8 Tips On How To Mitigate Climate Change In Your Own Way - Newslibre

8 Tips On How To Mitigate Climate Change In Your Own Way

The global pandemic may have enforced drastic shifts in our ways of living, but the climate crisis that has dominated headlines still continues to persist and at an increasingly alarming rate.

Just recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released assessment reports on how climate change is altering our planet’s natural systems and aggravating extreme weather phenomena around the world.

The world has been put on high alert because of this crisis. The call to action for each individual and organization is to act now and do more. But where exactly does one start?

In today’s world of social distancing and predominantly virtual connection, we must uphold social solidarity above all to resolve the threat of this climate crisis. Individual initiatives that start – but do not end – in one’s home and/or workplace can actually make a difference.

From reconfiguring your home and/or office setup to ditching the plastic bag at the grocery store, these are a few action steps that you can do as a head start in building a healthier, more sustainable, and less wasteful household and/or office.

8 Ways You Can Play A Role In Mitigating Climate Change

1. Learn how to recycle properly

This is probably the most common action step you’ll see anywhere, as it should be. Recycling – on any scale – remains to be one of the most effective and important ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

It is important to note that it is not just trash that you can recycle, but literally anything you own. Recycling can be done with clothing, appliances, furniture, and other materials that have glass, plastic, wood, paper, and others.

The key to working towards a more sustainable lifestyle is to reduce waste as much as possible. This means thinking about how to reuse and recycle anything rather than replacing them immediately.

2. Use renewable energy sources

Just to paint a picture about the gravity of fossil fuels, only about 100 fossil fuel companies are responsible for 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is exactly why the push for more renewable energy sources is getting prevalent.

While the more famous options out there (like getting a Tesla) may make you think that doing this isn’t exactly accessible to more people yet, there are actually plenty of more affordable and accessible ways you can reduce energy consumption such as installing solar panels and replacing your light bulbs with LEDs.

3. Rethink your commute

Your gas-powered car guzzles up fossil fuels and spews out toxic greenhouse gases so that it can function. These vehicles are widely recognized to be one of the top causes of pollution.

Switch it up for the planet by rethinking your commute routine. Grab your bike, take a bus or train, or just walk it out whenever you’re able. This doesn’t just help in reducing the damage to our environment. It will do wonders for your physical health, too!

4. Eat less meat

Trying out more homegrown, organic, or plant-based meals for a healthier diet does not just help reduce the detrimental need for those highly commercialized, mass-produced, and factory-farmed animals. It can also be great for your physical health AND your wallet!

5. Use less plastic

8 Tips On How To Mitigate Climate Change In Your Own Way - Newslibre
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels

Even if you already have a solid recycling practice, it’s still best to avoid plastic entirely. Greenpeace recently discovered that most recycled plastic still gets shipped to countries with lax environmental protection laws, which almost defeats the purpose.

Ditch the plastic bag at any store for example. Opt for an eco-bag or a reusable bag instead!

6. Support the science & technology sector

Since this is a global emergency that our scientists and technologists have the best and most experienced say on, we should express our support for them in all ways we can, be it through material donations, participating directly in initiatives or projects, and even lobbying for the betterment of the sector.

At this point, it really becomes a matter of how well we concretely empower the sector that can provide roadmaps to solutions. Material support for research areas relevant to fighting climate change and predicting its local and global effects such as marine weather forecasting remains to be an increasingly pressing need worldwide.

7. Opt for sustainable quality management

What has been gaining traction in workplaces these days because of the climate crisis is what’s called sustainable quality management. Simply put, these are practices employed by companies to reduce their overall carbon footprint and minimize waste.

Get your company to play its part in saving the planet by adopting this style of work. Not only does it benefit the bigger picture (i.e. our whole planet), it also has some direct benefits to the business in terms of sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

8. Make your voice heard and participate in democratic processes

As repeatedly emphasized by key figures and headlines, the problem the climate crisis brings is no hiccup that can be resolved overnight. It has come to a point that it demands systemic change.

Given that, the most important action step on this list is to go beyond our individual initiatives and start acting for bigger, bolder, and more significant changes.

One of the best ways is to vote for climate-conscious representatives and urge local and national officials to produce and implement action plans that reduce emissions and pioneer the shift to a clean energy economy.

Another concrete step is to talk about this with your peers and family, attend more educational discussions about the issue, and get them to start with these tips as well. Nothing is more effective than the collective action of a united community dedicated to creating a better future for all.

 

Check out: 4 Smart Home Tech Upgrades Home Owners Can Try Out Today

8 Tips On How To Mitigate Climate Change In Your Own Way 1

Author: Kano Anafora

Newslibre is a media company that provides informative news, technology, entertainment, web, startups, gadgets, and open source projects across the world and Uganda.

1Shares

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *