Supporting the transition to a healthy, sustainable future

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Supporting the transition to a healthy,
sustainable future

• Jenny Griffiths
• www.healthandsustainability.net

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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Common motivators

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

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Common barriers

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

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Seven population segments

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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What do you think?

• What can we all do?