Written by: Casimiro da Silva Santos, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
This time, I am going out of my usual. This time, I am writing about change in the climate. Yes, you read it correctly, not about climate change. Most surely, I will be controversial in my writing, expressing how I feel and think about change in the climate.
In the age of climate change, I am puzzled if we are ready to change for it. We all know the impact of human activity on climate. Soaring temperatures, melting of the polar caps, and severe weather extremes like flooding, wildfires, and hurricanes, to name a few, including the 630 million people displaced by the end of the century due to rising sea levels. While society demands governments to do more to limit to a maximum of 1.5 degrees C the rise of average planet temperature by 2050, we who live on this planet, who took it to the brink of extinction, what are we ready and what are we able to sacrifice for climate change?
What Are You Able to Sacrifice for Climate Change?
This question and the reflection that followed came as I was staying in a hotel during a long weekend which included our national holiday ‒ Day of Portugal, the day of the poet Camões. The one who wrote Lusíadas (The Lusiads), a Portuguese epic poem written in Homeric style and published in 1572. The hotel is located in Alentejo, one of the driest regions in the Iberian Peninsula and Portugal, with the temperature reaching a third consecutive day at 41 degrees C on average. The hotel is a reconverted old farm with all the modern amenities. An infinite swimming pool, internet, gym, and very comfortable rooms, with a fantastic restaurant, where you can taste local delicacies and traditional Portuguese food, including the local sausages, curated ham, and cheese. Cellular network coverage is weak, and WI-FI is only available in the rooms and common areas, not in the swimming pool. The cellular network is so weak that mobile data is not available. I loved it. Being able to relax, contemplating the views, and not having to hear people speaking and grabbing on their latest cellphone model, on the loudspeaker, or even discussing business to show off how important they are, forgetting that others are not interested at all and could not care less. This is made to have the guests unwind, rest and recharge.
While relaxing at the pool, the temperature was soaring at 41 degrees C on average for the third consecutive day. One of the guests asked one of the employees if the hotel had a gym. Proudly he answered yes, and she wondered if it had air conditioning, to which the answer was yes. This small talk made me wonder if we are willing to surrender air conditioning as temperatures rise. It seems not.
Can You Ditch Your AC?
In an article published in Time magazine, Eric Dean Wilson summarizes the history of air-conditioning (AC) business and its technology and points out some interesting scientific facts. Replacing CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) used as refrigerants in AC, which were depleting the ozone layer, with HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) was terrible for our planet. They are potent greenhouse gases (GHG) compared to methane and carbon dioxide. In 2019, global warming emissions from HFCs were estimated to be 175 million tons of CO2eq. It is one of the hidden costs of AC and its impact on climate. This is why it was so essential to build new buildings, where these need to use contemporary design principles to warm, cool, and lighten rooms with minimal energy consumption. AC consumes enormous amounts of electricity. Air-conditioning accounts for nearly a fifth of annual residential electricity use in the US alone.
AC is a "rich men" problem and only works for those who can afford it. Like bottled water, plastic bottles or even paper cups came to reduce plastic consumption but are not environmentally friendly as we thought. Their recycling is not easy to do. Paper cups are designed for one use and coated with plastic (polyethylene), so they are difficult to recycle as you cannot separate the plastic coating or barrier from the base paper. As citizens of the World, it is time, and I dare to say responsibility as the dominant species, for us to rethink our approach to our daily lives. We must start changing it if we want a planet for future generations. Remember, at the moment in the XXI century, there is only One Earth in the entire universe as we know it. As I reflected on some of the questions that came to mind ‒ are we willing to buy reused and recycled clothes? And what about furniture? IKEA just launched a buyback and resold programme where you can buy someone else old stuff second-hand from an IKEA shop. A step in the right direction. And what are you doing about your e-waste (electronic waste)? The current mindset of buying, using and throwing it away and our greed to have the latest cell phone, tablet, and laptop models is driving the increase of e-waste, as much as 50 million tonnes every year, with only 20% recycled in 2016.
Simple Actions We All Can Do
So while we demand governments and industries to half their emissions by 2030 so that we can limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C by 2050 to ensure the survival of our planet and biodiversity, we forget to think of what we need to ensure we play our part. You might ask, what are you doing to take part in the burden? I am not perfect, I do not pretend to be, and I do not want to be a saint still in our household:
We do not drink bottled water. Even when travelling, we drink from the tap.
We use glass cups and glasses
We reuse food like greens and yogurts passed the validity date (we taste them, they taste good, we eat them, they do not, we throw them away)
We limit our water consumption to 150-250 litres per day per person.
We do not have AC. To cool off, we open the windows so that a draft is created.
We have changed the windows to energy-efficient ones.
We have installed shades to create shadows to help avoid the sun from warming the house.
These are simple actions we all can do, right?
Do You Want To Be Part Of The Change, Be The Change, or Watch The Change?
Okay, you might be wondering …
Cas, what is the impact of what you and your family are doing compared to industrial emissions?
You are probably right.
It is not much of a contribution when, according to Our World in Data and World Resources Institute (WRI), energy use contributes to 73.2% of global GHG emissions, followed by Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use (18.4%), and Industry Processes (5.2%). Well, up to you to think if you want to be part of the change, be the change or watch the transformation.
Going back to the way I started this piece.
Some research suggests our continuous exposure to AC can prevent our bodies from acclimatizing to hot weather, what researchers call "thermal monotony," making us vulnerable to heat-related and respiratory illnesses. Interesting hey?
Climate change is the responsibility of all, not of industries and not of governments. We are all accountable. If we make minor changes to impact the fight against climate change positively, we will all contribute to a better, more biodiverse world and leave a legacy for our children.
It's past time for us to become accustomed to discomfort. It might be the difference between life and death on Earth.
Casimiro da Silva Santos, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Casimiro da Silva Santos, better known as Cas, uses pronouns he/his. He is a dad, a business and climate action leader, a coach, and a speaker. His mission is to create a perspective of abundance, alleviating scarcity so that we can live a brighter future. After a transformational coaching experience with Simon Sinek Inc., Cas decided to create Bring the Best®, a coaching and consulting firm for personal development and business growth. Through individual, career, and executive coaching, Bring the Best transforms lives so that each person can live the life they want and dream about. His coaching style is authentic and empathetic, with a special focus on the LGBTQIA+ community.
