The latest report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) found that several of the most commonly used renewables, like solar, geothermal, bioenergy, hydropower and onshore wind, will be on par with or cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020. Change your light bulbs. So take shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, and switch to WaterSense-labeled fixtures and appliances. “We should choose more efficient vehicles and, whenever possible, switch directly to electric vehicles,” says Maria Virginia Vilarino, co-author of the mitigation chapter in the IPCC’s latest report. So don't leave fully charged devices plugged into your home's outlets, unplug rarely used devices or plug them into power strips and timers, and adjust your computers and monitors to automatically power down to the lowest power mode when not in use. And since livestock products are among the most resource-intensive to produce, eating meat-free meals can make a big difference, too. By using less of it, we can curb our own contribution to climate change while also saving money. Please, IndoMet in the Heart of Borneo/Wikimedia Commons. The Tempestry Project invites you to spin a colorful yarn about rising temperatures. Scientists Say We Can Reduce Emissions by 68%. But this result has been contentious – and it leads to other questions. Read More: 170 Countries Agree to Ban HFCs in Landmark Climate Change Agreement “Everyone is going to have to be involved," says Debra Robert, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the group tasked with the report. The numbers seem quite alarming as almost one in nine people on the planet have limited access to food. So if you choose to take this question into account, you have to remember that it’s not just about how many children you have – it’s where (and who) you are. It is virtually impossible to eradicate climate change as a whole, but we can limit its harmful effects and decrease its significance, and it starts with teens. Fundamentally, nurses can learn and then practice and lead others on their personal and institutional practices, implementing the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and re-educate at home and in the workplace. Individuals need to exercise their rights both as citizens and as consumers, Robert and other experts say, putting pressure on their governments and on companies to make the system-wide changes that are needed. Should I think about how many children I have (or don’t have)? Climate Change - Five things that you can do now to help stop climate change and reduce your carbon footprint. Healing the planet starts in your garage, in your kitchen, and at your dining room table. Today, 30 to 50 percent of production of copper, gold, iron ore, and zinc is concentrated in areas where water stress is already high. 'The genius of Graciela Chichilnisky is recognized by economists and with this book she has focused that talent to the dire problem facing mankind. Since they were first implemented nationally in 1987, efficiency standards for dozens of appliances and products have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. The Madhouse Effect portrays the intellectual pretzels into which denialists must twist logic to explain away the clear evidence that human activity has changed Earth's climate. Holiday travel: No extra planes, pilots or attendants. Bad weather could cripple the whole system Here are ways you can eat for the planet, according to an expert. There are groups of scientists and members of the public who have decided to give up flying or who fly less. When old growth forests are cut, it can take hundreds, or even thousands of years for the ecosystem to grow back. Small steps can add up to big reductions in your electricity use—and your utility bill. Methane: Its big impact on climate change, how humans create it and can reduce it. Big data has big . We appreciate your input! 5 Ways to Make This Earth Day Really Count, 5 Ways City Dwellers Can Spur Climate Action, The Northeast Is the Fastest-Warming Region in the Lower 48. To stop climate change, we need to stop the amount of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, from increasing.For the past 150 years, burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests, which naturally pull carbon dioxide out of the air, has caused greenhouse gas levels to increase. It’s important to remember the equally vital contributions that can be made by private citizens—which is to say, by you. Those are hard, philosophical questions – and we’re not going to try to answer them here. At least 31 villages now face imminent threats from climate change and may have to relocate, at a cost of as much as $200 million each. Climate change can still be tackled - but only if people are willing to embrace major shifts in the way we live, a report says. We must stabilize global temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures. What we do know is that no two people have the same emissions. Actually, renewables like wind and solar are becoming increasingly cheap across the world (although final costs are subject to local circumstances). Social scientists have found that when one person makes a sustainability-oriented decision, other people do too. Read about our approach to external linking. A step-by-step guide to protecting your community from dirty development projects. Trees also provide shade, which helps keep streets and houses cooler in the summertime and reduces the need for air conditioning. And if you are not, how should we consider the fact that more people will likely have more carbon emissions? Almost one-third of the food produced by farmers is thrown away. 5. There are many examples of governments incentivizing this practice. This publication, prepared jointly by the WHO, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, considers the public health challenges arising from global climate change and options for policy responses, ... 'This book deserves to be widely read. A simple tune-up can boost miles per gallon anywhere from 4 percent to 40 percent, and a new air filter can get you a 10 percent boost. Smart growth policies contribute to both mitigating and adapting to climate change. Climate Change is a very real and present danger. “The main reason elected officials do anything difficult is because their constituents make them,” Haq says. You can offset the carbon you produce by purchasing carbon offsets, which represent clean power that you can add to the nation’s energy grid in place of power from fossil fuels. Each year we could prevent thousands of early deaths in the UK, and save the NHS a fortune, by eating low-meat or no-meat diets. We all can make a difference by reducing consumption. Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions, a new report by a committee of the National Research Council, characterizes the global warming trend over the last 100 years, and examines what may be in store for the 21st century ... When people see their neighbours taking environmental action, like conserving energy, they infer that people like them also value sustainability and feel more compelled to act. Could I make a difference by changing my diet? Ensuring the good health of our planet is for our own good. The agreement’s authors built in a time line for withdrawal that President Trump will have to follow—slowing him down from irreparably damaging our climate. Gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles, save fuel and money. Save the Food. 8. Proper cattle grazing management can even help mitigate climate change. No doubt plastics are harmful, not only for the health of humans but also for biodiversity. He is @arguedasortiz on Twitter. Climate Change: Evidence and Causes is a jointly produced publication of The US National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society. We now know that reducing the risk of dangerous climate change means halving global greenhouse gas emissions by that date—in just 11 years. There are a lot of benefits to switching to an electric vehicle in addition to the reduced emissions. Indeed, heating and air-conditioning account for almost half of home energy use. And finally, they also require lots of water, fertilisers that can release greenhouse gases, and plenty of land – some of which come from cleared forests, another source of carbon emissions. But, some small steps can considerably decrease the amount of plastic that we use every day. Less frequent flying can make a big difference, too. Reduce, reuse, and recycle at the office by using two-sided printing and copying; only printing what you need; buying supplies made with recycled content; and recycling paper products, batteries, and used printer cartridges. Act now. But not all carbon offset companies are alike. For instance, the clothing sector represents around 3% of the world’s global production emissions of CO2, mostly because of the use of energy to produce attire. Instead, we need to ask: “what can we do?”. 5 Ways to Reduce Consumption and Slow Climate Change. If you throw away even half the paper you use in a year instead of recycling it, you increase your climate pollution by the same amount as driving 526 miles. While some of these solutions might be costly in the short term, many will pay dividends in the long run. 4. Indeed, the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report demonstrates a 'code red for humanity'. What is your city doing about climate change? Whether you are a coffee farmer in Colombia or a homeowner in California, climate change will have an impact on your life. What is the single most important thing humanity has to do in the coming years – and what does that mean for me? It increases the likelihood of flooding in Miami and elsewhere, threatens the millions of people living along the Brahmaputra River in north-eastern India and disrupts the sex life of plants and animals. If these options are not practical, consider ways of cutting back on your use of energy at home. If that isn’t possible for you, take a look at your electric bill; many utilities now list other ways to support renewable sources on their monthly statements and websites. For example: Plant a tree. We appreciate your input! Smart growth strategies also bring environmental benefits and provide economic advantages to . In terms of climate change, gardens absorb carbon dioxide, the driving factor behind global warming. We argued that incremental improvements to existing energy technologies weren't enough to reverse climate change, and we advocated for a portfolio of conventional, cutting-edge, and might-seem . The 20 that show the greatest potential for cutting the dangerous carbon pollution that’s driving climate change will share a total of $70 million in technical assistance funding provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies and partners. This friendly guide helps readers explore solutions to this challenging problem, from what governments and industry can do to what readers can do at home and how to get involved. This "idle load" across all U.S. households adds up to the output of 50 large power plants in the U.S. Climate change is happening; it is real. But isn’t renewable energy extremely expensive? It’s released when oil, coal, and other fossil fuels are burned for energy—the energy we use to power our homes, cars, and smartphones. How can small businesses help to reduce climate change? In fact, simply making a . Taking climate action can be difficult at any age, but especially so for young people. So, turn off those electrical appliances — unless absolutely necessary (like fridges, etc). But, by being a little more conscious of portion sizes and of how we use fresh food, you can make a significant impact at home. The good news is that we have made global progress on this, and two years ago 170 countries agreed to start phasing out HFCs in 2019. Here’s how it works and why it matters. Solar energy is now the cheapest source of electricity for many households in Latin America, Asia and Africa (Credit: Getty). mayors, state leaders, county officials, governors, major companies, and millions of citizens across our country have pledged that they're, IPCC Report: We’ve Already Warmed the Planet to Catastrophic Effect, but the Level of That Catastrophe Is Still Up to Us, There’s Actually Some Good News in That Scary IPCC Report, Trump Is Trying to Pull the Wool Over Our Eyes About Climate Change—These Knitters Aren’t Having It, These Alaska Residents Are Watching Their Hometowns Slide Into Rising Waters. By getting rid of financial instruments related to the fossil fuel industry, organisations can both take climate action and reap economic benefits. Vote for leaders at all levels of government who take climate change seriously. 9. Mitigation - reducing climate change - involves reducing the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, either by reducing sources of these gases (for example, the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat or transport) or enhancing the "sinks" that accumulate and store these gases (such as the oceans, forests and soil). Highway vehicles release about 1.6 billion tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere each year—mostly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO 2)—contributing to global climate change.Each gallon of gasoline you burn creates 20 pounds of GHG. 4 ways to combat climate change with a fork . Attacking climate change in all that we do Global efforts to reduce emissions are having an effect. Even better, a new initiative by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg gives the urban layer of this movement a boost. Measure your carbon emissions in this calculator by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Improving climate resilience involves assessing how climate change will create new, or alter current, climate-related risks, and taking steps to better cope with these risks. You have probably heard that our planet is in danger. Making Sense of Climate Change discusses the causes, the impacts, as well as possible solutions, to tackle the problem at the individual, community, and global level in a simple easy-to-read style for the general reader Together we can make the change. They are quieter and you will pay only pennies to "fill up the tank." But personal action can go beyond . The information presented in this book will be invaluable to the research community, especially social scientists studying climate change; practitioners of decision-making assistance, including advocacy organizations, non-profits, and ... In industrialised countries such as European nations, getting rid of your car can reduce 2.5 tonnes of CO2 – about one-fourth of the average yearly emissions (9.2 tonnes) contributed by each person in developed countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Recycle More. There are things each of us can do to keep climate change in its tracks. #1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. UPDATE: On August 9, 2021, the IPCC released its Sixth Assessment Report, which details the dire state of the planet and how the global community has a very narrow pathway to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.