This winter, our planet has had some harsh reminders of the fact that climate change is real and taking place even faster than we thought. The natural disasters we’re seeing and the global warming are starting to look like they’re not anomalies. It’s undeniable – surely even for climate change deniers – that our planet is heating up and it’s already affecting our everyday lives.
Looking out the window today, it’s +2 degrees celsius in central Finland, hardly any snow, rain showers and hard winds almost on a daily basis. A normal January here would see clear skies, temperatures up to -20 and plenty of snow. Now, we can seldom ski or skate, and even the normal outdoor life we’re used to has lost its appeal because of the continuous nasty weather. Whereas all this is mostly a nuisance, the other side of the coin is the growing fear of this being the new normal.
The textile industry is the second biggest contributor to climate change, with its emissions only second to flying and freight combined. A majority of the problem is the non-sustainable material base that the textile industry is on, relying mostly on fossil fuel based, man-made materials and natural materials like cotton that significantly contribute to drought – which has contributed to e.g. the Australian bush fires.
Solutions are coming
This is why us at Spinnova and many fellow innovators find it meaningful, if not imperative, to do something and work for a common goal every day. We’re developing alternatives that really will help relieve the sustainability deficit of the industry. However, no matter how fast we run, a real breakthrough of a new, sustainable alternative takes time – I mean, look at electric cars or wind power.
No reason to get frustrated though! There’s plenty of action we can take while waiting for innovation to take effect. Living more sustainably in terms of food, transport, energy and consuming habits is easier by the day, as sustainable choices become more and more competitive towards the solutions we’re used to.
Compensation is for all of us
We can also all relieve our climate stress by contributing to compensation initiatives that support carbon pricing, renewable energy, electrifying transport and keeping fossil fuel on the ground. Whereas this has perhaps been considered as something that’s just industrial and corporate, these days compensating initiatives are accessible to us all. In fact, I would encourage this for everyone – not to compensate for our own actions (anymore) but to all chip in for the planet.
There are a number of globally operating and local compensating initiatives that are worth finding out about and getting involved. One interesting option is, as it happens aptly named, the Protect our Winters initiative. For ours and all our children’s sake, I really hope it’s not too late to start protecting our winters.
Stay sustained <3
Emmi