Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Carbon and Climate Fund

What can we do about global warming?

Think global, act local

Whenever we use energy - to heat our home, to drive our car, to fly off on holiday - we create carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions which add to global warming.  Quite rightly, many people worry about this.

Trees reabsorb CO₂, so you can offset the effect of these emissions by planting trees or giving money to an organisation which will do this for you. If you plant enough trees you can call yourself carbon neutral.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is launching a scheme so that people can be carbon neutral while helping their home county. All donations to the Trust's Carbon and Climate Fund will be used to plant trees in Yorkshire - benefiting wildlife near your home and helping combat global warming.

At the moment our Carbon and Climate site is Chafer Wood on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. This deciduous woodland includes ash, wild cherry and blackthorn. As well as trees, you can see wild flowers such as cowslip, common rock-rose and pyramidal orchid.  Birdwatchers will spot willow warbler, blackcap, redstart, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, nuthatch and many other species. We welcome visitors and there is a permissive footpath through the woodland, so everyone can enjoy it.

How much should I give to make myself carbon neutral?

Environmental campaigners think the average family should give £20 a year to cover carbon emissions on their heating and car usage. When you fly, you should give £5 for a return flight to Europe, £10 for the USA and £30 for Australia.

Professor John MacArthur, former head of Bradford University's Centre for International Development, told us:

"My wife and I have just arranged a holiday in New Zealand. We want to be carbon neutral, so we are giving to YWT's Carbon and Climate Fund."

"The decisions we make affect people throughout the world. Climate change should be on every family's mind, as they think what sort of world their grandchildren will inherit. This donation is a small fraction of our holiday cost but we know that when we take this local action to help wildlife in Yorkshire we are also having an impact on the global climate."

You can donate to the Carbon and Climate Fund by sending a cheque (payable to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust) to:

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Carbon and Climate Fund
1 St George's Place
York
YO24 1GN

Or you can call 01904 659570 during office hours to make a credit card donation.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust promises to use your donation on its Carbon and Climate site on buying trees, tree guards, stakes, planting trees and keeping them in good condition as they grow.