Final Reflections

I have found this course so interesting. I had a little background knowledge of climate change when I started, but I've discovered that half of what I thought I knew was either wrong or so out of date that it was useless.

The different feedback loops and causes of climate change gave a good base on which to build the knowledge. The aspects affecting people, such as food security and sea level rises were combined with other influences such as population increase to show that these changes in our future are not independent. All the factors will combine to produce the challenges we will have to face.

Lovely woodland in Devon

The different forms of mitigation were fascinating, from the simple (painting the roof white) to the incredibly complicated and controversial geoengineering. Steps to reduce the effects of climate change can be done on individual, community, national and global scales. This last week has spurred me on to thinking about how I can have a part in this on an individual scale, and possibly on a community scale too.

The causes of climate change are global and are fed by our desires to develop in industry and standard of living. But it seems to me that by making life more comfortable now we are creating serious problems for future generations.

This course has been an eye-opener and this topic is one I hope to follow, now feeling a bit more informed, to see what happens and what I can do to reduce its affects.

Thank you to the staff and students at Exeter University for the hard work put into this course. And thank you fellow FutureLearn students for some really interesting discussions.

8.6 Is the future of our climate still in our hands?

There are some very interesting comments from people this week on the discussion board and ways in which we can act as individuals and societies.

It is still in our hands. We have created a global warming effect that we can’t stop. The levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are enough to keep temperatures rising for a while yet, even if we did switch everything off today. So should we all just carry on? No (obviously!). It is up to us, globally, to try and change the progression of this issue. We can act to keep the changes from reaching a tipping point. We can do this in a number of ways, starting with our own choices and actions. Saving the world can happen a little bit at a time by everyone.

8.5 Take action

2.06. Not the best score, but probably not the most accurate… I know I would increase my “planet number” if I took into account the flights made in the last few years. But then, for the time spent in-country in between these flights I have been living very simply, eating local food, traveling mostly by foot. No heating; no air con; no house, in a couple of trips; a small fire to cook food; electricity from solar panels…

This test has made me think about the things that do affect climate change. The metals mined to produce jewelry and electronics as well as the more obvious flights and meat-eating. I could certainly do better, and will make more of an effort from here on in!

http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/
http://conservationandecology.blogspot.co.uk/

8.3 How will it affect you?

Sea-level rise

Living in the UK I think I can safely say that a rise in sea level would have huge impacts on our island nation. Even those living up a hill in the most central part of the UK will be affected by the disruption in infrastructure for the delivery of food and goods. I live in Devon, where nowhere is very far from the sea.

It’s estimated that over 600 million people live in coastal areas that are less than 10m above sea level. Added to this, two thirds of the world’s cities with populations over 5 million are, in some part, in this impact zone. So, that’s already 1 in 10 people directly affected, before you add other inhabitants of cities. The effects will be felt globally.

As well as people there will be a huge impact on wildlife and habitats. Sea-level rise is also not an isolated event. It will come hand-in-hand with temperature changes, precipitation changes and an increase in natural events.

References and links:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9162438
http://www.climate.org/topics/sea-level/

Week 7 Reflectons

The thing from this week that I found most poignant was the discussion about NIMBYism. The way we produce and use our energy has to change. There are so many good arguments on both sides of the discussion. I think that slowly attitudes will change to renewable energy provision, as people understand just how important it is to protect our environment. Large scale constructions of wind farms can benefit a large number of people, but may have negative and immediate consequences for a few. These people’s opinions need to be taken into account, but we can’t lose sight of the bigger picture. The renewable energy industry is still relatively new and is always growing and inventing new, more efficient ways to harness energy from the world around us, with the minimum of intrusion into people’s lives. We need to embrace the change in our energy consumption and see eg windfarms, not as a blight on the landscape, but as evidence that we care about our environment.

Drewsteignton, Devon

There are great innovations to be found in the way we build our homes and public spaces. I think the use of these designs in schools is particularly important. As the materials and methods become more standard-place and cost effective I hope that their use will increase and we can build our homes to last. There is a shortage of housing in this country already. Building these types of houses will cost more, but surely, if they can withstand the changes in the climate that are coming, won’t it be worth that extra expense?

7.6 NIMBYs in Action

Search for a local campaign group in action near you. What are the main arguments of the local campaign group you have discovered? Share a link to their website in the discussion.

I live in Devon. Renewable energy is a controversial topic around here. On one hand we have loads of coast line in the South West and large areas with very few people living in them. I’ve found one example of a campaign group, Campaign To Protect Rural England, Devon. It is supportive of the odd wind turbine that supports one farm, but on a very small scale which will affect no one but the land owner. It is against any large scale wind farm, solar farm etc. I can understand that Devon is a beautiful are and it is this fact that draws an international crowd of visitors every year. The unspoiled landscape and views this county offers is the very thing that so many residents earn their living from. In another article from a local newspaper, the Western Morning News, they do talk about how renewable energy projects create jobs, unemployment being a big issue in rural areas.


I can understand the CPRE objection to projects. I agree that we can’t go putting big wind farms everywhere, for reasons that they mention, and I have put above. But, surely if we don’t do something to slow down climate change, Devon is going to be a very different place anyway. If we really want to protect rural England, surely we have to try with every effort to mitigate the effects of climate change?

See also their publication: Renewable Energy in the Countryside: Rewards and Risks

Photos by me of pretty South Devon coastal areas.

7.3 Building design near you

This is a classic Devonshire farmhouse, UK. Its main construction period was somewhere around 1600 (but probably the first small building was earlier, then added to). I can pretty much guarantee, in that case, that very little thought to future climate change was put into its design.

There are a few things it has that will work well in the changing climate. It is made from cob, a mixture of subsoil and straw. Probably dug from the land right next to the building (why so many old cob houses have a pond…). It’s an interesting idea for future housing. Very little energy is used in the transport of the materials. They are natural and don’t produce as much CO2 as concrete production. The walls are very thick, up to 1m in some places. It stays cool all year. The thatched roof is a very good insulator, both in keeping heat in in the winter and out in the summer. It’s a hard-wearing, long-lasting material.

However, it could certainly do with some modifications if it was build new today. The windows need to be much larger to allow natural light in. This would reduce energy needed in lighting. With energy efficient windows this would now be viable (not so in 1600). It could also do with some form of heating beyond wood-burners! Planning laws limit the adaptation of such buildings to the future climate, as well as cost, of course.

I think ideas could be drawn from some of the traditional building methods. Coupled with more modern technologies for window, heating and roofing they could have a place in the future building industry. This particular method does require a lot of space, so not suited well to an urban area.