FOR THE past week, emails promoting Black Friday sales have been flooding into my inbox faster than I can say ‘unsubscribe’.

We might see bargains to be had, but this annual festival of consumerism comes with a hidden cost. 

Zero Waste Scotland estimates that 80% of our carbon footprint comes from the things we consume. Most of these emissions are produced overseas, often in countries where environmental and workforce standards are lower.

The Green movement often talks about thinking global and acting local, because often what we see as ‘global’ is really just ‘local’ somewhere else. Our consumption can feed exploitation and environmental degradation around the world.  

To cap it all, we send our unwanted rubbish back. Lanarkshire-based Saica Natur was fined this week for sending contaminated waste to China. What was supposedly paper for recycling was found to also include food waste, electricals, used nappies, and clothes.

We need a new approach, and that’s why I’m delighted one of the posts taken up by the Scottish Greens in Government is our Minister for the Circular Economy, Lorna Slater MSP.

It might not be a term that everyone is familiar with, but getting on board with the circular economy is something we all need to do.

Simply put, it’s about making things last. For each of us, that could be about reusing, repairing, and sharing more, and there are dozens of local projects to help. But at a bigger scale, it’s also about how we make the shift to low carbon.

READ MORE: Jon Molyneux: It's local action that gives me hope for tackling the climate crisis

A recent study by the Green Alliance think tank has shown that the UK’s demand for certain critical materials, like lithium, which is used in batteries for electric cars, is likely to soar so much that we will use double our global ‘fair share’ by 2035, and maybe five times that by 2050. Lithium mining is hugely destructive, with awful conditions for workers. Also, by hogging its limited supply, we risk other countries’ ability to cut their own emissions. 

A circular economy approach can ensure our green industrial revolution is a just one, not a new spin on imperialist greed.

What we do locally must respond to this global challenge. For example, we should not be planning for the same number of private vehicles on our roads. Swapping every internal combustion engine for an electric vehicle is not sustainable. 

Instead, we need to rethink our need to travel. The ‘20 minute neighbourhood’ concept, which is about meeting our basic needs locally, can be a vital part of that. It also means shifting as many journeys as possible to public transport or active travel. And for journeys where a car is needed, we should make hiring the use of one cheaper and just as convenient as owning one.

Changes like these won’t be easy, but they are vital if we want the shift to zero emissions to be a good thing for local communities, both here and around the world. Greens are ready to lead that change, by taking the bold steps we need.