How to Live a Low Carbon Life

314 Pages·2012·2.84 MB·English

by  Chris Goodall

GOODALL-PRESS-[313c]-ppb.pdf 1 08/04/2010 13:02
‘This is the definitive guide to reducing your carbon footprint.’ New Scientist ‘The carbon reduction bible. Accept no imitations!’ Mark Lynas
‘An excellent and readable repository of honest numbers and facts and a compelling
and optimistic call to individual action.’
David J. C. MacKay, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Energy and
Climate Change and author of Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air
how to live a
‘Goodall’s definitive guide to personal carbon reduction leaves no stone unturned.
On the journey to a low-carbon life, this book is essential reading.’
Eugenie Harvey, Director of the 10:10 campaign
‘All you need to know about your impact on the global climate
and how to reduce it. A highly acesible bok, chock ful of low-carbon
eye-opening research. Superb.’
Dave Reay, author of C limate Change Begins at Home
and founder of Greenhouse Gas Online
C ‘Valuable ammunition for those who want to do something about global warming.’ SECOND EDITION
M T he Guardian
Y life fully updated
CM
MY Each Westerner is responsible for an average of 10–20 tonnes of carbon emissions each
CY year. In How to Live a Low-Carbon Life, Chris Goodall shows how easy it is to take action,
CMY providing a comprehensive, one-stop reference guide to calculating your CO2 emissions
K and reducing them to a more sustainable 2 tonnes a year, while also saving money.
This fully revised second edition takes into account new government targets on
emissions reductions and includes up-to-date calculations and extensive graphics
clearly laying out the path to a low-carbon life.
1.2 0.1 2.1 0.1
tonnes tonnes tonnes tonnes
Chris Goodall writes and broadcasts on climate change and energy. His Carbon
Commentary blog is part of the Guardian Environment Network and his writing
frequently appears in publications around the world.
ISBN 978-1-84407-909-4
publ ishing for a sustainable future 1.2 1.2 0.1 0.3
tonnes tonnes tonnes tonnes
www.earthscan.co.uk
Earthscan strives to minimize its impact on the environment
Climate change / Environment / Ethical living 9 781844 079094 Chris Goodall
how to live a low-carbon life Goodall
how to live a low-carbon life
HLLC_Prelims.qxd 4/8/2010 2:31 PM Page ii
how to live a
low-carbon
the individual’s guide to
life tackling climate change
Second edition
Chris Goodall
publ ishing for a sustainable future
London • Washington, DC
HLLC_Prelims.qxd 4/8/2010 2:31 PM Page iv
First published by Earthscan in the UK and USA in 2010
Copyright © Christopher Goodall 2010
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, except as expressly permitted by law, without the prior, written permission of the publisher.
Earthscan Ltd, Dunstan House, 14a St Cross Street, London EC1N 8XA, UK
Earthscan LLC, 1616 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Earthscan publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment
and Development
For more information on Earthscan publications, see www.earthscan.co.uk
or write to
HLLC_Prelims.qxd 4/8/2010 2:31 PM Page v
Contents
List of Figures, Tables and Boxes vii
Sources and Units of Measurement xi
1 Getting from 14 Tonnes to 2 Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide per Person 1
2 How our Lives Generate Emissions 31
PART I — DIRECT EMISSIONS
3 Home Heating 39
4 Water Heating and Cooking 73
5 Lighting 81
6 Household Appliances 91
7 Car Travel 131
8 Public Transport 165
9 Air Travel 173
PART II — INDIRECT EMISSIONS
10 Food 189
11 Other Indirect Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions 209
PART III — OTHER ANALYSIS
12 Domestic Use of Renewable Energy 241
13 Cancelling Out Emissions 267
Notes 277
Acknowledgements 289
Index 291
HLLC_Prelims.qxd 4/8/2010 2:31 PM Page vi
HLLC_Prelims.qxd 4/8/2010 2:31 PM Page vii
List of Figures, Tables and Boxes
FIGURES
2.1 The make-up of average emissions per person 34
2.2 Average emissions from running the home 34
2.3 Average emissions from transport 35
2.4 Average emissions from purchased goods 35
3.1 How gas usage for heating may vary with type of house 44
3.2 One calculation of sources of heat for the average gas-fired home 47
3.3 Efficiency estimates for non-condensing gas-fired systems 49
3.4 Loss of heat from elements of the typical house 57
3.5 Energy balance for home heating of the typical house 58
3.6 The cost of heat losses 59
7.1 Simplified decision tree for assistance in assessing whether to buy a
new car and, if so, what type 135
7.2 What are the carbon dioxide savings from using a liquid petroleum
gas-powered car? An example of a manual 2005 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i 143
7.3 The savings from switching to liquid petroleum gas 144
7.4 Average new car emissions by year of manufacture 145
7.5 Average weight of English men aged 45 to 54 (1992–2004) 148
