Author: ELTCAdmin

Introducing the ELTC.earth Survey -Examining the Emotional Impacts of Climate Change. As an early-stage business we want to gather a global perspective of people’s emotional reactions to the effects of climate change to inform our product development initiatives and inform society about the mental health challenges of the climate crisis.

We are committed to making a positive impact on the world. Our goal is to create products and services that will empower people to manage their emotional response and maintain high levels of emotional resilience in the face of climate change. Eco-anxiety is real for many people. [ELTC]

We believe that by helping people to better cope with stress and difficult situations, we can make a real difference in the world. The goal of this survey is to assess levels of climate or eco-anxiety across populations of people to inform what solutions we will provide.

Why Gather Quantitative Data?

Quantitative data is numerical information that can be analysed and used to make data-driven decisions. By conducting surveys and gathering quantitative data, we can gain valuable insights about our customers and their needs.

To achieve our objectives of improving the wellbeing of people suffering eco-anxiety, we are gathering quantitative data to help us understand who are and who are not potential customers. It will show us the depth of emotions felt and what most impacts those emotions for people. It will also inform us about the needs of our customers and enable us to dig deeper, identifying the capabilities that will deliver the most benefit to them.

What Are the Benefits?

There are many benefits to using quantitative data in product development. For one, it allows us to understand our target market and their preferences in a more concrete and objective way. We can also use the data to measure the effectiveness of our engagement with our potential customers and track the overall performance of our product. Additionally, quantitative data can be used to forecast future trends and make strategic decisions about the direction of our product development.

One of the most important ways we will use the quantitative data we collect is to identify how many people might need our services. We will engage directly with people who are willing to speak with us as an outcome of the data gathering exercise. This will give us the insight to develop a product that truly meets the needs of our customers.

We want you on this journey with us

We understand that your time is valuable and we are grateful for your participation in our survey. Your feedback is important to us and we take it seriously. We use this information to improve our products and services, and create a better experience for you, our valued customer.

Survey References:

Some questions in this survey have been adapted from those described in The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale. [HOGG]
This paper was hugely beneficial in identifying a series of questions that might enable us to align our results with those of academic studies performed around the world since this scale was originally put forward.

Data Protection:

We take our obligation to data privacy and protection very seriously. This survey is anonymous. We capture and store the absolute minimum of personal information from you and none of it makes you identifiable.

As a general rule, ELTC.earth does not collect or share personal information. There are a few specific cases (detailed below) where we capture email addresses and a single instance where we collect names.

Public Surveys: Our publicly accessible surveys never collect personal information
Managed Surveys: In the provision of managed surveys (surveys that are provided to a specific group of participants, by an employer for example), we are typically provided with a list of email addresses for the participants. In these cases, we do not tie the email addresses to any personal information. They are used to send out digital tokens and/or urls for specific surveys. Participant results are not tied to email addresses and once a managed survey has been completed, we destroy any record of the email addresses that were used.

Website / Contact: If you contact us through our website and provide your name and email address, this information goes directly through Google and into our inboxes.
Newsletter Subscription: The email addresses of users who subscribe for our newsletter (through the Subscribe page on our website), are stored at mailchimp. We occasionally make backups of our subscription emails list and store them solely for recovery purposes.

You can view the full ELTC.earth privacy policy here

Citations and References

[ELTC] - What is Eco-Anxiety and How do I Solve it?

What is Eco-Anxiety and How do I Solve it? (ELTC.earth, 2022)

[HOGG] - The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale

The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale (Hogg T.L. Stanley S.K., O’Brien L.V., Wilson M.S., Watsford C.R., 2021) – Accessed on 10 Jan 2022

[ELTC2] - ELTC.earth Privacy Policy

ELTC.earth Privacy Policy (ELTC.earth, 2022)

Citations and references are your security that the information you get on ELTC.earth will be accurate and trustworthy

Author: ELTCAdmin

Climate change is not a threat, it’s a reality. It would be easy to think that the climate crisis cannot be addressed. That it is too big a problem. That the challenges created by our ancestors and perpetuated by us, even to this day are unsurmountable. They are not though. We can make a difference.

