Action on Climate in Teignbridge

1- I’m already doing my bit, it’s others that need to step up, why should I change?

This is a fair point of view, as are the many reasons for not changing our behaviour. This applies to all our actions, not just about the climate or environment. Here is a good list of the A-Z reasons for not acting on climate change. This also has some useful references to academic papers on the topic and how to overcome these widespread justifications.

There is no single answer that would persuade many of us we can do more, because we are all different. Providing a better understanding of how each of our actions contributes to climate change works for a few. This is one approach ACT offers, but we also try to work with those who need a different approach to help them change their behaviour.

Some things, however, are widely accepted so they can form a basis for helping those who want to do their bit, here are some:

• If everyone thought like me, nothing would change.
• The risk of not acting is significant, in fact existential, at least for many species including humans.
• Without measuring my contribution to climate change, I don’t know how significant it is or how to manage it.
• When I know my best efforts are effective, I’ll feel better and I’ll be in a better position to talk to others about it.

2- My actions will be a drop in the ocean, in any case it’s too late to avoid the worst, so why bother?

The first part is very true, as the UK contributes about 1.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions each year. However, we can and do have influence on others. If enough of us act,a critical mass is established which will tip the balance in favour of better behaviour. There are plenty of examples, wearing cycle helmets, not littering, reducing plasic waste in the environment and many other initiatives. Today, most companies now advertise their ‘green’ credentials because they want to keep our custom.

It is also true that we will probably miss the first tipping point of a 1.5°C temperature rise. This will have dire consequences, but nothing like the current projections of 3.6°C. Every 0.1°C matters, so effective and rapid action to reduce GHG emissions remains a top priority.

3- How can I reduce my carbon emissions & environmental impact?

The vast majority of people are concerned about climate change and our natural environment. We know it is human activity that is threatening the natural balance. What most of us struggle with is how to reduce our impact on these existential threats.

Environmental impact

The top three things that negatively impact our natural environment are:

• Poisoning> that is not just pesticides and herbicides but also includes pollutants released into the soil, water and air. This includes the scourge of not properly disposing of plastics.
• Habitat loss> all species are adapted to their particular environment on which they depend for resources to flourish. We are destroying these habitats at an ever increasing rate, whether it is cutting down rainforest or concreting a driveway.
• Climate Change> the speed of temperature change is now so great that most species struggle to survive in our delicately balanced pyramid of life.

Go to our Wildlife Wardens page or contact them for what personal steps you can take to reduce your impact and that of others.

Climate Change impact

The only direct cause of climate change is human emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO₂) and the primary source of CO₂ is burning fossil fuels. We have been emitting GHGs at a higher rate than our natural environment can remove them.

While there are technological solutions to help reduce GHGs, it is now too late for these to prevent a first catastrophic tipping point (the 1.5°C of warming). Only a significant change in our behaviour coupled with technological solutions can achieve the necessary balance in GHG emissions by 2030.

We all know what we need to change, there are plenty of lists of dos and don’ts to follow. But do we know if these actions reduce enough of our GHG emissions in the remaining time? Some actions we take in good faith may even increase our GHG emissions.

Go to our Carbon Cutters page or contact them about what effective personal actions you can take. Ideally you should start by having some understanding of your GHG emissions, how much they are and where they come from, your Carbon Footprint.

4- How can I work out my carbon footprint?

There are many carbon footprint calculators free to use on the internet. One of the most widely publicised is the WWF Footprint Calculator. This and all other free to use calculators, apart from two we are aware of, do not calculate our full consumption emissions, either emissions outside the UK (add ~ 50%) or emissions from non-CO₂ gases (add ~20%) are left out, often both are ignored.

These calculators are often based on households and are quick to use, You only need to know basic information like how many people live in a property, how many bedrooms there are and what type of car you drive. The results will, inevitably be general as they are based on averages of households like yours. For the same reason, suggested actions can only be general, the usual list of dos and don’ts.

The data they use is not always verifiable and often out of date.

The two exceptions are the Impact tool and ACT’s Carbon Footprint Tracker, these use full consumption based emissions. The CFT is free to use, applicable to households and businesses. It uses the latest official emissions data which is updated annually. It can initially be used with basic information and later updated as you gather more information about your activities. Most importantly it:

• provides results and proposed actions that are specific to you and your circumstances.
• uses total consumption emissions, wherever they are generated.
• includes personalised annual emission targets to keep you within a specified temperature rise, 1.5°C by default.

5- What organisations or individuals are active in my area?

ACT has nearly 500 subscribers, many are active Wildlife Wardens or Carbon Cutters, others belong to local organisations active in tackling our ecological and climate threats. We’re happy to help you meet up with them, contact us and let us know what subject and geographic area you are interested in.

The following list of organisations was up to date in September 2025, and there are still more in the region that will be added in time.

