The 'Attenborough Effect' is in full swing.
According to new analysis published by climate analysts Carbon Brief, those born in 2019 will have to drastically decrease their carbon footprints in order to help counter the disastrous effects of climate change.
As reported by The Guardian, those born in 2017 will have a 90% lower carbon budget than baby boomers born in 1950.
This involves cutting global emissions from energy, transport and food farming and consumption if the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to below the ideal increase of 1.5°C.
While those born in 1950 had a lifetime CO2 allowance of 794 tonnes, people born in 2017 can, on average, only emit an eighth of that number if the planet’s temperature is to rise by only 1.5°C, the minimum needed to prevent climate apocalypse.
It’s a prime example of why the school protests regarding governmental and commercial inaction surrounding climate change are so important. To help figure out your own carbon budget, Carbon Brief has created an interactive graph which you can use here.
On the other hand, single-use plastic use has dropped by 53% in some 12 months due to a phenomenon that scientists are calling the 'Attenborough effect'.
The report claims that awareness-raising initiatives over the last 12 months, including ‘David Attenborough’s acclaimed TV series Blue Planet II and Our Planet, released on Netflix on 5 April, are having a positive impact in changing people’s behaviour.
According to the study of 3,833 consumers by GlobalWebIndex into sustainable packaging in the UK and US, 42% of consumers say products that use sustainable materials are important when it comes to their day-to-day purchases.
To read the full report and see Carbon Brief’s methodology, visit their website here.
Main image by @luciacuesta
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