The UK Climate Change Scene

First published in Print Edition Issue 22, Radar Magazine

Do you remember in 2019 when the phrase "climate change" was used in every second sentence?

Image: Bill Oxford

With a plethora of protests and Netflix documentaries, it was a hot topic. Yet, it seemed to

be somewhat less discussed in 2020. With the news, instead, channeling the recession,

Covid-19 and the NHS.

Faced with a worldwide pandemic, the importance of the present overtook the future. We no longer seemed to be focused on trying to save the generations to come but the generations that still remained. Our 2019 hero, Greta Thunberg, was replaced by the great Covid-19 conqueror, Captain Tom Moore.

Though our focus has shifted from caring about the future of our children to the present lives of our elderly, 2020 still saw some major developments in helping combat climate change.

In England it is now illegal for businesses to sell or supply plastic straws, stirrers and

cotton buds. These disposable plastics, although small, make up a huge proportion of the

plastic pollution. With the English population usually throwing away billions of these items every year, including an annual disposal of over 4.7 billion plastic straws, this is a massive

achievement towards combating climate change. Yet, as of writing, Scotland still

has not put a similar ban in place.

Another huge development towards creating a greener Britain is the announcement that from 2030 the creation of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned. Instead, all new vehicles (with some exemptions) will be completely electric.

It is therefore clear that whilst Covid-19 has been moved to the top of the agenda,

climate change hasn’t yet been discarded. The government still recognises that we

need to act now to save our future.

We need to use 2021 as a year to become more eco-friendly. We all need to do our

part to stop climate change. Whether it’s recycling food packaging, donating clothes, reusing items you’ve already bought or simply buying second-hand items, there are many ways to help save our world.

For any RGU student interested in finding out how they can become more eco friendly, please make sure to take a look at the RGU Go Green social media pages. With a range of resources and online events, this is a great facility to make use of.