Gus Bartholomew (Leafr 🌿)

Coal is dead.

At the end of September, Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station will be switched off, marking the end of coal-powered electricity in the UK.

This is a historic milestone and makes the UK the first G7 nation to eliminate coal power completely.

And it’s happened pretty quickly - In the 1980’s coal made up 70% of the UK's electricity production and any serious commitment to reducing emissions only came in 2008.

The rapid shift shows what’s possible when business, policy, and innovation come together with a shared vision.

It’s a great reminder to those working in the space that real progress is being made.

Fittingly, the site is set to become a “carbon-free technology and energy hub,” symbolising a new chapter in the UK’s clean energy future.

What's actually important if you want to reduce your carbon footprint?

When it comes to reducing carbon emissions, what people think matters often doesn’t line up with what actually moves the needle.

This disconnect fuels misplaced efforts and slows progress.

If we want to tackle climate change effectively, we need to get clued up about what works and what doesn’t.

Here are the top misconceptions people have:

♻️ Recycling is the answer (59% believe it’s high-impact)
Yes, recycling is good, but its carbon savings (0.2 metric tons annually) are minimal compared to bigger actions. Relying on recycling as a primary solution is like using a teaspoon to bail out a sinking ship.

💡 Replacing light bulbs will save the planet (36%)
LEDs are efficient and worth doing, but they only save 0.1 metric tons of CO₂ per year. It’s a tiny piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.

🚗 Driving electric or hybrid cars solves the problem (41%)
While switching to EVs is better than sticking with gas-guzzlers (0.8 metric tons saved), the bigger win is driving less overall or ditching the car entirely (2.4 metric tons saved).

🗑️ Small lifestyle tweaks will add up
Actions like skipping the dryer or cutting single-use plastics often take center stage in public discourse. But their impact is dwarfed by larger, structural changes—like transitioning to renewable energy or avoiding long-haul flights.

If you want to make meaningful progress, here's what we need to focus on:

Prioritize big wins: Avoiding flights, switching to a plant-based diet, and not owning a car are the heavy hitters for individuals.

Think systemically: Push for renewable energy adoption, better public transit, and policies that incentivize sustainable choices.

Understand the science: Good intentions aren’t enough. Real impact starts with a clear understanding of where emissions come from and how to reduce them effectively.

The truth is, we’ve been misled about what really reduces emissions, often due to oversimplified messaging.

Focus on the things that actually matter.

 In 2020, the top 10 global polluting companies were collectively responsible for producing over 3 billion metric tons of CO₂ annually through their operations and the use of their products.

Now let's compare that to radical collective individual action:

If every person in the UK stopped driving entirely, it would reduce emissions by 163 million metric tons of CO₂ annually.

😬

Where should we focus our efforts?

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If you're going to do something, do it properly or not at all.

The career path below is something I've seen in various guises many times – classic sustainability virtue signalling.

Actions like this aren't just superficial; they're counterproductive.

Promoting someone with limited experience to such a critical role doesn't help anyone. It dilutes the importance of the position and often leads to ineffective initiatives that waste time and resources - If they are doing anything at all.

Sustainability requires expertise, commitment, and a genuine understanding of environmental impact. Anything less is merely paying lip service to a critical issue.

If you're going to commit to sustainability, do it properly.

Invest in knowledgeable professionals, implement meaningful strategies, and ensure your actions have real, measurable impact.

Anything else is a disservice to your company.

In a few years, I think companies will likely cringe at the fact they did things like this.

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