Now that NOW Cop26 is over, it’s possible to feel a bit confused about what you can do to help the planet.
Is it logical to stop eating import fruit when you are planning to travel to the sun next year for family time?
Are showers more environmentally friendly than bathing in the tub?
To answer such questions — and help us better understand the implications of our consumer choices — PROFESSOR MIKE BERNERS-LEE, professor of sustainability at Lancaster University, has calculated the carbon footprint of absolutely everything . . . With some unexpected conclusions.
Similar most people I don’t particularly enjoy instructions on how to live.
It is possible that I have been researching for 15 years the effects of carbon emissions on our planet’s slow heating.
But I’ve also had plenty of practice in not being quite as good as I’d like to be.
All of us want to live a responsible life, but it is not easy. That’s not to say we don’t need to change our habits. We do. It is a time of climate crisis. However, we need to have a sense for scale.
A friend once asked how he should best dry his hands to reduce his carbon footprint — with a paper towel or electric drier? That same individual flies the Atlantic many times each year.
Flying is a lot more important than hand drying, so my friend tried to distract from the problem.
Professor Mike Berners-Lee: We all want to live our lives responsibly but we have to live. That’s not to say we don’t need to change our habits. We do. Climate emergency is upon us. It is important to be able to see the scale of things.
My goal was to give you an idea of how much carbon could be at stake when making everyday choices.
Everything we do has some impact — where we travel to and how, whether we buy an apple in season or asparagus in winter, whether we have a quick shower or luxuriate in the bath.
What’s a carbon footprint? It’s a measure of the impact of our activities on the amount of greenhouse gases being produced and released into the atmosphere.
All we consume and do and think about, both at home and work, has a carbon impact — that is, a climate change impact.
But you might be very surprised by some of the things that have a hefty carbon load and some that don’t.
I use a measure called ‘carbon dioxide equivalent’ to calculate the volume of harmful gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, refrigerant and other gases) generated in the making and consumption of any product or service.
Let’s say you have a tomato. You need to consider how it was grown.
As a consumer, you need to consider that 1kg of locally grown tomatoes has a carbon footprint of 400g CO2e compared to an astounding 50kg CO2e produced by 1kg of organic, ‘on the vine’ UK cherry tomatoes grown out of season in March.
These tomatoes can even be grown in the United States, making them one of the most high-carbon foods.
Cut flowers that are not in season can be a problem for climate change. They either need to be flown to Europe or placed on planes. A single rose will be beautiful, but if it is grown outdoors in Kenya or in the Netherlands, you’ll pay 2.4kg CO2e, compared with zero for roses grown at home.
Bananas, on the other hand, may travel far before they land in our fruit bowls, but as they tend to be shipped rather than airfreighted and require less packaging because they are protected by their skins, they are a low-carbon — and extremely nutritious — food.
ALL THE GLITTERS ARE AWFUL TO PLANET
Gold and diamonds are precious precisely because it takes effort, industry and resources to extract them, and this takes their carbon footprint sky high, particularly for jewellery which comes from far afield (£500 worth of gold and diamonds from Africa has a carbon footprint of 710kg CO2e).
That’s aside from the bad working conditions for some miners. You are better off wearing jewellery handed down in the family. It can be refashioned using existing gems, or it can be made of natural materials like shells.
FURNITURE YOUR OWN BOOUQUETS
Because they are either out-of-season, cut flowers can cause climate change.
Although a single rose can be beautiful, it is likely to cost you more than a rose that was grown indoors in Kenya, or outside in Holland.
One person could get 1.5 tonnes more CO2e per year by buying a bouquet of flowers from abroad for one week.
For 15 UK outdoors-grown stems, you can grow your own flowers.
Indoor plants are an alternative, as they require far less carbon.
DON’T FEAR A DISHWASHER
As long as the dishwashing machine is full and runs at low electricity consumption, a high-efficiency dishwasher will always be more efficient than hot water.
High-efficiency dishwashers are more eco-friendly than washing dishes in hot water. As long as the full load is full (from 470g up to 600g CO2e), and if it’s set to run nightly when the grid has less demand, the dishwasher will always win.
