The Global Issue

Climate change is a global issue that is increasingly impacting on our lives. The weather is becoming more unpredictable, crop yields are becoming more sporadic and the price we pay for consumable goods is rising.

 

We can all do our bit to help. For example, we can switch to energy efficient light bulbs saving the UK around five million tonnes of CO2; around 60% of our rubbish in the dustbin can be recycled; and we could all use our legs and walk or cycle a little more.

 

However, action on a personal level needs to be matched by action on a national and global level. So what is being done by big businesses to reduce their carbon footprint?

 

Well take mobile phone network provider Vodafone, for example. It is a massive multi-national communications company so will consume a huge amount of energy every year. Furthermore, it produces products such as mobile phones, which are among the least recycled products here in the UK. However, it has pledged to cut its own emissions by 50%.

 

It plans to do this by using more renewable energy, reducing the need for air conditioning, reducing diesel use on remote base stations and improving network energy efficiency.

 

Add to this its mobile ‘take-back’ scheme for recycling or refurbishing your old handset and you have a good example of what large companies should be doing.

 

Its ‘take back’ scheme will collect your unwanted handset and related accessories then refurbish it for reuse in the UK or the developing world. Alternatively, they will recycle the component parts reducing the amount of energy needed and raw materials required to make new phones.

 

Vodafone has grouped together with other communications companies to develop technology to help other industries and consumers avoid 7.8 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions – 15% of the predicted total global emissions.

 

It is now a widely acknowledged fact that standby mode wastefully uses a large amount of energy, so to combat this, 18 leading mobile operators are working on implementing an energy-efficient charger. This will cut energy use in standby mode by up to 50% and prevent the need to purchase replacement chargers, eliminating up to 51,000 tonnes of waste duplicate chargers.

 

When small- and large-scale action is taken our global impact on the environment might finally be reduced.