There are so many opportunities to shape the world we live in, shape our economies, shape our societies and ultimately shape our future in ways that are good. We can do what’s needed to ensure the security of future generations and the planet we depend upon.

We Have Much To Be Optimistic About

In his Ted Talk, Kevin Kelly talks about how The future will be shaped by optimists [TED]. He makes some really good points about how humanity solves problems. While humanity has caused the climate crisis, this was not intentionally done. They were a byproducts introduced as the solutions to earlier problems. He goes on to talk about how people can and do get involved and take the action necessary when faced with big problems.

The Portents are Positive

People all around us recognise the issues and the importance of solving them.

In a survey of almost 27000 EU citizens performed on behalf of the EU Commission prior to the COP26 International Summit in 2021, 90% agree that Greenhouse Gas Emissions should be reduced to make the EU Climate-neutral by 2050 [EUCOMM]

In the same year Pew Research survey of over 16000 people of advanced economies in Asia, Europe and North America 80% of people surveyed are willing to make changes to the way they live and work to help reduce the impacts of climate change [PEW].

In Ireland a survey performed by the Environmental Protection Agency of 4000 people, 90% of people say that the country has a responsibility to act on climate change,over half said they would meet with an elected official or their staff and almost as many said they would write to or phone government officials about climate change [EPA].

It’s Not Just You

“Participants (80% to 90%) underestimated the US population’s concern for climate mitigation policies.”

We may not always realise the extent of people around us who share our desire for change. In conjunction with the recent US Climate Bill, The Inflation Reduction Act, recent polls by Yale Program on Climate Change indicate that 66% to 80% of people in the US support major climate mitigation policies. However, many participants (80% to 90%) underestimated the US population’s concern for climate mitigation policies [SCIENTAM].

We should all believe in the power of people to rally behind a cause, to solve big problems, to achieve their highest potential. Whether it’s to make a difference in the world or just to make something of themselves. People accomplish great things when they’re given the right opportunity (and sometimes a little help).

We know the technologies needed to mitigate disaster and they are advancing rapidly to replace incumbent technologies. Take for instance the advancement, ubiquity and reduction in cost of renewable energy technology versus fossil fuels. Project Drawdown has assessed that there are potentially between $7 trillion and $13 trillion to be made in locations where Distributed Solar Photovoltaic energy production could be used versus fossil fuels. This versus a net cost of $517 billion investment to implement those solutions. [PROJDRAW]

We also know the policies to be implemented. Governments this week have been debating the various proposals at COP 27 [FOEI] that need to be implemented. They don’t go far enough but the point is – we know them! We know what needs to be done.

Change doesn’t happen without people.

You. Me. Everyone.

Waves of people can and will change the world for the betterment of everyone and our planet’s sustainability.

We must start now.

Every Little Thing Counts.

Citations and References

[TED] - The future will be shaped by optimists

The future will be shaped by optimists (Ted Talks Daily, 2022) – Accessed 23 Aug 2022

[EUCOMM] - Special Eurobarometer 513 Climate, Report

Special Eurobarometer 513 Climate, Report (EU Commission & Kantar, 2021) – Accessed on 01 Nov 2021

[PEW] - In Response to Climate Change, Citizens in Advanced Economies Are Willing To Alter How They Live and Work

In Response to Climate Change, Citizens in Advanced Economies Are Willing To Alter How They Live and Work (Pew Research, 2021) – Accessed on 01 Nov 2021

[EPA] - Climate Change in the Irish Mind

Climate Change in the Irish Mind (EPA, 2021) – Accessed on 17 Feb 2022

[SCIENTAM] - Climate Change Actions Are Far More Popular Than People in U.S. Realize