Rinsing plates before stacking the machine is the worst option and ranks alongside ironing your spouse’s socks. This is not a good routine.
ORDER A COFTEE WITHOUT MILK
Drinking black coffee is the fastest way to reduce your carbon footprint. Instant coffee has 49g CO2e, while black filters or Americanos have 87g. Large cappuccinos are 235g.
Cow’s milk has such a high emissions toll that even the splash in tea accounts for three quarters of a cuppa’s carbon footprint. You could drink nine Americanos, or as many cups of black tea for a large latte (552g CO2e).
For take-out, you will need to add 110g of CO2e. You can use one sturdy cup at home. Only wash it after you’re done with the day.
THE IMPORTED BANANAS ARE JUST WHAT TERRITORY?
It is amazing how far bananas have to travel before they reach us.
Bananas have a low carbon footprint at 110g each.
These plants can be grown outdoors in the natural light without hothousing and they will keep their good looks for many years.
They are therefore often farmed thousands of miles away from their end consumers. However, boat transport is a great option.
You should only allow bananas to rot in your fruit basket.
They join the 22% of UK consumers who binge on food.
Overripe bananas can be used in baking, or paired with custard.
CHOOSE THE UGLIEST APPLE AVAILABLE IN THE SHOP
Purchase the least-perfect apples. It encourages the supply chain not to chuck less-than-perfect-looking fruits away.
Low-carbon apples are best if they’re local, seasonal and locally grown (32g CO2e/kg). When the apple is not in season, this can cause some changes.
UK apples bought in early summer will be last year’s fruit, which will have been kept refrigerated, so requiring electricity. Imported apples are a more economical option (80g CO2e/kg).
Although bananas may be grown thousands of kilometers from where they will end up, their transportation by boat is much more efficient than airfreight. They also require very little packaging because they don’t have skins.
NO WINTER ASPAGUS
Fresh asparagus from Peru is perhaps the most carbon-intensive winter vegetable (4.7kg CO2e/pack).
That’s because a mile by air typically has about 100 times the carbon impact of a mile by sea. This is true for airfreighted baby food, such as baby carrots and baby greens.
Take a bite of UK asparagus and wait for it to cool off in the summer.
THE SCOOP ON THE MOST ECO ICE CREAM
A soft scoop from a van comes with a hefty carbon price tag of 500g of CO2e per cone as the vanilla ice cream’s dairy-based and kept cold in a less efficient mobile refrigeration unit, often belching out diesel fumes.
Although a chocolate flake can make the footprint of ice cream look higher, we might be able to agree that this is an acceptable evil.
Instead, opt for plant-based icecream for your cone. You can also buy an ice lolly with 70g CO2e or a choc-ice (140g CO2e), from your local shop. This will make it more economical and its refrigeration efficiency better.
CROCS ARE TOPS
Shoes vary a lot in their carbon footprint, depending on what they’re made of and how long they last.
Shoes made in China may be 8kg CO2e per pair. Specialist leather costs more (15kg).
A pair of Crocs is at the bottom of the range, with only 250g expanded EVA foam rubber.
These are unpackaged, so they only have a carbon footprint of just over 1kg CO2e.
Shoes vary a lot in their carbon footprint, depending on what they’re made of and how long they last. China-made running shoes might be as heavy at 8kg CO2e, while specialist leather can weigh in at 15kg. Unpackaged Crocs cost just 1kg CO2e per pair
RARE YOU ABLE TO USE REUSABLE NAPPIES FOR SAINTLY?
A cloth nappy may seem better than a disposable but if washed at 90 degrees and tumble-dried to soften, it’ll carry a higher carbon footprint (165g of CO2e per nappy) than a disposable (130g per nappy).
Reusable nappies are the lowest-carbon option. They can be washed at 60°C, dried on a line, then passed to another child (60g CO2e each nappy).
A disposable diaper nappy’s carbon footprint can be as high as 20 percent due to the methane emissions it releases when it is rotting in landfill.
The gas released by biodegradable disposable nappies is greater because they are more quickly decomposible in landfill.
