Time to Act
With flash floods, freak storms, and record-breaking heat waves every year, is it time to recognise that climate change is real and we all have to play our part in reducing our impact on the earth? Scott Poynton of The Pond Foundation certainly thinks so.
Hiking off into the distance, following what was meant to be a path but was now entirely covered in waist-deep snow, it was immediately apparent that Scott Poynton was much more comfortable in the mountains of Switzerland than I could ever be. Where Scott moved in with a sort of one-with-nature ease, each step I took simply saw me sink deeper into the snow. Still, to his credit, Scott mostly managed to hide his amusement each time I fell to my knees!
I was in Geneva to learn about The Pond Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to driving change for good. Rather than sitting inside as we discussed the foundation's work, Scott suggested we should walk and talk. And so it was I found myself hiking La Dôle, a stunningly beautiful mountain overlooking Lake Geneva, chatting to an Australian forester, now living in Switzerland, about his plan to save the planet — or at least as much of it as he can.
The Pond Foundation was born out of Scott's passion for the natural world and the environment. From a very early age, he felt a deep connection with the forest, leading to him working to protect forests and human rights with The Forest Trust for over two decades. It was an experience which allowed him to witness first-hand the devastating impact of climate change on forests worldwide. He realised that those forests would be lost without immediate action. It was a realisation that led to him creating The Pond Foundation in January 2021 to encourage people to create ripples of action that will combine into credible and meaningful change.
Today, that work continues as the foundation helps individuals and companies to take personal responsibility for tackling climate change rather than relying on government and global companies to take the initiative. "We all have to play our part," he told me as we made our way through the snow. What we choose to do daily counts; we can make a difference."
But that difference won't come without seismic change, and while Scott told me that he applauds the effort people are making to reduce their carbon emissions, he believes we must all do more. Carbon neutral isn't enough; The Pond Foundation wants to encourage people to achieve carbon zero, taking responsibility for removing all the carbon from the atmosphere they have ever emitted, through a programme they call "My Carbon Zero".
"Think about it like this," he told me, "imagine the environment is a vast bath, ready to overflow because we have been adding water our whole lives. It's great that so many have decided they should add less water each year, but that won't stop the bath from overflowing — adding water more slowly only delays the inevitable. We must reverse the process and actively remove what we have put in if we are to stop it overflowing."
As we entered the forest of ancient trees, towards which Scott had been guiding me since we first made our way onto the snow-covered mountain path, he admitted that achieving carbon zero rather than carbon neutral is a big ask. But he also believes there is no room for "greenwashing fudges", as he puts it. "We've seen decades of that, and here we are, still facing a climate disaster."
Standing next to the giant trees, which have come to symbolise the planet Scott is working so hard to save, it was hard not to get swept up in the symbolism of the moment; I, too, greatly fear for the future of our planet. But I also know that in the real world, away from snow-covered Swiss mountain forests, the cost of living, housing, and health crises — not to mention war and conflict — are of far more immediate concern to people, even if they share Scott's fears for the environment.
To persuade people to give equal priority to long-term issues like climate change as to life's immediate challenges like putting food on the table is incredibly difficult even for someone as impressive and charismatic as Scott. But with temperatures in London reaching 40° against a seasonal average of 23°, never-before-seen flash floods hitting Yellowstone National Park, and all manner of other "freak" weather events, is it time to accept climate change is not a long-term issue? Instead, is it perhaps the most immediate issue we now face, with everything else paling by comparison?
At the very least, even the most vociferous sceptics must now accept that climate change is real. Sure, there is a discussion to be had about whether those changes are a result of human activity or simply the natural cycle of the planet — spoiler alert: we certainly aren't helping — but nobody can deny that climate isn't changing. The question is, what should we do about it?
There is no doubt in my mind that we are all capable, right now, of instigating incremental changes to our behaviour which, when combined with the changes of others, can bring meaningful change. Even simple actions such as reducing meat consumption, ensuring the correct tyre pressure in our cars, insulating the house, or cycling to the local shops can reduce carbon emissions. These are the ripples of action that Scott and The Pond Foundation have dedicated their lives to creating. But to succeed, we must be willing to take personal responsibility for these changes.
One thing is certain: the time for talk has run out; now is the time for action. That action will cost us financially as we invest in carbon removal projects like the ones The Pond Foundation implements worldwide. It will also cost us the time it takes to change our behaviour to become more conscious of the environment. But if our planet reaches a tipping point from where it cannot return, what use will finance or time be?
It seems sensible that the first step to achieving personal responsibility for the climate is to know the scale of our contribution to the problem. So I was very interested to learn that The Pond Foundation had put together an online emissions calculator to estimate an individual's carbon emissions. It took me a few minutes to complete before informing me that I have, so far, contributed approximately 400 tonnes of the carbon emissions released into the atmosphere throughout my life. So I will need to remove that much carbon from the environment to reset my personal counter, ensuring I leave the planet as I found it.
Discovering the scale of my emissions contribution was a shock; 400 tonnes sounds like a huge amount. But at least now I know and can start taking action, working to reduce my future carbon emissions and remove the carbon I have already emitted. I know it won't be easy, but as Scott said, as we slowly made our way back down the mountain path, leaving behind the snow-peaked trees of the forest, "we have to do something; doing nothing isn't an option."
I couldn't agree more. Doing nothing is not an option; it is time to act.
To find out more about The Pond Foundation visit https://thepondfoundation.org and begin your journey by calculating your personal carbon emissions contribution.
