Focus on climate crisis
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Reporting on climate change is one of the major journalistic challenges of our time. The climate crisis is also one of the most important issues of humanity for SPIEGEL. For this reason, we support an international initiative that seeks to take a look this week: "Covering Climate Now" has been initiated by the Columbia Journalism Review and the Canadian newspaper "The Nation", with more than 200 media companies worldwide including the Guardian, El País, La Repubblica, The Times of India, Bloomberg or Vanity Fair. SPIEGEL is dedicating the cover story of the current issue to the climate crisis this week and every day pays special attention to mirror.de
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At present, the climate debate determines the political agenda - and thus has a direct or indirect impact on you. This is shown by the results of the climate summit (read an analysis here).
Regardless of what was decided in Berlin: You can also put together your personal climate package and save not only on the CO2, but also partly financially. What about your carbon footprint? The Federal Environment Agency helps to answer with a personal computer:
If you do not own a business and do not keep cows, then your carbon footprint is probably shaped by the energy demand in the home, by the car and its fuel thirst, by your service and private travel.
In all four areas, you can easily become more climate-friendly. It is also sensible to see how you can avoid future additional costs so that you will not be financially punished for doing nothing today. Of course, we all want to continue to live beautifully. In detail:
live
About 17 million households are owned, and the rest - and more - lives for rent.
Even as a tenant , you can of course save electricity and often without loss of comfort in your consumption screw.
- You can change the electricity supplier and go to a real green electricity. So their CO2 consumption in the area goes to zero. And if you are still in the primary care, a hundred savings is in addition.
- Maybe you can also change the gas provider, here's also the eco gas hundreds of euros to save.
- You can put solar modules on the balcony. Legislators have for some time been explicitly promoting solar systems for tenants, but so far the opportunity is still little used.
Many tenants have already today a lower consumption: They live on less square meters and altogether more modestly, also because the money is missing. The figures of the Federal Environmental Agency are clear: Less income today means on average a more climate-friendly lifestyle.
If you live in a two-person apartment with 110 square meters, heating and heat use an average of about one-third more energy than other 70 square meters. And those who live in a threesome of 120 square meters need much less than the 60 square meter single.
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As an owner , you have the opportunity to adapt your heating: new heat pump, condensing boiler and a better setting of the heating are the keywords. There is also free advice and state support.
All this is cheaper than the next step - to take care of the thermal insulation. When it comes to new buildings, even a passive house is in there, so in the balance sheet without CO2 emissions.
Overall, your climate footprint is likely to be larger at the start, but you can do more - and save more.
Driving with the private car
In the car, the dispute raging around the big city SUVs and their fuel consumption. The question is important, but there are other questions as well. Friends with a business degree have learned before the exam that a new car is usually too expensive for the home.
If you own a car and drive it long without buying a new one, you will reduce your climate footprint tremendously. A quarter of the climate problem car already arises during production: with seven tonnes of CO2, an average car weighs on the carbon footprint. A two-tonne SUV, whether Daimler or Tesla, weighs much more.
In addition to the fuel consumption, the classic savings list for the car also includes tire pressure, maintenance and driving style. One thing the car companies have made difficult for us: the view on consumption before buying. Here, the lies - no, "practice deviations" from the officially shown consumption - in recent years, ever larger.
But if a new car is due, check whether one with electric or hybrid drive comes into question. Despite all prophecies of doom, these vehicles are more climate friendly over their lifetime than burners. And depending on where you live, you may not need a car at all: alternatives include car-sharing (available in many cities), public transport, or cycling. This is often possible and also urgently desired, as people's petitions in many larger cities and regular inspections for the Federal Ministry of Transport show.
Driving with the company car
Many people are often traveling on business. I meet them almost daily in the train, at the airport or at the next intersection. The energy consumption for this is not officially attributed to private consumption.
But again, it helps to check vehicles, routes and times. Sometimes you can save even more CO2 here than at home. Tax advantages for company cars subsidize the car compared to other means of transport. Since the policy has ran. Two-thirds of all new cars are purchased in Germany as a company car. Even today, bosses can sponsor a service bike or e-bike and take subsidies with them.
Bad experiences with the punctuality of trains and buses prevent some people from switching. However, some productive discussions for the boss and employees are still not kept even in times of home office and office sharing programs: working on the train always works better than on a plane or in a company car. And the job ticket from the boss can even be a tax-free extra for you. A Bahncard , donated by the boss, also saves on recreational and weekend paths. Also this Bahncard can spend the boss tax-free, if the company saving by the card with the service journeys exceed the costs for the Bahncard or at least it was to be assumed with the purchase of the Bahncard.
vacation
The journey into the holidays makes up a good part of the climate footprint in many families: by plane, by car and more rarely by train. A lot could be saved, and flying accounts for five percent of the CO2 emissions of private households in Germany.
At the same time, most of us want to build this common Europe and travel. But maybe it's more with the train. After all: 30,000 young Europeans should get a free Interrailticket.
I recently spoke to a doctor from Duisburg, who works in Leeds, northern England, and had completed his missions to Amsterdam and Poland by train - with an inter-city ticket (he was not 25). Certainly unusual, but in the concrete case, as he told me, not even more expensive than flying. Further savings can be found here.
More about the climate crisis
And flying is not just about CO2 emissions. The direct impact of CO2 does not even account for half of the climate impact of aviation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that the indirect effects of water vapor and other emissions also cause one and a half to twice as many climate damage as the carbon dioxide itself. So flying has two to three times the impact on the climate, as the pure fuel consumption suggests ,
Suggestion for goodness: When flying helps especially less. And take advantage of the compensation options offered by agencies such as Atmosfair for passengers. That also makes a part of the federal government and its ministries. And from the compensation for the next flight delay, you can buy yourself and then the family a Bahncard 50. Until 14, the train is free, up to 18 years, the Bahncard 25 costs only 10 euros, to 26 even the Bahncard 50 only 69 euros, then 255 euros, and from 60 years again half, so 127 euros. That alters the planning basics before the next vacation trip. Half the price is valid throughout Europe.
eat
After all, I do not want to write about food here, even though just under 20 percent of our private climate footprint has something to do with it. Less meat and dairy products would be helpful. Milk and meat as a farmer's son are my personal vice. Good Appetite.