The carbon footprint of doing nothing
When I speak of doing nothing, I’m not referring to staying silent within an organisation, not engaging with politicians advancing policy on climate change, or even refusing to voice your opinion on the climate crisis. I’m purely speaking of doing nothing, as if you were to remain still.
I find running without music to be a truly meditative experience. It’s that one time in the day when I completely disconnect from any sources of distractions, whether it be social media feeds or emails. Being left with my thoughts helps me to reflect on the day and unwind from everything that is going on in my life. The carbon footprint associated with running should be pretty low, compared to if I were to go play other sports such as golf which requires vast areas of land and water to maintain the courses. I recently went on a run and wondered if, at this exact point in time, my personal carbon footprint was zero?
Of course, the answer was no! It’s not about the activity generating carbon emissions, it’s about everything else happening in our lives, even when we do nothing.
The list is not exhaustive, but here are ways in which my carbon footprint was not null.
- I track all of my runs with Strava, an app to measure the length and intensity of your physical activities. As of 2020, 10% of the world’s ICT carbon emissions are due to data centres. That represents 140 million tonnes of CO2, nearly half of Spain’s annual carbon emissions! Additionally, beyond the emails and messages I receive as I’m running, data centres are used to store data I have produced in the past.
- We happen to live in a world where it’s the norm to be clothed when you’re outside of your home. Although they were consumed in the past, my running clothes generated carbon emissions from the sourcing of the raw materials, their production, distribution and future end of life treatment. Beyond the clothes, the watch I wear to track the runs required the extraction of rare minerals.
- Lastly, although I’m not currently in my home, energy is still being consumed to heat or cool it. The carbon emissions associated with this process will vary according to the insulation of my home and the energy providers chosen.
The point of this article is not to shame anyone about their own carbon footprint or to create sources of stress about the impact we all have. Rather, I find it important to highlight that we first need an understanding of our impact before acting on it. As a matter of fact, here are potential solutions to the carbon sources identified while I’m running.
- I receive so many emails every day. Most of them are promotional and I’ll never read them. We all have that one company that is constantly reaching out to us. Next time you see the “unsubscribe button”, why not click it on? It could help declutter your inbox, free up mental space, and it’s a small climate act.
- With regards to your clothes, you could look to extend the number of uses, buy from second-hand clothing shops or purchase from companies with best-in-class sustainability credentials. When shopping for clothes, you can research companies that have set Science-Based carbon reduction targets or ones that are B-Corps, such as Athleta.
- Globally, buildings are responsible for 38% of energy-related CO2 emissions. To reduce your own impact, you can look to switch energy providers to transition from fossil fuels to renewables. In the UK you can consider Bulb, Octopus Energy and many other providers of 100% renewable energy. You can also explore the cost-benefit of installing ground source heat pumps, solar panels as well as energy-efficient appliances within your home.
Beyond being beneficial for the planet, the actions you take could have a positive impact on your personal finances and on your mental health. What’s one consumption you could cut from your life?
