During the March-July 2020 full UK lockdown, the UK carbon emissions fell by 27% compared to the same period in 2019. This new data comes from Lloyds Banking Group and the Carbon Trust who have examined 6 key areas across the UK.
“We have an opportunity to build on increased awareness and create low carbon businesses and infrastructure to help people reduce their impact on the environment”
The Carbon Trust has explained that this could be a real turning point for the UK. Lockdown has changed consumers buying habits, commutes, fuel and overall travel. The vast reduction in 4.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide during this time should really prompt both businesses and consumers to adapt to a new normal.
Adapting to a new normal
We are reading a lot in the press at the moment about the “new normal”, in this case, we don’t just mean social distancing or wearing masks when in public places. But remote working, online shopping and video calls instead of meetings – could be classed as the new normal and will continue to drive down our carbon emissions.
Many businesses have already expressed that they have no plans to return to their offices in full capacity. When productivity has not taken a hit over the last 6-months, many are seeing an office as an unnecessary expense. For workers, being at home means no commutes and far less fuel consumption – two of the main driving forces behind our battle with emissions in the UK.
A survey conducted by YouGov suggests that “over a third of UK adults are more likely to take action to reduce their carbon footprint following the lockdown being eased, most commonly by changing the way they travel and shop.”
We surprised ourselves in how well we adapted to a complete change in lifestyle when March 23rd 2020 hit, nearly 6-months later and the habit has set in. Changing how we consume our planet now, could be far easier than ever before. The extra money in our bank accounts from not filling our cars on the regular, or taking long journies to shops, when there is one within walking distance as a collective will make a huge impact on the health of our environment. To individuals, this change is so much easier than it’s almost been forced upon us and we can see the real tangible benefit of it already.
A welcome change
Here at Tri-pack we are big believers in doing what we can to help protect our environment and welcome an awakening. How people have adapted to a more ‘green’ lifestyle over this last few months will hopefully be a sign of things to come. Businesses are ever more conscious of their product selection and how to reduce down the costs of anything from raw materials to logistics. These again, not only help bank balances but overall, help protect our planet.