Man raising money for Friends of the Earth by climbing 1.48km

Chris Horan, from Corfe Mullen, is fundraising for Friends of the Earth and aims to climb this distance after 2023 was 1.48 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times and was the hottest year on record.

The 43-year-old dad of two said he had worked to limit his impact on the planet as much as possible but felt to have a bigger impact he would fundraise for the group.

“I've personally tried to decarbonize as much as possible, so no use of gas central heating at home, [I] got rid of the car and I got an electric car, solar on the roof, battery in the house,” Chris said.

“[I’m] trying to kind of decarbonize my own family's eating habits to try and reduce on the meat and try and eat local, eat and buy local as much as possible.

“But you kind of get into a situation where the law of diminishing returns, where there's only so much you can do individually.

“So, the next thing which I can then do is kind of campaign against climate change and the Friends of the Earth do a really good job in that.”

Chris said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is clear on what needs to be done to help the planet.

“Their message is really clear and they are humanity's best prediction of what will happen. Their message is to decarbonize rapidly.

“The next thing is then to try and go against the likes of big oil and those bigger organizations which need to be really held to account, and Friends of the Earth will do that on our behalf.”

He is climbing around 50m every day at climbing centres in the area, including the Project Climbing Centre in Poole.

Chris also climbs outdoors in Portland at weekends with his children.

“Climbing 50 meters in itself is not too bad,” Chris said. “If you just do that sort of on a single day, that's ok, but continuing to do it every day is a bit of a challenge.”

He is set to finish his challenge on March 25 and aims to raise £2,000.

For more information on his challenge and to donate, search Chris Horan on JustGiving.