No, but it is no substitute for protesting, or for supporting charities such as Cool Earth or campaign groups such as 2% for The Planet. Reducing carbon emissions is happening far too slowly to prevent us from reaching various ‘tipping points’ which start to make climate change becomes self-sustaining. However, as reducing your own emissions makes a slight difference to the speed of climate change, then it gives us slightly more time to develop and implement the real solutions.

One of the two most important lifestyle change to make is to avoid air travel. Estimates vary, but total global warming caused by air travel is probably at least twice as bad as burning the same amount of oil in other ways. airportwatch.org.uk/news/detail.php?art_id=3230 explains that nitrogen oxides and water vapour from aircraft engines are important greenhouse gases. Water vapour contributes to the formation of contrails, often visible from the ground, which in turn are linked to an increase in the formation of cirrus clouds. Both contrails and cirrus clouds warm the Earth's surface, magnifying the global warming effect of aviation. Planes flying over the tropics are even worse than other planes. See newscientist.com/article/mg19826623.300-air-travel-in-the-tropics-is-worse-for-climate.html

The other most important lifestyle change to make is to give up meat. The WorldWatch institute reported in November 2009 that meat production is responsible for a shocking 51% of all greenhouse gas emissions. independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/meat-creates-half-of-all-greenhouse-gases-1812909.html

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