The Gulf Stream slows

Category: Editorial

I love to be warm. I love the sunshine and I enjoy an office in the 70s (°F). Others complain about the heat or the humidity in places like Dubai – I just enjoy it.

The changes in the weather that we have experienced over the last ten years or so have been ideal for me. There have also been noticeable changes in lifestyle, with pavement cafes and people wearing different clothes. So, global warming has some attractions for me.

However, there has been one aspect that has worried me – the threat to the Gulf Stream. As ice caps melt they put more fresh water into the ocean and reduce its density so that the warm water flowing from the Gulf of Mexico is less likely to sink in the northern Atlantic. Now we have evidence that this flow has reduced by 30% in 12 years. This change, apparently, is already enough the reduce temperatures by 1°C, and, if the flow were to stop completely, it could account for ten degrees. Britain's climate would then resemble that of Newfoundland. Should I be planning to emigrate?

Recently, we ran a team building event at Twr y Felin in Pembrokeshire. TYF has a zero carbon policy and owner Andy Middleton is leading a campaign to make St David's the first carbon neutral city. Here are some of the things that they are doing at TYF to reduce their impact on the environment: -

Purchase electricity from green tariff

Monitor and reduce water consumption

Monitor and reduce electricity consumption

Investigate the use of bulk purchase environmentally friendly materials for use in hotel e.g. soaps, shampoo, cleaning chemicals

Switch to using recycled paper

Measure and encourage the use of staff 5% community time allocation

Develop long term relationships with local suppliers, for hotel food and retail stock purchases.

Encourage the use of car sharing

I have also been working with some housing trusts. One, Metropolitan Housing Trust, based in Nottingham has been leading the way in the development of low carbon urban housing. They have built offices and homes which use 30% less energy than normal and are currently planning a brown-field housing project in Northampton with a 60% carbon emissions reduction, including some dwellings requiring zero energy. They do this by super insulation, use of thermal mass to store heat, wood pellet boilers, ground sourced heat pumps, and capturing of natural energy from the sun and the wind.

There is a lot that we can all do, whether we start from first principles or just with small steps. Think about your personal and business uses: travel, transport of products, heating and air conditioning, recycling. Every little helps.

Shall I be able to enjoy my retirement in my home country – or shall I need to find a new home?

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