One of the technical terms I’ve learnt while studying for my masters is “pluralistic ignorance“. This occurs when someone mistakenly believes that other people do not share their opinions. Many people with pro-environmental views thus under-estimate how many people share those views. A big problem here is that we don’t make our opinions or actions public. If we don’t share our opinions how can we expect others to know what they are. A recent paper suggests that making our pro-environmental behaviours more “visible” can be important in encouraging others to make pro-environmental changes as well.

I’ve thus been experimenting with a set of icons that could be used in an e-mail signature to indicate various lifestyle choices I’ve made. Each has three levels, indicating the level of commitment. They are designed to be instantly recognisable by those who know the significance but to entice those who don’t to investigate further (clicking on the icon directs to this page for further information).

Signature

This is what my signature looks like:

Icons

These three icons represent annual carbon footprint. I calculated mine to be 5.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent using the Climate Stewards footprint calculator. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the average consumption based footprint for a person in the UK is 8.7 tonnes CO₂ equivalent (or was in 2020 which is the most recent year for which figures are available).

According to the figures I collated for my masters degree, domestic fuel use is the largest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions for individuals and is driven largely by heating requirements. A study in 2012 suggested that reducing the thermostat by 1°C reduces energy use by 10% for a typical home. Although the World Health Organisation recommend a setting of 18°C as “safe and well-balanced” the average setting within the UK is 20°C

Diet has a surprisingly large effect on emissions. A medium meat-eater generates emissions of about 2.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in a year. Avoiding red meat reduces this by 20%, going vegetarian by 40% and adopting a plant-based diet by over 60% (obtained by playing around with the the Climate Stewards calculator).

How we travel also has a huge influence. A combination of active travel (walking and cycling) with public transport is best for the planet. Shared ownership of a car is also good as is driving a small car. Of course minimising the mileage travelled each year is also important.

Avoiding flying is also important. A return flight from Manchester to Athens, for example will lead to over 1 tonne of emissions. These icons are designed to represent a pledge to use ground transport only (no flying) or to limit flights to one or two return flights each year. How far you go on each flight is obviously an important factor as well.