By Tan Copsey
George Monbiot’s new book Heat poses a number of challenging questions. Among targets are the usual suspects, including representatives of major emitters. However after reading a number of columns preceding its release I realised that there was a major emitter I had never properly factored in, me.
Monbiot quite rightly identifies that air travel, the fastest rising contributor to climate change, is in drastic need of regulation. This regulation will undoubtedly have to extend beyond the piecemeal measures being suggested by the industry as they face the deadline, already enshrined in the Kyoto Protocol, to do something by 2007. Monbiot notes that in reality individual users will have to take responsibility for the emissions that they are responsible for. Herein lies my problem, and probably yours.
We will have to limit non-essential air travel. For me this means that holidays back to one of my two homelands are almost a non-starter. I grew up in New Zealand and the UK, countries as geographically distant as it is possible to be. This means that in my time I have contributed more than 60 tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, and that’s just the start of things. The picture becomes increasingly alarming when you factor in multiple trips to Thailand, India, Australia, The United States, and continental Europe. There is no doubt about it. I am a major emitter. Now what do I do?
