Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the Climate Emergency
I’ve spent most of my time in business and philanthropy over the last seven years focused on the climate emergency.
Public perception on climate has shifted significantly over those years. The good news is that the vast majority of people recognize we are facing a serious problem. The bad news is that the problem is far worse than people realize — and is accelerating.
This year carbon dioxide levels hit a 3 million year high, heating our planet and causing dramatic damage to the ecosystems that sustain all life.
As people’s concern about climate change increases, often they start to look at their transportation — the car they drive, how often they fly and whether there are ways to reduce the impact of their mobility.
But as Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, those thinking about their own impact on our climate would also be wise to look at what they buy, and how it is delivered to them.
Hyper-consumption produces massive volumes of waste — the World Bank estimates that waste generation will increase to 3.4 billion metric tons by 2050. The reality is that there is no such thing as “throwing it away.” Anything that goes in the garbage can is simply moved somewhere else. In developed countries this is often a landfill where the garbage rots and emits methane, a greenhouse gas dramatically more powerful than carbon dioxide. In poorer countries waste often ends up in rivers which is one reason it is projected that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish.
But when thinking about holiday shopping you shouldn’t only be thinking about everything that ends up in the landfill. You should be thinking about how that stuff got to you in the first place.
The shipping industry, which carries around 80% of global trade accounts for 3% of global carbon emissions. Transportation is responsible for 24% of direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion and emissions from aviation and shipping are increasing at a faster rate than any other transport mode.
That’s a lot of bad news. But the good news is that solutions exist.
At WasteFuel we are using proven, scalable technologies to convert municipal waste and agricultural waste into low-carbon fuels, renewable natural gas and green methanol to power mobility — including international shipping.
Consumers want low-carbon, sustainable solutions — and they are willing to pay a little more for them. In a recent survey, 84% of consumers thought the shipping industry should do more to reduce the environmental impact of global shipping goods. 70% of consumers would continue to shop at brands even if using clean ships raised the prices of that brand’s goods. 74% of consumers would be more likely to shop at companies that use cleaner ways to ship their goods.
Only one company has taken a principled and ethical stand on the issue. Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company, has shown incredible leadership towards a transition to net zero — committing to net-zero emissions by 2050. More than half of their largest customers have set or are in the process of setting zero carbon targets to scale the use of zero carbon solutions for ocean transport. This is exactly the leadership we need.
The cost of zero-emission shipping for a consumer will be nominal — Maersk estimates that decarbonizing shipping will likely add only 6 cents to a pair of $100 running shoes. That’s a small price to pay, but many companies are still resistant to it — and most of Maersk’s competitor’s haven’t even committed to do anything at all.
We need you, as a consumer, to act. What should you do?
- Learn. Be a conscious consumer. With the giving season upon us, be mindful of your purchases and how the products you buy arrive at your door. One great resource is a new coalition called ShipItZero.
- Tell companies on social media you want your purchases shipped via low-carbon transport like WasteFuel. Its surprising how much impact your tweets can have.
- Join the WasteFuel community, follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date about our projects and the ways you can act for a better future.
We have no time to waste.
