reduction needed in the UK by 2030

5
Likely health impacts of climate change in the UK
  • Global impacts affecting UK via
  • Human nutrition crop failure, crop shortages
  • Human movement armed conflict, population
    displacement
  • UK direct impacts on health
  • Heatwaves, floods and storms, air pollution,
    ground-level ozone etc.
  • Mental health

6
International carbon footprints - World Bank 2005
  • USA 20 tonnes per capita
  • UK 9 tonnes
  • France 6 tonnes
  • China 3 tonnes
  • India 1 tonne
  • World average 4 tonnes
  • Personal allowance 2 tonnes (GCI)

7
UK individual carbon emissions
  • Approx. 10 tonnes per person per year
  • Just over half
  • Personal travel and household energy
  • Just under half individual share of
  • Emissions from production and transportation of
    goods and services that we consume
  • Public service infrastructure, incl. NHS

8
Priorities for action
  • Each of the following 25
  • Energy in homes and workplaces
  • Transport (esp. car and air)
  • Food production, transportation and retail
  • Consumption of all other goods and services

9
Health benefits of tackling climate change
  • Virtuous policy cycles
  • Environmental and health inequalities
  • Exercise, reducing car use and health
  • Food and health
  • Housing, fuel poverty
  • Nature and health
  • Mental Health

10
SO
  • We know that
  • Government needs to act on personal carbon
    entitlements, taxation, regulation, technology
    support
  • Government needs a mandate restricting choice
    (Nuffield Report on Public Health Ethics)
  • NHS needs to get its act together
  • Health professionals can integrate with their
    daily work

11
BUT not enough
  • Profound issues
  • Summarise briefly 2 reports
  • Defras Framework for Pro-Environmental
    Behaviours (Jan 2008)
  • Sustainable Consumption Roundtable report 2006
    I Will If You Will
  • Then debate!

12
1. Defra FrameworkCurrent behaviours
  • High impact and common behaviours
  • Install insulation
  • Waste less food
  • Increase recycling
  • High impact and uncommon behaviours
  • Avoid flights
  • Use more efficient vehicles
  • Use car less for short trips

13
Common motivators
  • Feel good factor
  • Social norm
  • Individual benefits health, money
  • Ease
  • Being part of something

14
Common barriers
  • External constraints
  • Infrastructure, cost, working patterns, demands
    on time
  • Habit
  • Scepticism
  • Disempowerment

15
Seven population segments
  • Positive greens 18
  • Waste watchers 12
  • Concerned consumers 14
  • Sideline supporters 14
  • Cautious participants 14
  • Stalled starters 10
  • Honestly disengaged 18

16
Tactics
  • Focus on groups 1, 3 4
  • Enable, encourage and exemplify lead by example
  • Face to face contact and personal recommendation
    crucial
  • Create a sense of collective action
  • Mandate for government action does not extend to
    forcing radical change
  • Push the boundaries of public debate, e.g. on
    well-being, travel, consumerism

17
2. Sustainable Consumption Roundtable (SDC, NCC)
  • The good life
  • Progress depends on enabling people to act
    together I will if you will
  • People, business and government three corners of
    a triangle
  • Everyday products and services must be centre
    stage
  • Build the space for more mandatory policies

18
The following are seen as deep-seated habits
  • People find it very hard to
  • Eat seasonal food
  • Turn off lights
  • Reduce heating temperature
  • Opt to walk or cycle
  • Not use air transport

19
The need for symbolic actions
  • The public sector to become carbon-neutral
  • Helping people to connect with climate change and
    their energy use
  • Carbon-offsetting by airlines
  • On-site energy generation everywhere
  • Serious incentives to low-carbon cars
  • Smart meters

20
Show people they are part of something bigger
  • Reward households for careful use of energy and
    water via taxes and tariffs, and penalise
    excessive consumption
  • Street-level feedback by local authorities
  • Forums for people and the media, to engage as
    many people as possible

21
From 3-planet to 1-planet living
  • People are locked in to unsustainable consumption
    patterns status, identity, habit
  • Stuff shapes our lives
  • People need the confidence that they will not be
    acting alone, against the grain and to no purpose
  • I will if you will

22
Change will happen
  • Because we want to change
  • Because we have hope that we can live better
  • Because feelings of emptiness are strongly linked
    to materialism
  • Because our sense of meaning is closely linked to
    the natural world
  • Even though we have been indoctrinated to believe
    that meaning is linked to material goods

23
What do you think?
  • What can we all do?
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