UK Travel Related Restrictions Reduce CO2e* Emissions by over 80 Million Tonnes
● Reduction of over 80 million tonnes of UK carbon emissions due to coronavirus travel restrictions (equivalent to 9% of total UK emissions)
The fight against the coronavirus pandemic has delivered an unexpected boost to the fight against climate change. According to figures from Pawprint, the eco companion app; the reduction in aircraft in the skies over the UK combined with essential only road travel will result in a reduction of over 80 million tonnes of carbon emissions this year – equivalent to a 9% drop in the annual footprint for everyone in the UK.*
As the country continues its enforced lockdown Pawprint have studied the impact this is having on harmful CO2e emissions and the findings deliver a glimmer of hope for the climate change crisis.
The average carbon footprint for a UK citizen is 13.1 tonnes per year (the equivalent of driving 25,000 miles in a diesel car – once around the world) and it’s been widely recognised that if everyone in developed countries could manage to reduce this to 10 tonnes per year this would make a dramatic difference in saving the planet from global warming. Already the restrictions on human activity around the world have had a surprising and immediate impact on nature as city smog lifts and dolphins have been spotted in the now clear canal waters of Venice.
Transportation may be one of the key drivers of harmful CO2e emissions but there are many others where collective action with many of us making small changes can make a huge difference and many of these are happening in homes around the country during lockdown;
● our diets – eating seasonal local food, reducing our meat intake, reducing waste etc,
● our homes – turing down our heating slightly, working in natural sunlight and leaving lights off, choosing showers rather than baths etc, and
● our shopping habits – borrowing, mending and buying second hand.
Christian Arno, founder of Pawprint, said; “The immediate threat from coronavirus has prompted behavioural change at an incredible global scale, and on our travel more than any other aspect of our carbon footprints. At Pawprint, we want to help people make decisions that are right for them and for the planet. We’re hoping that some of the new behaviours we’re learning – reduced travel, more video conferencing and more, more people cycling – will become embedded. With everyone finding themselves with more time at home, it’s also a good chance to understand what other areas of our lives have a significant impact on our ‘Pawprints’ and making the most of what we have.”
Pawprint the free eco companion app is launching in summer 2020 and helps users understand, measure and reduce their carbon footprints in a fun, one small step at a time, way!