Climate Change Actions Are Far More Popular Than People in U.S. Realize (Scientific American, 2022) – Accessed on 28 Aug 2022

[PROJDRAW] - Distributed Solar Photovoltaics

Distributed Solar Photovoltaics – (Project Drawdown) – Accessed on 18 Nov 2022

[FOEI] - The COP itself risks becoming lost and damaged

The COP itself risks becoming lost and damaged (Friends of Earth Ireland, 2022) – Accessed on 18 Nov 2022

Citations and references are your security that the information you get on ELTC.earth will be accurate and trustworthy

Author: ELTCAdmin

Early Stage Protoype

On a sunny July Sunday afternoon in Dun Laoghaire, we prototyped our first concept to potential users.

We spoke to a variety of people and got some really great feedback, which we have incorporated into our next iteration.

Our aims are to add value that will help people contribute meaningfully to address climate change and to bring people back over and over so that we all grow our influence on climate change.

Testers Wanted!

We’re looking for more climate motivated people to help us bring a great product to market. Will you join us?

For each of you who adds their name to our list of early access users and gives us feedback on our prototype app, you will have the chance to win a €20 voucher from https://greenoutlook.ie/ !

To participate:

Terms & Conditions

This is a raffle, the winner will be elected randomly, everyone entered has a chance to win
Results to be announced by end of September 2022
Only 1 winner, receiving a single 20€ voucher

Citations and References

[APPLY] - Apply to Give Prototype Feedback

[APPLY] Registration Link – Accessed 12 Aug 2022

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Author: ELTCAdmin

ELTC.earth placed third in a recent Student Entrepreneurship Competition at Nova UCD.

We are happy to announce that Damien from the ELTC.earth team was one of the 10 teams accepted to participate in the Nova UCD Student Entrepreneurship Competition and we are delighted to announce we came 3rd!

Read the full Nova UCD [NOVA] article and RTE Coverage [RTE] of the top 3 winners. This was such an amazing useful experience, we to learned so much from our mentors and gained valuable insights from our mentors and learned lessons from other budding & more experienced entrepreneurs

The coverage for our initiative meant we received more than 1100 unique monthly visitors on the website during June (just after it was published) and that was before we posted on our Social Media channels about our initiative. That gave us a clear insight that shows how high is the interest in what we are doing.

We have also had a lot of interest and people are reaching out to us regularly to help, volunteer, or join the team, which is fantastic!

If you have any of these skills and would like to join us, contact us via the application form.

Citations and References

[NOVA] - Nova UCD article

[Nova] Nova UCD SEC Article – Accessed 15 July 2022

[RTE] - RTE article

[RTE] Strive wins NovaUCD’s 2022 Student Enterprise competition – Accessed 15 July 2022

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Author: ELTCAdmin

The Irish Government is seeking input from citizens via the Climate Action Consultation. This is an important opportunity to have your say before September 9 2022

Why?

For those of you living in Ireland, the Irish Government is seeking input from citizens via the Climate Action Consultation. Completing this survey is one of the ways you can ensure your voice is heard and it is clear to our government that you desire and expect their action on climate change.

This is an opportunity to make your voice heard. Ignoring it contributes to easing pressure on the government to push forward with policy change and implement the regime necessary to ensure the brighter, healthier, safer future for our planet and younger generations of Irish citizens. Let them know that you care. Let them know that you expect them to increase momentum.

We’ve established ELTC.earth to empower people to take meaningful action to accelerate positive momentum on climate change. It’s true that we know the technologies, policies and activities required to make meaningful change [Interface]. The challenge is engaging people to take action. Influence real and lasting change by getting involved, by being engaged in the process and the discussion. Be part of the change.

