believe that global warming is the biggest issue facing humanity today - it represents a far greater threat than terrorism, fundamentalism, or nuclear war. I am not alone in this belief. Scientists and many policymakers agree that the global population must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2050. The United Kingdom, France, the European Union, and California have already agreed to this target and it is imperative that the rest of the world joins them as soon as possible.

The prospect of human-induced drastic climate change represents the tipping point in our relationship with the planet. It's a problem that has been building for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years and it won't disappear tomorrow. Even if we stopped producing greenhouse gas emissions today, the temperature of the planet would continue to warm for several decades. Unless extreme action is taken, increasing population and consumption levels will endanger the survival of every living organism on the planet.

Those of us in the industrialised world have a greater obligation than most to achieve the goal of a drastic reduction in emissions. It is our countries that have generated the most greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution, it is our ecological footprints that are the highest in the world, and it is our lifestyles that people in developing countries are trying to emulate.

Humanity does have the capacity to create a more sustainable future. We already have much of the knowledge and technology required to halt global warming. We just need the will to fully implement it.

Each and every one of us needs to play our part by reducing our ecological footprint. Everything we do and every item we own - the food we eat, the car we drive, the house we live in, and the consumer goods we acquire- has been made by drawing from nature's limited resources. We urgently need to realise that our individual actions have a significant collective impact on the global environment. Every day, each choice we make will also impact the 6.6 billion other people who live on our planet.

By changing our own ingrained habits and replacing them with more sustainable behaviours we can reduce that impact, save money, and positively influence those around us. This is well within everyone's capacity and is utterly worth doing. We must seek to drastically reduce the heavy tread of our human footprint upon the earth, otherwise, our children and our grandchildren will have very little hope of enjoying a habitable planet.

I hope that this book can be a stepping stone on your personal journey to a sustainable future. We have no time to waste. I encourage you to begin walking with a lighter footprint today.

Angela Crocombe

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• An Ecological Footprint Quiz
• Carbon Offset Schemes
• Transport
• Energy
• Water
• Food
• Recycling
• Appliances and Household Goods
• Building and Renovating
• Ethical Investment
• Personal Care
• In the Office
• Travel and Events
• Be an Activist
• Resource Lis