It's time to show we really care about the planet | Opinion

Many’s the time, while popping to the shop on my way home from the office, I realised I’ve forgotten my carrier bag.
Young protesters standing on a lamp post, right of the statue of the Duke of Wellington, in front of The Royal Exchange, London, during an Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate change protest. PA Photo. Picture date: Monday October 14, 2019. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Protests. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA WireYoung protesters standing on a lamp post, right of the statue of the Duke of Wellington, in front of The Royal Exchange, London, during an Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate change protest. PA Photo. Picture date: Monday October 14, 2019. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Protests. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Young protesters standing on a lamp post, right of the statue of the Duke of Wellington, in front of The Royal Exchange, London, during an Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate change protest. PA Photo. Picture date: Monday October 14, 2019. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Protests. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

And I end up shelling out 10p because my reduced-shelf bounty of pork pie, falafel and Greek yoghurt will not usually fit into my pockets. 

I am filled with self-loathing that I have added yet another plastic carrier to the pile marked landfill.

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But buying a hessian shopping bag is not the answer to the environmental crisis we face.

Big decisions and choices are coming our way whether we like it or not.

Only this week, BBC’s Panorama questioned whether we would happily eat burgers made of mealworms if it meant we were doing more to prevent global warming.

A lover of red meat, I am slowly getting the message that my consumption of all things bovine really isn’t sustainable in the long term when you consider the effect meat production has on the environment.

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While I think I would be reluctant to ever completely give up my Sunday Roast and my rump steak, I am buying less of these staples than I used to.

What about holidays?

Like the rest of the adult population, I am currently wasting much of October dreaming about sunnier climes and where I would like to take my smug poolside selfies next year.

I live in an area where the local airport and the aviation industry is really big business, but how long will it be before bragging about one’s travels becomes a taboo?

I would suggest it won’t be that long, unless 21st Century technology goes all Star Trek and we can be beamed up to Disneyland and Marbella.

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At the moment, those who loudly espouse such concerns about the future are described by the general population as green types or environmentalists, but the reality is we should all be taking a long hard look at the lives we lead.

While I have no intention of padlocking myself to a Westminster railing next to a poet called Linus, it is up to me – it is up to all of us – to show how much I care about our planet’s future.

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