Act Now: Complete the Climate Action Consultation survey before September 9 2022

Citations and References

[Conversation] - Climate Conversations 2022

[Conversation] Climate Conversations 2022 (Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, 2022) – Accessed 15 July 2022

[Interface] - Climate Takeback Survey

Climate Takeback Survey (Interface, 2017) – Accessed – 18 Feb 2022

Citations and references are your security that the information you get on ELTC.earth will be accurate and trustworthy

Author: ELTCAdmin

If food waste is unavoidable, be sure to put leftovers/peels into your waste food bin or compost bin in your garden. Food should not be going into landfill. In the US 20% of what goes into municipal landfill is food waste. How much food waste could you divert from landfill?

When food is put into landfill it is trapped in plastic bags with no air to help break it down. When it rots in this manner it produces methane gas which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

When it’s put into a compost bin it is broken down by worms, beetles and other organisms which turn it into a nutrient rich soil conditioner. This can then be put on your garden plants to help them flourish and grow.

So remember, keep a container in your kitchen for peels/food scraps and empty it into a compost bin instead of the regular bin.

Every Little Thing Counts

Author: ELTCAdmin

If beef forms part of a person’s diet, it accounts for a significant proportion of an individual’s own GHG output. Replacing some or all of your beef consumption will reduce your environmental impact.

A standard portion size for minced beef is 125g. 125g of beef produces 12.4kg of greenhouse gas emissions. If you cut out minced beef for one meal a week you would save 646kg of greenhouse gas emissions in a year. A steak is double this. A portion of steak is approximately 250g which produces 25kg of greenhouse gas emissions.

Weigh how much beef you use in a typical week. Every 1g of beef produces 99.48g of greenhouse gas emissions.

Think how much you could reduce your carbon impact (CO2e) if you cut out even one beef meal per week for a year!

In the above example of steak, if 1 million people cut out one steak meal a week for a year it would save 1.3 million metric tonnes of CO2e emissions. That’s the equivalent of taking 680,000 ICE (internal combustion engine) cars off the road for a year.

Every Little Thing Counts

Author: ELTCAdmin

When you curtail food waste you cut down carbon emissions. It’s that simple. When food is wasted so too is all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, package and transport that food. If the food waste ends up in landfill it rots and produces methane gas which is more potent than carbon dioxide.

According to a UNEP (UN Environment Program) report it is estimated that between 8% and 10% of carbon emissions globally are due to food that is not consumed.

While your action may not make an immediate difference, if everybody purchased only what they needed, demand would reduce, buyers would order less and growers would reduce or diversify production.

Here are some things you can do to minimise your food waste:

Do regular meal planning
Make a list before going shopping and only buy what you need
Check use by dates on the shelf before buying
Freeze leftovers
Prepare homemade lunches instead of buying convenience foods

These small steps not only reduce your carbon emissions, they are good for your wallet also. They reduce your spend on wasted food but they also reduce your cost of waste disposal.

Every Little Thing Counts

Author: ELTCAdmin

Climate Change is the term that’s frequently used to describe the effects of Global Warming. However, climate change and global warming are not necessarily synonymous. This article explains the terms climate change and global warming and directs you to resources to help you gain a more in-depth understanding if you so desire

Climate Change is the term that’s frequently used to describe the effects of Global Warming. However, climate change and global warming are not necessarily synonymous.

So, which is it, Climate Change or Global Warming?

This brief article explains the terms “climate change” and “global warming” and, at the end of the article, directs you to resources to help you gain a more in-depth understanding if you so desire. Our other resources will point you in the direction of what you can do to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Climate Change

Climate Change refers to the changes in long term weather term patterns that can occur for natural reasons, or as a result of human activity. The standard period of analysis [Stanford] for climate set by the World Meteorological Organization is 30 years. Planet earth is a massive, yet delicate ecosystem. Its climate system [IPCC] is an interactive system consisting of five major components which are influenced by a number of external forces, the most important of which is the sun.

These five major components of our planet’s climate are:

the atmosphere (the layers of gases that surround the planet)
the hydrosphere (the combined masses of water on, under and above the surface of the Earth),
the cryosphere (parts of Earth covered by water in solid form, for example, ice caps, glaciers),
the land surface, and;
the biosphere (the parts of the Earth that are occupied by living organisms, such as humans, animals, plants etc.).

