Greenhouse Gases

It’s a tiny wingless midge, no bigger than the size of a pea, which has, over the course of the past 40 million years, perfected its survival strategy in one of the most hostile environments on the planet.

But news that the Belgica Antarctica – the southernmost continent’s only native insect – is being driven to extinction is just the latest in a litany of news headlines ominously depicting the apparent effects of global warming.

Just this last month, in a bid to meet the country’s Net Zero pledge, the UK government’s independent advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), called on people to play their part by, amongst other things, taking fewer trips by air, making homes more energy efficient, holding more business meetings via video conference, and reducing meat consumption.

But will cutting out a burger and going meat-free once a week really make much of a difference? Well, given that cows and other farm animals account for around 14% of human-induced climate emissions – that is, the methane produced by ruminants during the digestive process – the evidence suggests that the rationale behind this particular recommendation is sound.

Methane is one of the so-called ‘greenhouse gases’. With carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrous oxides, water vapour and chlorofluorocarbons, together these are the most prevalent heat-trapping gases that contribute to the phenomenon known as the ‘greenhouse effect’.

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that occurs when gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap the sun’s heat, helping to make the planet a comfortable place to live – in much the same way as a greenhouse in your garden is designed to hold on to heat energy and provide an ideal environment for plants to flourish.

Without the greenhouse effect the Earth would simply be too cold for life to exist. However, there is truth in the words, ‘too much of a good thing…’

The gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect are not only natural in origin; the gases are also ‘anthropogenic’, that is of human origin ie. caused by human action or inaction. These gases created by human activity – such as the methane produced as a by-product of our insatiable demand for meat – are modifying the planet’s normal thermal balance, trapping more heat in the atmosphere, raising the temperature, and causing climate change.

The burning of fossil fuels is one of the main anthropogenic hazards adversely affecting the natural world – damaging eco-systems, threatening biomes and putting other organisms at risk.

Organisms such as that tiny little midge in Antarctica.

Mitigating the threats, reducing the damage and creating a sustainable planet is what lies behind the Net Zero policies that the Climate Change Committee is advising the UK government to adopt and implement. But clearly this is so much bigger than the UK. And the prevailing concern is that change isn’t happening quickly enough…

Back in November 2021, the UK hosted the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. At COP26, a new agreement was reached that aimed to reduce the worst impacts of climate change and, although not legally binding, to set the global agenda on climate change for the next decade.

Within the flurry of announcements made at COP26, a few were notable. For instance, it was agreed that countries would meet in 2022 to make further cuts to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to try to keep temperature rises within 1.5C – which scientists say is required to prevent a ‘climate catastrophe’ because current pledges, if met, will only limit global warming to about 2.4C.

Also, for the first time at a COP conference, there was an explicit plan to reduce the use of coal which is responsible for 40% of annual CO2 emissions. In addition, more than 100 of the countries represented at the summit agreed to a scheme designed to cut 30% of methane emissions by 2030. And leaders from more than 100 countries – representing about 85% of the world’s forests – also promised to stop deforestation by 2030, a measure seen as vital since trees absorb vast amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere.

These are, by any measure, ambitious targets – and the onus to meet these challenges rests not only on the shoulders of government. As the latest progress report from the Climate Change Committee clearly demonstrates, it’s a shared responsibility that is contingent upon us all, as individuals, business owners and communities. And it’s only achievable through genuine engagement.

We may read the post-COP26 news headlines with interest. We may agree with the underlying principles of the pledges made. And we may recognise the value in implementing them.

But when it comes to observing new routines in our homes which may require a little more forward planning… or putting into practice new measures in the workplace that may cost our business time and money… in those circumstances, are we quite as sure footed in our ability and commitment to ‘walk the walk’?

That’s why it’s important to make ‘doing your bit’ as cost-effective, expedient, and appropriate as possible. Easy, in fact. And that’s where Eaasi Carbon comes in.

Eaasi Carbon provides its customers with ethical energy switching options, expert advice on carbon footprint reporting and a smart way to save on business energy bills. It also delivers environmental and social impact solutions to help businesses become truly sustainable in embracing their impact on climate change for the better; creating a considered Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy that references the importance of carbon reporting and the benefits of carbon off-setting.

Eaasi Carbon creates a structured framework that takes the guesswork out of carbon offsetting – offering their clients a 3-step solution, aimed at mitigating the impact that your business, your employees, and your products have on the environment.

Your Business

Eaasi Carbon will help your business switch to ethical green energy suppliers that we’ve vetted to ensure contract continuity, sustainability and value for money. Whilst other energy brokers and suppliers have no obligation to declare how much they add to your contract in undisclosed commissions – which could amount to thousands of pounds – Eaasi Carbon charges a flat annual fee of £120 for access to our online business energy switching calculator. So you can be assured that there are no hard sale tactics and no hidden commissions.

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll have access to our intuitive and cost-effective customer portal. We collect all your energy supply invoices and upload them to our platform, so that we can check your contract rates against your supplier invoices and your consumption usage.  You can also add carbon emissions reporting for just £60 per annum/per site, simplifying the task of collecting your business’ carbon emissions data.

We measure the impact of your business’ carbon footprint using the same framework that the UK government employs, the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting framework. The SECR platform is the UK’s recognised evaluation benchmark – so in applying these same protocols, you can be assured that Eaasi Carbon is giving you an accurate assessment of both your current and historical carbon emissions.

And then having established the impact of your annual carbon emissions, Eaasi Carbon offers an ethical carbon off-setting solution that – with one click – helps your business to become demonstrably carbon neutral in a credible and visible way.

Eaasi Carbon works in partnership with Play It Green, a UK-based organisation whose mission is to mitigate the effects of carbon emissions by planting trees around the globe – thereby removing CO2 from the atmosphere, providing employment, and replenishing lost eco-systems.

Your Employees

Eaasi Carbon can also help offset your employees average annual carbon footprint. For only £5 per employee per month, we can help to educate your workforce with weekly tips, rewards and product promotion incentives.

We also commit to donating 10% of your monthly subscription to a good cause which you get to select from a nominated list after your purchase.

Your Products

Eaasi Carbon will ensure that the environmental impact associated with the manufacture and delivery of your products, services and events are rendered climate positive through our partnership with Play It Green.

By planting trees in Third World areas of mass deforestation, Play It Green’s ‘employ to plant’ philosophy means local people living in impoverished communities can begin to afford the daily necessities of food, shelter, clothing and medicine. So that means your purchase doesn’t just make sense for the environment; it also delivers social and economic benefits to those who need it most. And again, 10% of all carbon offsetting revenues are reinvested into good causes.

Play It Green’s mission is to empower individuals and organisations, firms, and their employees, to play their part in safeguarding the planet against climate change. This personal call to action aligns wholly with the Climate Change Committee whose advisers are urging us all to do our bit. A kind of butterfly effect… the theory being that small, seemingly inconsequential actions may ultimately over time result in something with much larger, more significant consequences. Like saving the planet…

And with temperatures steadily rising, and the only insect to call Antarctica home at risk of becoming one more victim of our rapidly changing climate, it’s a call to action that we can’t responsibly ignore.