When the Swedish environmental writer Johan Tell travels to the capital this week, he’ll calculate the carbon footprint of his flight and then offset it by planting trees in Africa.
Tell, who is the author of 100 Ways to Save the World, will be at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on Saturday to head a session on practical ways to become environmentally friendly, and says uncomplicated conscious efforts by every individual can contribute to reducing the country's environmental footprint.
“I don’t have the option of taking a train to Abu Dhabi,” says the 56-year-old author. “So planting trees will help compensate for the lack of an eco-friendly choice. That is one way to ‘travel’ green.”
Tell began his career as a travel journalist, which spurred his interest in environmental changes prompted by wasteful habits. His first book, 100 Ways to Save the World, was published in 2007 and translated into eight languages. His second book, Trees Can Save the World, was released in 2008. The author is currently preparing to launch his third title, 50 Ways to Save the Baltic Sea, which will raise the issue of pollution in the Baltic Sea and will be distributed in Swedish schools.
“With my first book I wanted to make people aware that there is always a good choice to be made when you consume or do things,” says Tell.
“You can nearly always find items made of natural resources instead of plastic, clothes made of natural fabrics rather than synthetics. And if you can’t, you can always compensate by planting trees. You can also evaluate the way you clean your house ... the products that suck up more energy, ways to recycle, and make things last longer. Leave your car behind and get on a bicycle or take public transport. The book is aimed at ordinary people, showing them that everyone can do their bit for a better environment.”
Tell says the knock-on effect is that everyone in the society leads healthier lives.
The most recent Living Planet Report by WWF Global notes that the UAE has a 74 per cent carbon footprint composition, putting it at third place in the Global Footprint per capita ranking. The situation has improved in the past few years, with Dubai reducing carbon emissions by 1.5 million tonnes in 2013 and committing to the use of 24 per cent clean energy by 2021. The UAE also adopted the Ecological Footprint Initiative in 2007, under which the country's footprint has dropped to 7.75 hectares per person.
Tell, who has travelled to Dubai a few times in the past, says he has “heard of and seen efforts like Masdar that look very promising in achieving that goal”.
Tell’s switch to a more eco- friendly lifestyle began 10 years ago when he handed in his petrol-guzzling vehicle for one that runs on biogas. “It’s like magic, being able to use sewage water and garbage to fuel a car,” he says. He also bought a share in a wind park to be able to power his house with wind energy, and his heating system is hooked up to a bio-power station. “In Sweden, this is a growing trend. The Swedes have driven fewer cars in the last five years. Instead we take the bike, tube or bus.”
While some of the more elaborate sources of renewable energy might still be a distant reality in the Emirates, Tell says gradual changes contribute to the overarching aim.
“If you think you have to change everything at once, it will be an overwhelming and unsustainable process,” he says.
“You have to set a realistic goal – can I reduce my ecological footprint by 10 per cent this year? That is a good start. Drive 10 per cent less, use 10 per cent less electricity, eat 10 per cent more vegetables. Then add five per cent more to that effort next year.”
• Johan Tell will be at the 100 Ways to Save the World session at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on Saturday from 4pm. Visit www.adbookfair.com
aahmed@thenational.ae
