Climate Change in Penistone

Climate Change is going to affect us in Penistone, even though we are a long way from the sea. We thought about 2 different scenarios, one where people act now to tackle climate change and one where they do nothing.

This first picture is of our DO NOTHING scenario.

It shows some of the continuing causes of climate change and some of the effects of continuing to do nothing:

The picture above shows some of the continuing causes of climate change:

• Aeroplanes - greenhouse gases released high in the atmosphere cause even more damage than those on the ground
• Cars on congested, polluted roads
• "Paper thin" houses with poor insulation which allow heat to escape, wasting energy
• A row of shops selling energy wasting, unneccessary, disposable and badly made goods, made in ways which damage the environment, for example by cutting down rainforests and importing them from all over the world. It is easy to forget the pollution caused in making all the things that we purchase
• A nuclear power station (yes, this will actually contribute to climate change - as uranium becomes scarcer more carbon dioxide will be produced in extracting and purifying it than it will save in energy production). Coal/gas fired power stations could be here as well.
• People throwing away, not recycling things, shown by the landfill site

The picture also shows some of the effects of continuing to do nothing:

• Stormier, more unpredictable weather
• Damaged crops
• Flooded homes and an emergency shelter
• Floodwater contaminating water supplies
• An immigration centre - as people are displaced in other parts of the world, they will come to less affected countries like ours
• Businesses suffering, such as some of thee shops where supplies are not getting through and staff are unable to get to work.

This second picture is of our ACT NOW scenario.

It shows some of the things we might choose to change in order to tackle climate change and some of the effects this could have:

The picture above shows some of the ways we could tackle climate change:

• Warm, woolly houses, wrapped in insulation, save energy
• Lots of buses and trains replace cars, with car shares for those times they are needed - although there will probably be less travel altogether
• More local journeys by bike and on foot
• Renewable energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels (wind and solar in our area - in coastal areas, more tidal energy)
• Shops selling local, well made and recycled goods - there are also less shops as people only buy what they need. Also a hire and repair shop and a second-hand shop could be here.
• People looking after our area contributes to the well-being of the whole planet - after all, the planet is made up of many, many, local areas.
• Recycling bins 
• Organic crops are better for the climate as fertiliser production is a big producer of greenhouse gases

The picture also shows some of the effects of acting now

• Happier, healthier people - the effect of walking and cycling more
• Workplaces near to where people live - less time, money and stress spent on getting to work
• A well-used community building - more local activity, less commuting and travel means people have more time to spend in their community  
• Being outside and  caring for your area is good for mental health and general well-being
• Better food - fresher as nearer and organic and the weather is still suitable for growing crops
• Our weather will not change as much

For our stall at 'The Event' in Penistone, we wanted a careers slant on Climate Change, so we thought about how jobs would change under the two different scenarios. This is what people thought:

As you can see, there was a general trend that jobs would become worse if we do nothing and better if we act now. However, some of the reasoning was interesting as 'better' and 'worse' are of course open to interpretation. For instance, a nurse was seen to be a better job in the DO NOTHING scenario as she would have more to do treating people made ill by the conditions. A lorry driver could be seen as better or worse in the ACT NOW scenario as they will either have less work (worse) or have clearer roads for driving on (better). The important thing was to think about it.

We have clear choices to make about the future of Penistone.

If we ACT NOW we CAN tackle climate change.