WINE BOXES WITHOUT BOTTLES
The footprint of the wine will be smaller than that of the bottle. Shipping is only a small part, so it doesn’t matter much where your wine comes from.
Far more important are the road miles — in your country and the country of origin.
Locally produced wine can reduce the footprint by 20% (1.3kg CO2e per bottle from Britain or France). And, strangely enough, Australian wine shipping to the UK in huge sealed tanks probably has a lower footprint than Sicilian wine transported by road in bottles (1.65kg).
Buy wine boxes and cartons to reduce your footprint by about five.
A cloth nappy may seem better than a disposable but if washed at 90 degrees and tumble-dried to soften, it’ll carry a higher carbon footprint (165g of CO2e per nappy) than a disposable (130g per nappy)
EAT FROZEN BERRIES WHEN IT’S COLD
For a 250g punchnet, fresh strawberries imported from South Africa during winter come at a high carbon cost.
In summer, it is far better to consume UK strawberries. You can also opt for frozen British strawberries (770g CO2e per 250g), which are more nutritious and easy to consume than fresh fruits.
NEVER FLY IN BUSINESS CLASS
The planet is not good for long-haul flights, especially if they are very expensive. The impact of emissions from planes flying at high altitude has a larger effect on greenhouse gasses than the equivalent amount of fuel burned on ground. A business class seat, as it takes up more room, has a greater percentage of the flight’s total carbon footprint. One flight can be equivalent to 340,000 bags.
If you do fly, choose economy. Go abroad less often, stay away for longer and only fly to do something you can’t do here in the UK.
RATION BATHS AND TIME FOR YOUR SHOWERS
abandon a daily bath, folks — just have one a week. Your heating system may allow you to take a 500g-1.5kg quick bath.
It is better to take a short, everyday shower. Depending on the hot water system, five minutes can produce 160g to 250g CO2e. A power shower could be used to give you the 1kg of CO2e generated by a hot bath for 15 minutes.
One TAP YOU SHOULD NOT TURN ON
Bottled water has a 400g CO2e/litre carbon content, making it 1,000 times more intense than tap water. It is therefore worth getting rid of plastic bottles.
Carbon emissions are primarily from transport and packaging. However, plastic adds 83g CO2e/litre to the carbon footprint, as well 20g CO2e for melting the pellets into plastic bottles.
Because water is so heavy, transport is important too.
SWAP YOUR CAR TO THE TRAIN
Trains are generally a lot greener than cars, though a good petrol car can beat a train’s carbon footprint if the car is full of people. It is better to travel first-class by train than two individuals travelling together if you have an efficient vehicle.
How fast a train travels (air resistance rises with speed), the number of stops (each stop is a waste of energy) as well as what type of fuel it uses (electricity beats Diesel).
Travelling by an Underground train is lower-carbon per passenger mile than an intercity train (68g of CO2e) — mainly because people are packed in so tightly.
You must eat your (Sourdough) crunch.
The carbon footprint of homemade sourdough and locally baked artisan bread is lower than that of mass-produced sliced bread. It has 630g CO2e per loaves, compared with 1kg for mass-produced.
Locally baked breads and artisan loaves have a lower carbon footprint than those made from mass-produced slices of bread (1kg CO2e)
Over 60% of emissions from all bread production come directly from wheat cultivation. The fertilizer is the main culprit. Another third is from baking and milling.
Locally bought goods will only cost a small fraction of the total transport cost. Make sure you only buy the necessary items and never eat out of your food. Landfilling food waste is very dangerous.
Rice is, in contrast to bread, a high-carbon staple with 4.7kg to 7.1kg CO2e per kilogram depending on the planting methods.
The methane released from the floodplains and carbon-excessive fertilizers that are frequently used is the reason. The result is that a kilogram of rice may produce more carbon dioxide than one liter of diesel.
Louise Atkinson adapted this article from How Bad Are Bananas? by Mike Berners-Lee, Profile Books, £9.99. © Mike Berners-Lee 2020. To order a copy for £8.99 (offer valid to 12.11.21, UK P&P free on orders over £20), visit www.mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937