You won’t have been able to avoid the news last week when scientists confirmed that our continuing use of fossil fuels means a high chance that we could see the world’s climate warming by 1.5° before 2027.
Why warming of 1.5° is important.
The global temperatures warming by 1.5° is spoken about frequently because it represents a ‘tipping point’ for many of the world’s ecosystems. It would mean that 14% of the Earth’s population will be exposed to severe heatwaves once every five years and a devastating effect on habitats and ocean systems. If it reaches 2°, 37% of the Earth’s population would be exposed to disastrous heatwaves and we could see the annihilation of most coral reefs as well as a complete loss of summer ice in the Arctic.
Here in Cumbria, a 2010 report by Natural England predicted the changes we will experience, and are already experiencing due to climate change. An increase in extreme weather such as flooding and summer droughts, more soil erosion and wildfires impacts on water quality, the effects of which will significantly impact farming and tourism. Local wildlife such as the mountain ringlet butterfly will also face changes to their habitat.
But what can we do here in Cumbria?
This predicted breach of 1.5° warming may only be temporary, but it could be the wake-up call that our governments and communities need. Cutting carbon emissions has never been so urgent, and CAfS runs numerous projects across Cumbria to help do this, such as:
- Supporting householders to reduce the amount of energy being wasted from heating damp, draughty homes. Our Cold to Cosy team have given advice that could prevent 520 tonnes CO2e from entering the atmosphere over the next ten years.
- Our ‘Farming for a Future’ projects works with different types of farms across the county to explore renewable energy sources, making savings in money and energy.
- Our award-winning Climate Literacy courses have helped over 1200 people understand the climate crisis, their own carbon footprint and identify the action they will take to reduce it.
As part of the Zero Carbon Cumbria partnership we are supporting a wide range of community based and sustainability groups. The partnership is working Cumbria-wide across four sectors, identified as key sources of emissions in our baseline report.
- Farming and other and use
- Consumption, waste and the circular economy
- Transport and mobility
- Buildings
It involves over 80 organisations, has a grants programme to support local community groups to reduce their carbon footprint, has developed citizens juries and is building strong relationships across all sectors. Together we can do our bit to reduce emissions. You can find out more on the Zero Carbon Cumbria site.
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