7.6 Carbon dioxide emissions of some Citroen petrol cars, mid 2009 152
11.1 Greenhouse gas emissions from mobile phone use 225
11.2 Impact of two different choices for reducing the carbon footprint of
an Apple laptop computer 227
11.3 Annual emissions from an individual’s purchases 238
12.1 Monthly energy output from a solar photovoltaic system in Oxford 261
12.2 Financial calculations for domestic use of a Ceramic Fuel Cells CHP system 265
TABLES
3.1 Measures to reduce carbon emission from home heating 42
3.2 Average annual heating need for England and Wales, 2005 47
HLLC_Prelims.qxd 4/8/2010 2:31 PM Page viii
viii HOW TO LIVE A LOW-CARBON LIFE
3.3 Gas savings from replacing a typical boiler with a condensing variety 50
3.4 Savings from installing a condensing gas boiler 51
3.5 Cost per tonne of carbon dioxide avoided 51
3.6 Very approximate gas usage savings from installing cavity wall insulation 61
3.7 Potential savings from cavity wall insulation 61
4.1 Gas demand for water heating in the typical household 77
5.1 Summary of potential savings in lighting use 84
5.2 Distribution of light bulb usage in a typical house 84
5.3 Comparison of the main types of lighting 88
6.1 Electricity use by the major home appliances 94
6.2 Number of washes in a typical UK home 95
6.3 Approximate figures for the electricity consumption of typical
cold appliances 107
6.4 Getting the best possible energy efficiency from fridge–freezers,
refrigerators and freezers 108
6.5 The costs of boiling water 114
6.6 Power consumption for a full-size conventional TV 116
6.7 Power consumption for a typical 40-inch LCD TV 116
6.8 Power consumption figures for four small appliances 118
6.9 Toasting a piece of bread using electricity or gas: A comparison 120
6.10 Power consumption in use and in standby mode for consumer electronics 121
6.11 Energy consumption of consumer electronics 122
6.12 Energy usage by the four stereotypical households for consumer electronics 122
7.1 The main options for reducing emissions from car travel 134
7.2 Estimate of average distance travelled per year by UK private cars 137
7.3 How much carbon dioxide does the Toyota Prius save? 141
7.4 Impact of always walking rather than taking the car on trips of
up to 2 miles 147
7.5 How many miles of walking does it take to reduce weight by
0.4kg a year? 149
7.6 Energy balance from walking rather than driving if the energy
replacement is from dairy products 150
7.7 Some pricing details of two UK car clubs 156
7.8 The carbon dioxide impact of switching to 5 per cent biodiesel 160
9.1 Carbon dioxide emissions of a typical UK individual taking no flights 176
9.2 The impact on personal carbon dioxide emissions of a small number
of flights 176
10.1 The main sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK food chain 194
10.2 Ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the food chain 202
HLLC_Prelims.qxd 4/8/2010 2:31 PM Page ix
LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND BOXES ix
10.3 Remaining greenhouse gas emissions after major switches in
purchasing behaviour 204
10.4 Remaining greenhouse gas emissions after moderate switches in
purchasing behaviour 205
11.1 Typical gas and electricity consumption per employee in large
office-based companies 212
11.2 Average UK clothes purchases per person per year 217
11.3 CO equivalent greenhouse gas emissions in kilograms 217
2
11.4 How much methane is produced per kilogram of wool? 218
11.5 The emissions associated with different fabrics 220
11.6 CO generated by the average household laundering clothes 221
2
11.7 Comparison of CO involved in the production and transportation
2
of desktop and laptop computers 226
11.8 Paper and cardboard waste from UK households 234
11.9 Carbon footprint of paper and cardboard manufacture 235
12.1 Medium-sized PV installation in a good location 245
12.2 Energy savings from using an air source heat pump 250
12.3 Carbon dioxide savings from heat pump use in the average home 251
12.4 Cost of a heat pump per tonne of CO saved 251
2
12.5 Number of litres of water heated by the sun in late June 255
2
12.6 Standard data for a small solar hot water collector of 2m 257
12.7 Savings from use of solar hot water 257
2
12.8 Savings from a 4m collector 258
12.9 Savings in carbon dioxide from using a solar hot water collector 258
12.10 Typical savings per year from installing a solar hot water collector 259
12.11 Summary of carbon savings 265
13.1 Cost of establishing 1 hectare of woodland 272
BOXES
3.1 Home heating needs: data from other countries 43
3.2 What does 14,000 kilowatt hours actually mean in terms of meter
readings and cost to the householder? 45
3.3 Cavity wall insulation: our personal case history 63
3.4 Measures to conserve heat 67
3.5 Home heating energy requirements: data from other countries 72
5.1 Electricity consumption for lighting: data from other countries 90
6.1 How much extra does it cost to get good spin efficiency? 98
6.2 Cooling the house by drying clothes in it 99