The good life

The good life involves eating, drinking, a roof over one’s head and additional material goods. But many of its elements – such as love, friendship, a feeling of security and meaning – cannot be bought for all the money in the world. Treating material goods with care and nurturing a wealth of intangible values: that is the key to a good life with little CO₂.

Let us invite you on a journey to other worlds. Remember the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp? A boy finds an old lamp with the help of a magician. When he begins to rub it clean, a genie appears and asks him his desire. Aladdin is modest and asks only for what is close to hand. But he eventually becomes powerful and wealthy. The story teaches us that we must be careful about what we wish for. Because every wish has consequences. What would you wish for if you were in Aladdin’s position?

The good life on planet earth

Let us assume your wish is to have a good life. Easy. But what does it mean to live well? What does happiness mean? You may think that to live well you need a lucrative job, a large car, a magnificent villa. But have you also thought of the consequences? For example, how much time and energy a demanding job requires? Time which may no longer be available for your friends and family. In the long term too, the resources that you need to support your lifestyle will restrict the lives of others. For example, those of your children. After all, planet earth has limited resources that may one day be depleted. 

The reduction to one tonne of CO₂ starts now, step by step

But would you have to renounce everything in order to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle? Perhaps live in a barrel like the Greek philosopher Diogenes, and live from hand to mouth?

Of course not. It would be great to reduce our CO₂ emissions to a single tonne, and it’s something we will certainly have to do in the mid-term. But no one will have to live in a barrel to do that. Even big changes begin with small steps. The first one is to recognize that we are in a critical situation and that time is running out. That we must start taking the first steps now if we hope to reduce our CO₂ emissions dramatically by the year 2030. The majority of scientists warn us of the extremely serious consequences of failing to act. Of course, we can hardly transform our lives from one day to the next. But it would be wise to start today, because the problem becomes more expensive and complicated to resolve with every passing year. No-one can resolve the crisis alone. But each of us can make a contribution. Step by step, without losing the goal from our sights.

What really counts in life?

So what do we want? It’s well worthwhile reflecting on this question. To ask ourselves what a good life actually is. For like every crisis, the CO₂ situation also represents an opportunity. Our basic needs are met, we can even earn a lot of money and afford all kinds of things – but don’t we sometimes feel the downside: over-work, stress or the anxiety that we could lose what we have achieved: our work, our home or our savings?

Do we also have time for the things that are really important to us? For family, friends and hobbies? For simple things like good food and sound sleep? And wouldn’t a life that places more value on such things be a better life?

Our vision: living well with little CO₂

Let us at this point introduce a vision of how it might be possible to meet human needs in the future without jeopardising the basis of our existence. To achieve a better life for ourselves, our families, the environment and succeeding generations. Because our children will have to bear the consequences of our present lifestyle. If we wish to make a good life possible for them, it is wise to start transforming our lives today.