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Shopping locally is good for the climate ....Lindsay Southcombe lives in Truro, she is concerned about climate change and wants to do something about it. Why they are doing things to help the climate.... Lindsay believes that climate change is a really serious issue. She has already noticed a change in the seasons in She believes it is important to cut carbon dioxide emissions because they have a major effect on temperature rise and on our climate. She is aware that the whole of Cornwall will be affected if nothing is done to tackle climate change and wants to do her bit to reduce her own carbon emissions. Ultimately, she feels driven to make a difference to climate change and wants to protect Cornwall and its natural environment, she encourages others to do the same. What they are doing.... Lindsay is trying to shop in local stores instead of using her car to go to big supermarkets and out of town retail parks. She knows that every time she drives her car she’s adding to the carbon dioxide emissions which are responsible for climate change. She feels if you live in a place like Truro there are lots of shops on your doorstep which means you don’t have to drive to get what you want. It’s important to think about what facilities are close to you so you don’t have to use your car. She also wants to help support local businesses and keep money within the local economy. In the case of food, she also believes that shopping locally encourages less intensive agricultural production, reducing energy and transport costs. She also feels local food is fresher and less packaged than supermarket equivalents. Why it’s important….. Climate change will affect all aspects of our lives. We are already stating to see changes in the climate in Cornwall and predictions from the South West Climate Impacts Partnership suggest, that amongst other things, we are likely to experience:
We will all have to adapt to these changing conditions, but it is not as easy for much of our wildlife. A paper from Cornwall Wildlife Trust says that we are likely to see a change to the abundance and distribution of species of animals and plants in Cornwall. This is because our fauna and flora, and the habitats they occupy, comprise species that are adapted to survive in the climate characteristic of Cornwall. As the climate changes, by becoming warmer, wetter or drier, they expect to see effects on species and habitats. Whenever we drive in our cars to an out of town shopping area, we are burning fossil fuels that create carbon dioxide emissions that are causing climate change. Getting products to our shops also involves transporting them. In terms of transport, figures from Defra show that in 2004 21% of the total UK carbon dioxide emissions came from the transport sector. Of these, over 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions come from cars. If more people made use of local shops and used cars less, as Lindsay is doing, we could dramatically reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted to the atmosphere. Every tonne emitted into the atmosphere commits the world to more warming. But every tonne we avoid emitting helps reduce the risk. The way we consume goods and services also comes at a price to our climate; as well as the transport costs, all products have hidden additional carbon emissions because they take raw materials and energy to make, so our consumption contributes directly to climate change from the energy to mine/extract/harvest, process, manufacture and package products. Small choices that we make when we shop can make a big difference to the climate. The Government’s Environment and Greener Living website has lots of ideas for how to reduce the impact that shopping has. You can consider things like:
There are other benefits for the climate in terms of supporting local shops. In the case of food shopping in particular, local In terms of wider benefits, local shops also play an important role in the local community. They form an important part of a vibrant town or village and can be a lifeline for those in our society that cannot make use of big out of town retailer centres. Local businesses also tend to support other local businesses, which means money stays in the local economy. In 2004 alone, 2,157 independent shops went out of business or became part of a larger company compared with a previous annual average of around 300 a year (Institute of Grocery Distribution, 2005). By supporting local shops you can reduce this trend. Further information.... To find out more about climate change, visit our understanding climate change pages. You can find out more about the possible impacts of climate change in the South West visit the South West Climate Change Partnership website. To find out more about the possible impacts of climate change on the plants and animals of Cornwall, visit the Cornwall Wildlife Trust website. For more information on the environmental impacts of transport and sound advice on how to make a difference, Friends of the Earth have produced a free and simple 16 page guide. To find out more about how to make smaller changes to your shopping habits to help the climate, visit the Environment and Greener Living website. You can find out about local producers in your area of Cornwall, farm shops and regular farmers markets by visiting this website. For more information on the local economic benefits of buying local food visit this website. A new ‘shop local’ leaflet (PDF file) has been produced for Truro, it explains some of the benefits of using local shops in more detail and provides a local directory of shops in the city. You can download it here. Friends of the Earth have collated some case studies to shop what people have already done from the UK, Europe and US around local shopping, its is a PDF file.
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Cornwall, with milder winters and an early spring; and she has noticed that winters and becoming much wetter and stormier. Not only will climate change affect all of our lives but it will also have a direct impact on Cornwall’s wildlife and natural environment. 
food retailers, farm shops, and farmers markets provide fresh, seasonal, local produce. This food is generally produced very locally which means it has not had to be transported very far, directly reducing carbon emissions. Buying local food is also good for the Cornish economy. A recent study by the New Economics Foundation shows that spending £10 with a Cornish local box scheme results in a £25.90 investment in the local economy. See our 