Welcome to tickzero.
Thanks for joining us. This website is for like-minded people who are interested in taking positive climate action. You don’t need technical or specialist knowledge to watch our films, engage with our resources or take action.
What is climate change?
We should start by saying that the study of the causes and effects of climate change falls under the discipline of ‘Climate Science’. This is not our area of research so we will post some recommended reading below. Our area of research is climate mitigation – that is broadly ‘how to stop it’ rather than ‘what is it’, ‘what effect does it have’ and ‘why should we stop it’.
Broadly, climate change is our planet getting warmer. This is linked to the greenhouse effect which means that the planet’s atmosphere traps the sun like a greenhouse. A certain level of greenhouse is needed so we can have a planet which is warm enough to sustain life. But too much, and the planet’s temperature starts to go higher.
There are many possible effects of this, some of which we are already seeing.: ice caps melting and raising sea levels, changing weather systems.
The evidence all points to greenhouse gases being responsible. These are gases like Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which are released when we burn fossil fuels. We refer to these as ’emissions’.
‘Emissions’ are not to be confused with ‘energy’ or ‘electricity’. ‘Emissions’ specifically refers to the greenhouse gases. Electricity is how you power things in your home. Electricity can be from a renewable source (solar, wind) which means it doesn’t produce emissions when generated, or it can come from burning fossil fuels such as in a coal power station – which does have carbon emissions.
Here are a few additional resources.
What is climate mitigation?
Climate mitigation is our area of expertise. This means looking at the causes of climate change and then researching the best steps to prevent it.
Can my actions really make a difference? What about big industries? And other countries?
This is something we get asked a lot. “I’m only one person – what difference can I make?’ What’s the point in taking action myself when the UK government, big industries and other countries aren’t doing their bit?’
Climate mitigation depends on this co-operation. The public, the government and businesses must work together.
The truth is your actions matter and we need every single one of those groups mentioned to act jointly. For example, public concern about climate change has increased dramatically in recent years. The public are far too well-informed to be fooled by political trickery and creative reporting. This in turn has led to a rise in support of greener policies – and as a result, has actually changed policy and legislation. This is the power you have. As a consumer, your choices directly impact the produces of carbon intensive industries. More electric cars are becoming available as more people become concerned about their fuel footprint, and shops have seen a dramatic increase in vegetarian and vegan customers so have adjusted their products to supply that demand.
The truth is that the UK is legally required to reach net zero by 2050. To see our roadmap to reach that goal, don’t forget to check out Absolute Zero.
As for the moral requirement of individuals? That’s for you to decide.
What does ‘net zero’ mean?
‘Net zero’ means that the total amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere is zero. This could mean that we are actually releasing no carbon dioxide. Or it could mean that we are releasing the same amount as before, but also doing something which takes that carbon out again. An example of this might be planting trees because their physical process of creating energy to grow takes carbon dioxide from the air and releases oxygen.
These technologies is not a realistic option for reducing carbon emissions because they cannot be scaled in time. We discuss this more in our film series. The number of trees we would have to plant to offset a single flight would make this impossible. Therefore, while trees are wonderful and we need them, we simply must dramatically reduce the amount of energy we use, and ensure that the energy we do use is electricity which comes from renewable sources like wind and solar, instead of burning fossil fuels.
What can I do?
Have a look at our page on Key Actions for Individuals
I am a teacher. How should climate change be covered in the curriculum?
We are developing resources to help with this. To find out more, please get in touch.
I’ve got more questions.
Please do get in touch!