Everything we do, from the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and in doing so has an impact on the planet’s climate. But some of our activities have a far greater impact than others. Around 2.4% of global CO2 emissions come from aviation, this industry alone is responsible for around 5% of total global warming.
The global COVID-19 lockdowns resulted in carbon dioxide emissions declining by an estimated 6.4% or 2.4 billion tonnes in 2020, as the pandemic quashed economic and social activities worldwide. Emissions from transport accounted for the largest share of the global decrease. Car journeys fell by approximately half at the peak of the COVID lockdowns, and by December 2020, emissions from road transport and aviation combined were still far below their 2019 levels – with aviation alone some 40% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Going forward businesses can prioritise the use of conference or video calls, and instant messaging platforms can also play a part. When coronavirus ravaged the world, nearly all meetings and conferences pivoted to virtual models with us learning to embrace technology and learn skills in virtual communication. Many may feel that virtual networking cannot replace face-to-face time, but in terms of reducing our carbon footprint – conversing virtually can make a great impact.
This year zioxi has successfully completed three major international projects, where all space planning, project managing and the installation of the furniture itself, has been managed remotely from the UK. Our first international project in Foshan, China took place amid the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020, this was swiftly followed by projects at Gordon College in Israel and El Rabwa Educational Complex in Egypt. The most recent project in New Mustakbal City in New Cairo, is the beginning of a large project that zioxi has had the honour to work on, and which will be managed entirely virtually.
Through meticulous planning, furniture was manufactured in the UK, and transported via sea. Teams of local people were then able to unload and install the furniture using plans and instructions sent digitally with numerous facetime calls, WhatsApp group messages and more. The furniture was built and placed in situ and the overall results were tremendous.
It is one step on our road to lower the carbon footprint of zioxi – but on a global scale – this could be the beginning of a healthier planet.