- Screen Colours:
- Normal
- Black & Yellow
Suppose you were to cut your carbon emissions from the eight tonnes the Government’s Committee on Climate Change said the average household generated in 2014 immmediately to the 4.5 tonnes a year the Committee said would have to be the average by 2030. Would you then be able to check responding to climate change off your 'to do' list? Job done!
Well, not entirely. Each and every one of us will have been contributing to the emissions that have alreadyt pushed average world temperatures close to what the UN says is the limit. To put it another way, we all have a great deal of tidying up to do. Yes - scientists are trying to come up with machines that can suck past emissions out of the air and store them somewhere, but their achievements to date have been miniscule compared to the challenge the world faces. While we cross our fingers and hope they achieve much, much more, the best we can all do is invest in the environment.
Support Martlesham Wilds
On the banks of the River Deben, Suffolk Wildlife Trust is working to create a uniquely special place for nature, called Martlesham Wilds.
The Trust hopes to turn a patchwork of hedge-lined fields by the River Deben that was, for many years, an organic farm into an intricate mosaic of natural habitats, maintained by grazing.
The emergence of this new pastoral landscape will be thrilling to watch.
As thickets of hawthorn, blackthorn, gorse and wild rose establish on the dry sandy soils, they will support growing flocks of linnets and yellowhammers. Dartford warblers will move in and in time we hope turtle dove and nightingale will return. Small mammals will thrive in the dense undergrowth and insects will abound.
Grass snakes, slow worms and common lizards will expand into the new areas of habitat and barn owls will come a regular sight at dusk.
And as trees and other plants grow, they'll help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and, over time, lock it into the soil.
This ‘wilded’ land will become part of a connected landscape of ancient woodland, scrub, grassland and saltings, linked by the River Deben.
Plant and nurture trees
Depending on the species, a healthy mature tree captures between 10kg and 40kg of carbon dioxide and turns it into wood. Softwood species such as birch and firs capture less; hardwood species like oak and beech capture more. On average, that means a tree will absorb about a tonne of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
That sounds good - and it is - but remember: the Government’s Committee on Climate Change says the average household’s carbon footprint was about eight tonnes a year in 2014 and, to get to grips with climate change, this needs to come down to 4.5 tonnes a year by 2030. On that basis, the average household has been generating 3.5 tonnes more CO2 than is desirable every year. There's a lot of excess CO2 in the atmosphere, and its going to take a lot of new trees to get rid of it.
We're lucky in Martlesham to have several large and mature woods, including:
- tthe birch woods at Martlesham Heath, south of the main green an north of the western corridor
- the portal woods between the police headquarters and the A1214
- Walk Farm woods, to the east of Martlesham Community Hall
all of which we need to protect and keep in good condition. But we need more, both locally and elsewhere around Britain.
So:
- Look after any trees you already have in your garden. Most will have matured since they were planted, so they'll be good at capturing CO2
- Plant new trees in your garden if you can but remember - they need to be there for the long term
- Help responsible landowners such as the National Trust and the Woodland Trust plant trees around the UK. Look for organisations that will both plant trees and look after them as they grow.
To probe further…
- Water efficiency [advice sheet – PDF]
- Your waste, your planet: a rethink [blog – PDF]
- Suffolk Wildlife Trust – Martlesham Wilds [website]