• Devon Climate Emergency Response Group
• Devon Towns and Parishes for Climate Action
• Ashburton Climate Emergency (ACE)
• Sustainable Dawlish
• Plastic Free Ashburton
• Moretonhampstead Action Group for Sustainability(MAGS)
• Moreton Action on Plastic
• Dawlish Against Plastic
• Plastic Free Bovey
• Teign Climate Hub
• Teign Estuary Transition
• Transition Newton Abbot
• Teign Greens
• Climate Action: Bovey & Heathfield
• Sustainable Bishop
• Sustainable Dawlish
• Community Action Groups – Devon-wide and active in Teignbridge

6- I’d like to do something in my area, can ACT help me set something up?

Yes, we can help in several ways. It very much depends on what your project is and what help you need. Here are some steps you can take and how ACT can help with these.

• Find out if someone in your area is already active on a similar project, see FAQ #5.
• Check if one of our working groups is already covering the topic, select the group here.
• Search our resources to see if there are ideas/materials you could use.
• Get in touch for a chat with the right person.

7- Is lobbying local/national government worthwhile?

In short, yes but it depends!

If enough constituents lobby on a specific point, most politicians will feel obliged to respond. The response, and actions they promise to take, depend on the politician’s understanding and position on the point being made. This can be pre-determined by the political party they belong to, in some cases even if this does not align with the politician’s own beliefs.

ACT has a good working relationship with the current planning authority, our remit is to support them in meeting their declared policies on climate and ecological emergencies. ACT also lobbies our two Teignbridge representatives in parliament. Unfortunately, Mel Stride MP is unwilling to engage with ACT representatives unless they are constituents of his. He is also one of the less responsive MPs, especially on matters relating to ACT’s mission. Our other MP, Martin Wrigley, is much more responsive/approachable and a long term supporter of ACT’s mission.

When lobbying try to:

• Stick to one point or request to act, any more will encourage the politician to cherry pick the easiest point.
• Be concise, only use relevant and evidence-based arguments.
• Ask for something that is within the politician’s remit, something they could achieve.
• Be polite and accept that others may have different views to yours.

8- Which electricity suppliers offer genuinely green tariffs?

Almost all companies have recognised that being ‘green’ is a good selling point as a large majority of consumers are concerned about the wellbeing of our climate and ecology. The problem is not all are genuine in their efforts, with widespread greenwashing. This is recognised as one of the threats to effective action on these two existential challenges, climate and biodiversity collapse. So much so that even the trading standards have introduced rules to control this practice.

Energy suppliers, especially of electricity, continue to use a now well-known greenwashing technique of claiming 100% green electricity (i.e. low-carbon). Apart from two national suppliers, all the others source their green electricity by purchasing electronic certificates rather than direct green electricity. While still a legal practice, and a cheap one for the supplier, it does not directly encourage new low-carbon generation. You can read a summary of this and what the best options are for reducing your GHG emissions from electricity consumption, in our guide on greenwashing.

Of major concern is that quite a few electricity suppliers claim their overnight off-peak tariffs coincide with lower GHG emissions. This is the exact opposite for our area, resulting in many people increasing their emissions while believing they are doing the opposite. See these notes from the energy group meeting for an explanation of why this happens and how to access more representative data on the Carbon Intensity of the grid at a given time.

9- Should I install solar panels, buy an EV and replace my heating system with a heat pump?

The quick answer is maybe, but not always, so you need to check!

We hear this from many, including the government, as a response to tackle climate change (now widely referred to as Net Zero). With the focus on updating our technologies with more efficient ones, it is no wonder this is met with scepticism or a feeling of being left out when we cannot afford to upgrade.

The backlash from many, even climate activists, is to dismiss these on the basis that they perpetuate the problem of more mineral extraction and production emissions, so adding to the causes of environmental destruction.

No wonder we are confused by all these mixed messages. While the messages are generally correct, they fail to apply them to our individual circumstances, they are just averages which may or may not apply to you. They invariably also fail to give consumers enough information to make informed decisions.

The majority of consumers care about the impact of their purchases, but are often confused. It is ACT’s mission to provide easy to use tools and information to help us make more informed decisions. This starts with following the common sense energy hierarchy which are central to our specific guides on technologies like heat pumps, solar PV and electric vehicles. You can find these on the Energy or Transport pages. If you are unable to follow the advice or use the tools we provide, please contact us.

10- I’d like to challenge climate sceptics, what advice can you give?

Listen to their beliefs and arguments, try to understand why they hold these views. Avoid countering their perceived ‘facts’ with your ‘facts’. Instead see if you can guide them to explaining some of their beliefs, where these came from and how they line up with their common sense. Acknowledge views that are reasonable. Together, explore if there could be other reasons or explanations for a view they hold. Slowly build mutual trust, remain patient and genuinely open to their point of view.