Global Warming

Global Warming refers to the effects of the warming of the planet throughout historic cycles or eras of evolution of life on earth. Along with climate change the planet has gone through cycles of warmer and colder times and the resulting weather changes associated with those. For example, as far as we know, earth has gone through at least five significant Ice Ages during the past 2.4 billion years [History].

Each one of those ice ages has resulted in thaws. Scientists and mathematicians have been able to deduce and chart the earth’s temperature for many thousands of years, the majority of which has been a result of the earth’s orbit around the sun, axial tilt and solar radiation levels. (The earth should currently be undergoing a temperature cooling cycle [OSS] but due to the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere the opposite is the case.)

What we need to be concerned with is the acceleration of global warming as a result of human activities caused by GHGs (Greenhouse Gases) and other pollutants gathering in the atmosphere and absorbing solar radiation and sunlight, resulting in a blanket effect on the earth.

So, where we can expect certain warming or cooling of the planet as a result of the proximity and effects of the sun (see above), what we need to be concerned with is:

The Science is Clear

While there can be arguments made for the precise timing of certain events because of human activities on the planet or the exact nature of the changes on one part of the planet or the other, there is no doubt in the scientific community about the impacts global warming will have nor about the man-made accelerators of climate change.

It is important to note that no scientific papers have been published that have been peer reviewed and validated by the academic or scientific community and have contradicted the confirmed science of the negative effects of climate change, or, more importantly, the contributing factors to accelerated global warming. The peer review process [Conversation] is critical because it validates the techniques and conclusions that scientific research must follow.

The science is clear on what is accelerating global warming, but the good news is that we still have the opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius by the end of this century, changing the pattern of global warming and the negative effects it would have on our planet.

Find out how you can play your part in ensuring the sustainability of our planet for current and future generations.

If you want to read more about the topics described here check out the references below this article.

Every Little Thing Counts.

Citations and References

[Stanford] - Climate Science

Climate Science – (Stanford, 2018) – Accessed 30 Nov 2021

[IPCC] - The Climate System: an Overview

The Climate System: an Overview (Baede et al, 2018)- Accessed 30 Nov 2021

[History] - Ice Age

Ice Age (History.com, 2021) – Accessed 15 Feb 2022

[OSS] - Milankovitch Cycles

Milankovitch Cycles (OSS Foundation) Accessed 15 Feb 2022

[Conversation] - When to trust (and not to trust) peer reviewed science

When to trust (and not to trust) peer reviewed science (The Conversation, 2018) – Accessed 15 Feb 2022

[WMO] - World Meteorological Organization

World Meteorological Organization

[Myclimate] - What are Greenhouse Gases

What Are Greenhouse Gases (Myclimate.org)

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Author: ELTCAdmin

The terms “eco-anxiety” or “climate anxiety” refer to the sensation of being overwhelmed, fearful, or anxious as a result of climate change.

People’s daily lives can be disrupted, in extreme cases, by the fear associated with the potential negative effects of climate change. Eco-anxiety can have a serious impact on people’s daily lives, just like any other anxiety disorder.

How Does Eco-Anxiety Affect People's Lives?

People reporting feelings of eco-anxiety can experience “anxiety and stress in their daily lives (moderate effects), with no association with depression. These associations suggest that eco-depression and eco-anxiety may contribute to, or at least co-occur with, poorer mental health.” [Stanley] They also report less engagement with the movement to address climate change.

