Carbon Diaries 2015

The Carbon Diaries 2015, written by author Saci Lloyd, is a young adult novel following the life of Laura Brown, a teenager, and her family. They live in Britain in 2015, a time where climate change has taken such a toll in their country that everyone is forced to ration their carbon usage. Citizens must choose between a hot shower or an hour of computer usage. They must decide if their imported food is worth their well cultures diets. People are forced to prioritize acceptable reasons to use the car. Amongst all of this stress on the people of London, main character Laura finds herself dealing with a sister with a major attitude problem, the desire to lead her nu-punk band to fame, a gorgeous boy nextdoor whom she desires to song, and drama between her parents caused by the recent restrictions on carbon usage. I'm not really one for a fictional read about a young romance and amateur band mates trying to make it big time, but the importance of climate change that this book recognizes is hard to ignore and not appreciate. The Climate Diaries 2015 is an interesting, relatable way to think about climate change.

The Carbon Diaries 2015 really got me thinking about the possibility of this "carbon rationing" thing becoming a reality. Would this be a realistic solution to limiting global emissions? And what would be the results on the economy? I am no economist, however it would be interesting to see if local farmers and businesses would become more successful and what effects it would have on larger cooporations. I found an interesting article on carbon rationing and coincidentally enough it is written through an online webpage from the UK. Europe is a place expected to see exceptional species loss  (both plants and animals) in the coming century due to climate change, especially considering the montanous regions where it is incredibly difficult for species to relocate due to geographical barriers, so it may make sense for a place like the UK to be bringing up the idea of carbon rationing as a temporary solution to climate change. I do not think it is an appropriate long term solution, because it is not sustainable. Eventually we must convert our energy supply over to 100% renewable resources such as wind, solar, and hydro power. However, even hydro power is becoming a questionable renewable resource because of numerous recent droughts found around the globe due to the effects of climate change. In the meantime, we can only hope our policy makers will have the courage and determination to make to serious decisions about our carbon and fossil fuel emissions. Someone must invoke a change in our communities around the world and sometimes that can happen just by spreading word and information.

If you're interested in finding out more about biodiversity loss, check out this site explaining the triggers and results of moving and disappearing species.