OPINION: At the start of 2024, I embarked on a year-long challenge to get my carbon emissions compatible with 1.5 degree living.

Why put myself through the burden of calculating the emissions from every meal I eat and every cross-city trip I take? Other than being a sucker for an irrational challenge, we all need to consider the lifestyle changes needed to meet the 1.5 degree target, globally-agreed upon under Paris Agreement.

We often talk about the systemic change needed from governments, but personal actions are the elephant in the room. To make life under 1.5 degrees possible, we need systemic change across our economies, industries and infrastructure — but every person in high-emitting countries needs to make some pretty big changes too.  Most of us use more than a ‘fair share’ of the planet’s resources.

How much is a ‘fair share’ of carbon emissions?

New Zealanders currently have the fifth-highest per capita emissions of OECD countries - we each emit 16.5 tonnes of carbon a year. That’s all while 50% of the world lives under two tonnes already in developing countries. The fair share is 2.5 tonnes carbon dioxide per person per year.

Image: Oxfam

The two tonne challenge: How did I do?

There are 10 guidelines of the two-tonne challenge:

1. No air travel

2. Eat 100% plant-based, with minimal food waste

3. No car ownership, no cruises, walk and cycle everywhere

4. Use under 3500 Kw/H of energy

5. Buy 100% renewable electricity (not possible in my situation)

6. Small Home: 33m2 per person max

7. Buy second-hand, almost no new stuff

8. Minimise finances invested in high-carbon stocks

9. No meat-eating pets

10. Maximum seven weeks holidays, in self-catering or eco-hotels

I successfully checked off all these challenges except for renewable energy and - spoiler alert - I also ticked off the overall goal.

Food

Meat and dairy are huge sources of emissions, and a diet shift is one of the biggest dents we can make to our personal contribution to the climate crisis - read more about this in my piece on a low-carbon diet here. 

I saved over $1500 over the year from buying $2 lentils and chickpeas, instead of $20 red meats, and found my energy levels were higher. Even so - what I ate accounted for almost half of my CO2 allowance.

Total carbon saved: >2 tonnes

Total carbon: 1,055 kgs (1 tonne)

Travel

I sold my car and didn’t take any flights in 2024 (one return flight to Aussie would have blown my entire budget). I re-organised work travel to stay in the country - you can read more about my train travel and e-bike escapades here.

I said goodbye to an overseas holiday and bought a small sailing yacht - teaching myself to sail in the process! Not only a fun hobby, it’s given me a low-carbon way to explore New Zealand’s coastlines. 

Total carbon saved: >3 tonnes

Total carbon: 605.1 kgs

Home, energy and pets

I was already pet-free, and I live in a small home. The one rule of the challenge I didn’t succeed at was the “buy 100% renewable energy”, as that choice is not currently an option in the New Zealand market (I don’t believe in renewable energy certificates), and I couldn’t install solar in my apartment block during this challenge.

Total carbon: 399.7 kgs

Shopping and finances: minimise money invested in high-carbon stocks

I buy second-hand clothing by default, but this goal extends it across household appliances, technology, furniture, and other high-carbon items.

Overall, I saved a lot of money by not buying much stuff, and it made me consider how much of what we own we actually use and need (not much). I’ve signed up to Pathfinder via InvestNow - an almost entirely fossil-fuel-free investment fund.

This was the easiest change which saved me tonnes of emissions, and made sure my money wasn’t invested in destroying the future. 

Total carbon saved: >2 tonnes (investments)

Total carbon saved: >0.5 tonnes (purchases)

Total carbon: 300 kgs

Counting up:

Thanks to the amazing Gautami from Proxima Consulting, I can confirm I emitted 2.36 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024. Phew, under 2.5 tonnes!

My biggest source of emissions, and the hardest to reduce below 1 tonne, was food! I thought it would have been transport, but I managed to travel quite far afield with no dramas. It was eating that cost the earth.

The main surprise was that there were no insanely hard barriers to taking most of these actions - they just require a nudge to get started and then have a huge impact. For example switching the average Kiwisaver saves 2.3 tonnes CO2. And once you’ve changed, the benefits are well worth the switch.

The main delight was that being the weird one brought other people on board. My foodie friends hunted down restaurants with plant-based options, my family now makes their own soy milk, many friends are switching to eBikes; carpooling or public transport is becoming the default for work trips. By behaving differently and taking action, it created a ripple effect. At work, we’ve even launched Climate Club Challenges - a way to invite people to join in on this project in the lowest barrier way.

Could anyone in NZ do this?

Living in line with the Paris Agreement in New Zealand is harder if your work demands you travel long distances, or if you live far from where you work, go to school, or socialise.

We definitely need systemic changes, such as improved public inter-regional transport (bring on bullet trains!) and subsidised solar, but you’d be surprised how much is possible with a few key life decisions about where you live, work and holiday.

What will you keep? Anything you’ll go back to?

After switching this way for a year, I have new routines, recipes and travel routes. It’s far easier to keep eBiking around and eating the same food than switch back. It’s actually become hard to imagine going back. And while it won’t make a dent in the country or planet’s emissions, and won’t magically halt the climate storms we’re having - seeing the way that it’s had a wider impact keeps on bringing me hope.

Have you ever tried a challenge like this? Get in touch or sign up to the 2025 Challenge.

Emily Mabin Sutton is an emerging director, on the board of Consumer NZ, Clean Planet, and Cool-Safe Trust. She is also CEO of Climate Club, and runs Climate Fresk workshops, the climate game played by 2 million people worldwide.