Have you been enjoying the sun? I have, but at the same time it’s made me think about our changing climate and what we can all do to protect it
How’s your summer going? The warm weather seems to have taken its time getting here this year. I hope you’ve been enjoying it – I know I have, especially with a week spent walking and relaxing in the Peak District.
It seems to me, though, that our weather is getting more and more unsettled, and more and more extreme. It was only a few years ago that we had tremendous flooding in Walthamstow, causing huge amounts of damage to people’s homes and businesses. We’ve avoided that this year, but rain seems to have been almost constant for much of 2024.
According to the BBC, February 2024 was the wettest on record for the south of England, while winter 2023-24 was the eighth wettest for England as a whole. January, according to the Met Office, brought three named storms, a significant spell of cold, wintry weather and a new highest temperature for the UK. ‘Mixed’ doesn’t begin to cover it.
All of that might be a distant memory now, but it doesn’t hide the fact that month after month seems to be the hottest or the wettest or the most unsettled. But these statistics always feel a bit dry to me. It’s how it feels that really speaks to us, and it feels to me that our weather isn’t what it used to be. We don’t seem to have four seasons anymore.
Extreme weather events have become our new normal. This is what climate breakdown feels like and the people in charge are doing nothing about it. It’s easy to get downhearted about it. It’s easy to feel like we can’t do anything, that nothing we do matters. But this isn’t true.
In the UK, the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases is surface traffic – driving. At the same time, the majority of car journeys are under five miles. That’s easily walkable or cyclable for most of us. If one person decides to walk or cycle all sub-five-mile journeys, it’s not going to make a huge difference to carbon emissions in the UK.
But what if that person inspires another two to do the same? And they each inspire two more to do the same, and so on until a million people are now walking and cycling. Think how much cleaner, quieter and more pleasant our streets would be.
Similarly, one person avoiding a particular shop or service because of its questionable practices won’t change anything. But a million people doing the same – well that’s going to affect profits and force that company to clean up its act.
Together we are powerful.
This is why networks like Transition are so important. Each Transition group working in its own local area will help make that location a little bit better. Added together all over the world and we’re making the whole world a better place to live.
Transition Walthamstow’s next meeting is on 12 August at Ye Olde Rose & Crown on Hoe Street, starting at 7.30pm. Come along to find out how you can help make our world better.
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