Climate sceptics often bring up popular headlines to dismiss the need for significant action. Follow the same approach as above, but because they have used a specific reason it is easier to explore this with explanations like the ten climate myths from WWF.

Climate deniers, those that believe it’s all a hoax or conspiracy are a smaller but vocal minority. We’ve tried to engage with some of the local groups, but found them uninterested or unwilling. Unless it is someone you know reasonably well and have a strong reason to persuade, think carefully before you proceed.

11- Where can I find out more about recycling?

Recycling is an important aspect of sustainability, and all of us in ACT are passionate about it and work hard to do as much recycling as we can, advocating it at every opportunity.  It is not directly part of any of ACT’s core objectives and activities but we can currently direct you to various places that may help. Firstly, our Councils:

• Teignbridge Council: Reduce, reuse and recycle (including this A-Z list)
• Devon County Council: Waste and Recycling

There are many places dedicated to ‘up-cycling’, ‘down-cycling’ or repairing. Here are some examples, but it’s worth doing an internet search or just asking around for more information:

• Find a Repair Café in your town
• Search the Community Repair Network
• Find a Men’s Shed near you
• Newton Abbot ReFurnish

12- Is the removal of RCP8.5 good news?

It’s neither good nor bad, it’s simply no longer relevant!

The various IPCC scenarios were generated to inform everyone concerned about the likely temperature rises and climate impacts if certain actions were or were not taken. RCP8.5 was the most extreme if we continued/increased burning coal and emitted greenhouse gases (ghg) at the same rate.

Luckily the world took action since RCP8.5 was published in 2000, reducing our ghg emissions mainly through renewables and greater efficiencies in how we use energy. We also moved away from the most damaging fossil fuels like coal. Specifically China, inevitably the largest energy consumer (not per capita though), has been at the forefront of this cleaner energy transition.

As a result, the RCP8.5 scenario became unlikely, so the IPCC removed it. This is the same as Al Gore’s predictions in 2006 of what would happen if we continued with business as usual. These didn’t happen, because we have taken decisive actions since.

What is relevant is to look at the IPCC scenario describing the likely trajectory based on current declared national commitments. This scenario is known as CMIP7 with a predicted temperature rise of 2.5C-4C by 2100 (>66% likelihood). It is the scenario reputable organisations use to explain what may happen and when, including the makers of the People’s Emergency Briefing film.

Unfortunately this is the best possible outcome as many of the national commitments in CMIP7 are not being met. The national commitments themselves only include territorial emissions, nothing emitted in the sky or seas outside national territories is included. They also assume a 50% likelihood of avoiding disaster (the tipping point), rather than the the Paris Agreement’s >66% likelihood. As a reminder, the catastrophic tipping point, our target, is 1.5C, we are way way off that.

Solutions remain realistic, see the FAQ above “… it’s too late…”. Also see our guide Why is it an Emergency and this detailed explanation of IPCC scenario changes.

13- Should I consider rain/grey water harvesting?

This has become a topical question, one that used to only come up occasionally.

As always, the answer depends on your objectives. This can be for cost or environmental reasons, e.g. reducing ghg emissions and/or leaving as much of the natural water sources for nature, especially as there is an environmental drought declared for our region.

It may be that you do not have access to mains water and are dependant on well/spring water. If these have dried up, you’ll be desperate to look at alternative sources and reuse of grey water.

The next question is how much water do you use and need to harvest. Are you looking to supply all of your home, does this include a garden? You can work this out from the number of people, a water meter if you have one also the size of your garden and what’s growing in it. The best way, however, is to measure how many L (or m³) of which type of grey/rain water you need per year, ideally broken down daily/seasonally. Given that an average UK citizen uses ~150L/day in their home, you can see that spanning 3 months with no appreciable rain would require a tank ~13,000 L.

A 13 m³ tank is very large just for one person!

The first consideration is therefore to ensure you use as little ‘fresh’ water as possible, then reuse as much of it as possible. That reduces the size, cost and effort of any solution.

Below are a couple of helpful links to look at before contacting a consultant or installer. There may be simple DIY solutions that work for you. In any case, it’s always better to be as informed as possible when approaching a service provider, both to get an appropriate solution and to spot ‘oversell’.

One thing to note, the ghg emissions and environmental impact of mains water supply is very low. In the UK, for every 1,000 L it is ~ 0.15 kg CO2e to supply treated water and ~0.27 kg CO2e to treat the waste, this compares to ~25 kg CO2 to boil that amount of tap water.

A comprehensive home solution is unlikely to be as good when considering the full life cycle impacts. Grey/black water disposal is similarly better done at a municipal level, if you are connected to a sewage system. That’s despite the well-publicised concerns around untreated sewage discharge, at least from a ghg emissions point of view. If you have the space, money and can source low-emission electricity, you can consider a residential sewage treatment plant.

CAT- Reusing Rainwater and Grey water

UK Water Reuse Association- Grey water Recycling