Consequently, eco-anxiety or eco-concern can also have an impact on people’s personal and professional lives by limiting their ability to respond to climate change. As a result, the climate-related risks associated with insufficient action increase. Both are inextricably intertwined. According to a survey conducted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in 2021, 85% of Irish people are concerned about climate change. [EPA]

In academic and medical studies, terms such as eco-anger, eco-guilt, climate-grief, eco-paralysis, and pre-traumatic stress are being used. According to Coffey et al. (2021), these conditions are becoming more prevalent. [Coffey]

There is also evidence that eco-anxious people experience cognitive and physical/behavioural impairments such as panic attacks, obsessive thinking, loss of appetite, and insomnia [Castelloe], [Dockett], [Hickman], [Nobel].

Why do people experience Eco-anxiety?

Climate change is regarded as extremely serious by 74% of EU [EU] and global [Pew] survey respondents. As a result, the topic and its implications for humanity have gained widespread attention.

When people consider climate change and, at the same time:

These factors contribute to a cognitive dissonance between the sensation of knowing or needing to do something and the failure to act on that innate knowledge.

How Do We Address Eco-anxiety?

The solution for eco-anxiety is to make a plan and take action.

It sounds simple, right? Well, before we decide that, let’s look at some common reasons [Markman] why we don’t take action.

1. Psychological distance: It’s difficult to relate when the problems are in the future and aren’t likely to affect us right now.
2. The issue is non-linear: it is difficult to extrapolate into the future and understand how today’s actions will play out in the future
3. Inadequate sense of urgency about the problem: People are less compelled to act because climate change is not visible in their daily lives.
4. It is difficult to change ingrained habits and conveniences, regardless of the long-term benefits.
5. People prioritise short-term benefits over long-term benefits. Making sacrifices now in order to plan for the future necessitates difficult trade-offs. We’re not very good at it!
6. Inability to find relatable, actionable information: Finding information that helps us act on our desire to change can be difficult.
7. Distrust of information due to discrediting and greenwashing sources: It is fair to say that outside of scientific and other quality peer-reviewed literature, there is a significant volume of discrediting, misleading and [what is known as] greenwashing as people, businesses and other entities attempt to protect their own interests over those of the broader population.
8. The scientific community’s negative narrative is causing personal anxiety and withdrawal. Some of the literature is pessimistic.

So, Let's Try Again: Make a Plan and Take Action

ELTC.earth empowers people to combat the effects of eco-anxiety and act on their desire to contribute to a better future for all.

How?

To begin, ELTC.earth is intended to enlighten and empower people by emphasising the potential for a better future and guiding them through pathways that will enable them to take actions to get there. We address the most common reasons why people do not act in the following ways:

1. Psychological distance: ELTC.earth draws parallels between your immediate actions and the long-term problems they help to solve.
2. Non-Linear problem: ELTC.earth attempts to demonstrate equivalency of actions and results, aligning your individual actions to broader actions and their positive impacts.
3. Sense of Immediacy: ELTC.earth motivates you to continue learning and acting on your chosen actions.
4. Changing Habits: ELTC.earth promotes personal accountability by allowing you to track your progress and encourage community sharing. Positive peer pressure is extremely effective!
5. Short-term versus long-term benefits: Once again, we assist you in relating today’s changes (or lack thereof) to longer-term wins, allowing you to close the gap on the future.
6. Relatable, actionable information: ELTC.earth is jam-packed with clear, actionable information that is relevant to you and your lifestyle. You decide which actions to take.
7. Information distrust: Be confident that all of the actions, resources, and opinions shared on ELTC.earth are supported by a library of data sourced from academic journals, scientific research, and proven facts – all of which have been peer reviewed and are indisputable.
8. Negative narrative. Because the statistics and facts point to dire consequences for our planet, science is bound to confronting truths. However, there is reason to be optimistic. ELTC.earth will concentrate on the advantages of your progress. We will highlight your victories, as well as the victories and advances made by others around the world, to ensure that everyone remains motivated by the possibility rather than paralysed by fear.

There is no need to feel eco-anxiety. The good news is we have the power to positively impact climate change and ensure the long term sustainability of our planet and the inhabitants on it. We have the technology to do it. We know the policies that need to be implemented. [Interface] We just need to act.