Radical Efficiency: Make Every Building Passive
It’s time to build our homes and offices to really tough levels of energy efficiency. We need to reduce our demand for energy, not just offset it with renewables. For existing buildings, there will have to be extensive retrofitting. Individual actions for energy efficiency are tougher, but the first is to change every lightbulb you own to LED.
Radical Sufficiency: How much Do You Need?
If the family is single or multiple/ joint, dwelling is still a must, make it small, think about semi-detached or townhouse (less exterior wall), and find it in a relatively walkable or bikeable community. If you have a big house, duplex it to house more people with the same energy consumption. With only one exterior wall it needs far less Heat or Air Conditioning.
Radical Simplicity: Keep It Simple & Stupid
Whatever designers and engineers made had to be something that could be repaired by a common man in a field with some basic mechanic’s training and simple tools. If their products weren’t simple and easy to understand – they would quickly become obsolete in combat conditions and thus worthless. Most of what passes for “smart home” devices are complicated, break down, don’t get support, or people don’t know how to use them. New technologies take time to roll out, but we don’t have time. Keep it simple.
Radical Frugality: Just Keep/ Buy Less Stuff
Almost everything you buy has embodied carbon. Consumption may keep the economy spinning, but there is a huge price in carbon. Frugality is an environmental statement that’s far more powerful than empty words. Ultimately, environmentalism stems from acts of doing less: less consumption, less commuting, less carbon emissions, less wastefulness, less carelessness.
Radical Decarbonization: electrify Everything
We have to cut back on our use of fossil fuels to the point that the oil and gas companies are forced to leave it in the ground because there is so little demand. That means getting our homes off gas, switching to induction ranges for cooking, mini heat pumps for heating and cooling. Switch to walking, bikes, e-bikes, scooters, and transit, and then electric cars. In our buildings, we have to use less concrete and more wood. We have to fix and renovate instead of building new. We have to stop using foamed plastic insulations and get rid of PVC.
Individual actions can add up to carbon savings, but there is one individual action that tops them all. But it requires a change of thinking and lifestyle, not just buying a thermostat or skipping a steak. On the other hand, it is not necessarily onerous. Ultimately, we cannot do it alone. It’s fine to say, “Get a bike!”, but it is hard to do if there is no decent infrastructure. It’s pointless to say, “Electrify everything!” if all the electricity is still made by burning coal. It’s hard to tell people to live in flats or apartments if there are none being built for families at affordable prices. All these changes become possible only when there are a majority of voters demanding them. So ultimately, the greatest individual action we can take is to get out and vote the reactionary climate arsonist bums out.
Matter referenced:
Lloyd Alter. 2018. https://www.treehugger.com/five-radical-steps-we-can-take-fight-climate-change-4856170
By: Dr. Bhawana Asnani.
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