The fight against climate change is growing more urgent with every new report. Pleas from all over the world to help combat global warming are constantly in the news. With the recent actions of the current administration, it is easy to give up and feel hopeless about the state of our world. But, instead of giving up, we can continue to battle climate change to preserve the beauty of our world.
Here are some ways that we can all do to help in the fight against Climate Change:
1. Speak out.
It seems simple, but one of the best ways to get people to notice the cause you are fighting for is to talk about it. Starting discussions about climate change is a good way to raise attention for more legislation and people who can make a difference. The more people who realize the drastic effect that Climate Change has on our world, the more people who can band together to decrease emissions and conserve energy.
2. Decrease emissions and conserve energy.
That leads me to the next point which is something we often here but dismiss. It's easy to justify leaving our lights on when we tell ourselves that one person doesn't make or break the environment. The reality is that each person who works to conserve energy contributes a little until a large portion of Americans makes an impact. We cannot help our environment if we don't begin with a single person.
By biking or walking when it is possible and turning out lights when they are not necessary, each one of us makes a small difference in the fight against climate change.
3. Use less plastic and create less trash.
This one is another thing that seems small but makes a larger impact if many people contribute. Carry a reusable water bottle and coffee cup to cut down the waste that we create in our day to day lives. Using less plastic allows for less landfills to be created, thus more land is available for agriculture or housing.
4. Buy local when its possible.
Buying local also helps reduce carbon emissions and contributes to your local economy. Buying things that are manufactured in the area in which you live cuts down on shipping which constantly puts out carbon emissions. Buying things from local stores and items that were manufactured locally contribute to tackling the carbon emissions produced by shipping.
5. Reduce and reuse before you recycle.
Before throwing things in the recycling bin, see if there is another way to repurpose what you are throwing away or try to reduce the amount of garbage you use altogether. Of course, recycling is good too but before things can be recycled remember the other ways to reduce the amount of trash you have.
Despite the decisions of world leaders, we have the ability to fight climate change without legislation. It is up to us to make the individual choice to combat global warming. We can band together to truly make a difference and the world will look less like this:
and more like this:
