the 10:10 campaign
Why Bother ?
Why bother jumping out of the way of a speeding car?
Cutting 10% in one year is a bold target, but for most of us it’s an achievable one, and is in line with what scientists say we need over the next 18 months. We now know for certain that unless we act quickly to reduce our use of dirty fossil fuels, humanity will face terrible problems in the years to come. Politicians have so far failed to do what needs to be done, so it’s time for ordinary people to step in and show that we’re ready to defend our children’s futures. It’s now or never for the climate.
By signing up to a 10% target we’re not just supporting 10:10 – we’re making it happen. In our homes, in our workplaces, our schools and our hospitals, our galleries and football clubs and universities, we’ll be backing each other up as we take the first steps on the road to becoming a zero-carbon society.
It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by uniting everyone behind immediate, effective and achievable action, 10:10 enables all of us to make a meaningful difference.
The Campaign is designed to get as many people as possible to say they will try to reduce their Carbon Emissions during 2010. It is In the Eynsham Area we are aiming for 10% of the population to sign up - and we are also looking for 30-40 'Champions' - people who are prepared to look in detail at their Carbon Emissions and work out how to reduce it.
why it's called 10:10
The idea is for people to reduce their Carbon Emisssions (what's this ?) by 10% during 2010.
A Carbon Footprint includes direct and indirect use of carbon (indirect is when you by something that needed a lot of carbon to prpoduce it); Carbon Emissions means only the carbon you actually emit.
what the Campaign hopes to achieve
The aim is to get as many people as possible to make a start on reducing their carbon consumption – so that everyone, including other countries, can see that we in Britain are serious about cutting our Carbon Emissions. If that happens, it will put pressure on our own Government and on other Governments in the aftermath of the Climate Change Conference in Mexico at the end of 2010.
That’s really more important than the actual carbon reductions that any of us can make.
There is no way that the politicians would be able to ignore the people plonking, say, 2% cuts from, say, UK, Australia, Germany, Iceland, Norway and the Maldives down on the Mexico table, just as they're having their first coffee. Or, to put it more positively, the politicians would realise that the citizens are ready to build the low-carbon future and this will give them the political space they need to make the deal as strong as the science demands.
If you sign up, it means that you intend to try to cut your carbon footprint by 10% in 2010. But since one of the aims is to put pressure on Governments, It doesn’t matter so much whether you actually achieve a 10% reduction – what matters is that you intend to try. Nobody is going to check up on you to see what you have achieved ! What does matter is the number of people seriously intending to cut their Carbon Emissions.
Click here to sign up
Actually it’s surprisingly easy to cut your Carbon Footprint: unless you've already slashed your emissions, the first 10% is the easiest. It's not too hard to save energy at home and cut down on unnecessary journeys. It will save you money. Click here for detailed tips or here for how to calculate your Carbon Emissions.
If you work in a business, you may want to persuade it to sign up to the Campaign (Businesses are only expected to cut 3%of ther emissions - the ones who could easily cut 10% have probably already gone bust). Click here for some of the advantages to businesses.
mid-Feb/10 totals
56,186 people, 2,122 businesses, 1,122 Schools, Univerisities and Colleges and 1,435 other organisations. Plus 116 local councils who between them cover a third of the UK population, which means that 20.45 million people will be getting their services (housing, waste, street lighting etc etc) with 10% less emissions than they did this year.
the people and Groups involved
the Groups - Food, 10:10, Waste, Energy
other places in Oxfordshire working on the same lines
what's happening in the Eynsham area - and what's planned - and what you can do on your own
learn more about low energy and why it's a good idea
see the trailer of the amazing film - The Age of Stupid
Zero Carbon Britain - summary of a major report showing that if we had to, we could,
