According to research from Zero Carbon Britain 2030, if the temperature of the planet rises by 2 degrees, an ecological tipping point will be unbalanced and the devastating effects of global warming will be felt in an apocalyptic planetary meltdown.
The 10:10 campaign was an ambitious prevention project, set up to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: work together to achieve a 10% cut in the UK's carbon emissions in 2010.
Each month 10:10 focused on different ways to reduce carbon emissions, while offering advice on everything from insulation to recycling. And, like the white bands of the Make Poverty History campaign, 10:10 created pendants made from reclaimed aluminum from scrap airplanes. 150,000 alone were produced from the plane involved in Flight 9, which was taken out of service.
Campaign director Eugenie Harvey compared the approach to Weight Watchers, "To lose 3 stone, the first target is to lose 10% of that. This is how 10:10 works, engaging people in an immense task in a way that's achievable and relatively un-painful."
Actions for individuals included fewer plane journeys and lower heating, as well as changing light bulbs, replacing old fridges and freezers and turning appliances off. Supporters then made suggestions such as driving less, eating local produce and in-season food (rather than meat or dairy), buying long-lasting or second hand goods, repairing and re-using old belongings, avoiding unnecessary packaging or products and reducing water usage.
The results of the campaign reflected the commitment 10:10 made to embracing social media. It garnered the support of over 70,000 individuals from a cross-section society and more than 2,500 businesses, including household names such as Sony, Adidas and Microsoft. The momentum gained even took 10:10 all the way to parliament and made waves in both central and local government, with the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition agreeing to cut emissions by 10% within days of coming to power, and signing up 43% of the UK's councils to the movement.
It also influence the Royal Mail to join and stamp letters with the 10:10 logo and encouraged ten London underground stations to commit to overhauling their environmental impacts in a novel grass-roots scheme.
Due to the success of the UK campaign, 10:10 has now gone global and launched chapters in France and Washington, to name but a few.