Climate change is Christmas change – Traditions, Food & Clothes

Climate change is Christmas change – Traditions, Food & Clothes: Climate change has changed a lot of our lives this year and while many of us may be looking forward to Christmas for a bit of a respite & some festive cheer, alas changes to Christmas & our traditions are coming too. This month we unwrap 5 ways climate change is reshaping our Christmas traditions & 3 favourite flavours it’s annihilating. Plus, see what one should wear for a climate crisis & find out how realistic skyscrapers as vertical solar farms is today.

Why are white Christmases turning green and green Christmas trees turning brown? Meanwhile, for some, ‘Christmas typhoons’ are becoming a yearly tradition like in the Philippines where they have surged 201% since 2012. See what other ways climate change is reshaping our Christmas traditions.

But it’s not all bad and though our celebrations may look different than before, this is an opportunity to adapt our Christmas traditions, to make them more environmentally and climate conscious.

Food & drink – staples during the festive period – are one of the traditions we are going to have to adapt as climate change is annihilating some of our favourite flavours.

Ever think about why your favourite Sriracha sauce now tastes more sweet than spicy? Or why some beers don’t have that bitter kick anymore? And what about coffee tasting off? We dive into how climate change is impacting these foods & drinks and what we can do about it.

And what about another staple, clothes, in a changing climate landscape? As we’ve spoken about for many years, fashion matters for the climate. Some of us have more of an impact than others – did you know that Australians have the highest carbon footprint from fashion consumption in the G20?

So, what to wear for a climate crisis? How many garments is recommended? What’s the best thing we can do? Assistant researcher at the University of Southern Queensland, Rachael Wallis, answers these questions and more. She also highlights that it’s very possible for us to adapt our clothing for the climate crisis since it’s not the first time people have done so in response to a crisis, like in World War 2.

Excitingly, it’s also possible to turn skyscrapers into vertical solar farms according to Victoria Masterson, WEF Forum Agenda writer. See-through solar panels aren’t just a pipe dream and are already being used. Another benefit is that compared to traditional solar panels, they can be widely fitted even in cramped cities, helping buildings and cities meet net zero climate goals.

Solar windows and related transparent solar technologies could provide around 40% of energy demand in the United States. There’s so much glass in the world, the potential is huge.

Climate change will only bring more changes to Christmas and our traditions, so we are going to have to adapt and fast. And while this is challenging, it’s an opportunity for us to reshape our traditions to ones that we can still enjoy for many Christmases to come – be they white or green – and to reconnect to what Christmas is really about and cherishing what is truly valuable.

Previous years we’ve written about rampant over consumption and enormous waste during the festive holiday so let’s use this change that is coming, whether we want it or not, to make changes for the better for us, water, the climate, nature and the world. We only have five years to cut emissions by 43% to stay below 1.5°C so now is the time to take & accelerate action. Happy Holidays from the CWR Team!