Blog
Emergency assembly August 2025
A delayed reporting on achievements for January 2025. No significant changes to lifestyles that continue to include meat eating and air travel. Looking at trends in US and China for signs of hope and despair.
Why buy an EV?
Most purchasers of EVs say how much they like driving them and that charging is not a serious problem, most early adopters havign home charging. But the net benefiot to the climate depends on what happens to the discarded vehicle
Family assembly 2025
The January 2025 assembly marked the end of 4 years during which the extended family has been seeking ways to fulfil the pledge to reach zero individual/householf emissions by 2030. Houses are smaller/insulated, cars EVs & diets are veggy
Assembly July 2024
Three households from the US and three from the UK 'met' to discuss progress on their pledge to get to zero by 2030. The is soon after 15 Americans visiting London to watch a baseball game. Much of the conversation was about flying.
Emergency Assembly December 2023
Nearly a third of the way through our 10 year transition to zero progress seems to be slow; not just in reductions but in mindset? Some improvements in living conditions but air travel is a sticking point. We saw on politics as a key issue
Family Climate Emergency July 2023
Ten family members from UK and US attended the online assembly and covered the subjects of housing, diet, travel and investments. The emissions from population growth was discussed as were the challanges of flying and investments.
Family Climate Emergency Assembly 1 January 2023
8 members of the extended family assembled to record progresss towards the agreed goal of zero carbon by 2030. Individual progress has been patchy. There have been notable developments in advocacy, campaigning and the workplace. and the
Assembly 2022
This is a summary of the second anniversary assembly, represented by Montreal, Wilmington, Boston, Abingdon and Cambridge (with reports from St Albans and London). Carbon footprints are little smaller but steps are being put in place.
What are families to make of COP26
If COP26 was the last chance for soveriegn countries to salvage a livable planet for our children and grandchildren we must all hope that the climate and ecological crisis can be dealt with elsewhere; in communities and families
Family assembly August 2021
Having made the emergency declaration at the end 0f 2019 six households met to discuss progress on carbon reduction (targeting zero by 2030) and natrure recovery. Systemic redcutions for those in the US and UK limit our achievements.
Behaviour change and the three As
Low and then zero carbon lifestyles will be necessary and should be influential in aiding and abetting the transition. Pary of this will be the power of money, managed by actuaries, analysts and algorithms underwriting the green normal.e
To beef or not to beef?
Working together as families in negotiating the transition is never more important than at mealtimes. Accommodating different diets has always been a challenge and veganism has become part of climate chat anage iof not all family members
Family Assembly 2020
After 12 months of trying the family met to record achievements and difficulties in reducing carbon, regenerating nature and in activism (ie influencing system change).
It's also Africa
The idea of a family climate and ecological emergency cannot and must not exclude attempts to empathise with other families without any blood ties but being profoundly affected by action and inaction by those with the choice of what to do.
Birth strike - again
A year ago this site referenced a Guardian article on the concern of bringing children into a world in (climate and biodiversity) crisis. Peer reviewed research has now revealed a startling level of concern about having children, or not
Money really matters
Money is what makes the world go round and the way it goes round can and probably will make the difference between a planet on which 9billion people can live decnet lives and one where vary few would eke a living
Academic research into social relations and the environment
There is no lack of academic research into the affect social relations can have on environmental behaviour. The attached paper has 85 references to reflect the attention being given to this aspect of behavioural change or inertia.
One Planet Living
One Planet Living is the best three word slogan with the words carrying significance individually and together. It is the latest carnation of Bioregional that started in 1994 and continues to lead in ideas and actions
Wild back better
At a time when most if not all governments are obcessing about how to salvage economies struck down by a virus alternatives need to be found to the calls for building back better if building implies high levels of embodied carbon.
Climate priorities
Two claims that should be of serious concern to climate families are that investments matter more than any other individual actions and that generatinf low carbn energy is more cost effective than green refitting.
The presentation
A power point presentation and susequent discussion has been added to the site under "How to". This tells the story of the concept of family emergency declarations and show the potential of social mmedia to overconme social distancing.
Neighbourhood assemblies and declarations
The family assemblies and climate/ecological emergency declarations were suggested as an attempt to fill the space between a disinterested government and the individual to act purposefully in addressing these problems.
Get Covid done so that we can get climate done
The family has learned a number of lessons from the currrent crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic; the family can assemble online, and that the health crisis blots out the climate crisis rather than focusing minds on a new normal
Get Climate Done
The 2019 General Election showed "Get Brexit Done" triumph over Labour's shopping list of measures that would create a fair and sustainable future. In that spirit "Get Climate Done" should resonate in the ears of the PM until COP26
Is it worth the effort?
Given the difficulties that are implied by a transition to net zero by 2030 it is important to see the benefits beyond just avoiding extinction. Fortunately, many of best things in life are carbon free and also revolve around our families.
Family connections
Extended families connect acrosss generations and the globe. But maybe not all families are equal? Could acquaintances/relations of the Johnsons (including Boris, Leo and Stanley), the Dimblebys, Attenboroughs, Windsors or Archers reccruit?
A second family assembly
Many of us are members of different families. When a declaration is made in one family group then another can be brought into the same place.
The first family assembly?
The first family assembly has taken place in preparation for Resolutions for the New Year and New Decade. The assembly included family members from three generations and three continents and confirmed a sense of collective responsibility.
Christmas 2019
Now is the time to prepare ourselves for holding assemblies and making the family declarations. This is a way to make tough choices and share the responsibility and rewards.
Virtue out of necessity
2019 will probabaly be seen as the year when the balance in civil societies in the developed (fossil consuming) world acknowledged the need for radical changes to stop global heating. Could families grow stronger from these changes?
The family and regenerative culture
'Regenerative culture' is the term adopted but not invented by XR but is part of why families could be so important to negotiating the road to zero