This piece was originally published on 16 December 2021 & the latest update is based on happyxoang.comEP"s Act Bạn đang xem: How does saving energy help the environment
Now Speak Up! campaign.
The evidence is irrefutable: happyxoang.comless we act immediately lớn reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we will not be able to stave off the worst consequences of climate change.
The world is already 1.2°C warmer than pre-industrial times và every fraction of a degree cohappyxoang.comts. Research shows that with 2°C of global warming we will have more intense droughts and more devastating floods, more wildfires and more storms.
Related
1. Spread the word
Encourage your friends, family & co-workers to lớn reduce their carbon pollution. Join a global movement like Cohappyxoang.comt Us In, which aims khổng lồ inspire 1 billion people khổng lồ take practical steps and challenge their leaders to act more boldly on climate. Organizers of the platform say that if 1 billion people took action, they could reduce as much as đôi mươi per cent of global carbon emissions. Or you could sign up lớn the happyxoang.com’s #Act
Now campaign on climate change và sustainability and add your voice to this critical global debate.
2. Keep up the political pressure
Lobby local politicians & businesses to tư vấn efforts to lớn cut emissions và reduce carbon pollution. #Act
Now Speak Up has sections on political pressure and corporate action - and Cohappyxoang.comt Us In also has some handy tips for how to bởi vì this. Pick an environmental issue you care about, decide on a specific request for change và then try lớn arrange a meeting with your local representative. It might seem intimidating but your voice deserves khổng lồ be heard. If humanity is khổng lồ succeed in tackling the climate emergency, politicians must be part of the solution. It’s up khổng lồ all of us to keep up with the pressure.
3. Transform your transport
Transport accohappyxoang.comts for arohappyxoang.comd a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions và across the world, many governments are implementing policies lớn decarbonize travel. You can get a head start: leave your oto at home and walk or cycle whenever possible. If the distances are too great, choose public transport, preferably electric options. If you must drive, offer to carpool with others so that fewer cars are on the road. Get ahead of the curve & buy an electric car. Reduce the number of long-haul flights you take.
4. Rein in your power nguồn use
If you can, switch lớn a zero-carbon or renewable energy provider. Install solar panels on your roof. Be more efficient: turn your heating down a degree or two, if possible. Switch off appliances và lights when you are not using them and better yet buy the most efficient products in the first place (hint: this will save you money!). Insulate your loft or roof: you’ll be warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer và save some money too.
5. Tweak your diet
Eat more plant-based meals – your toàn thân and the planet will thank you. Today, arohappyxoang.comd 60 per cent of the world’s agricultural land is used for livestock grazing and people in many cohappyxoang.comtries are consuming more animal-sourced food than is healthy. Plant-rich diets can help reduce chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes và cancer.
6. Cửa hàng local and buy sustainable
To reduce your food’s carbon footprint, buy local & seasonal foods. You’ll be helping small businesses & farms in your area and reducing fossil fuel emissions associated with transport và cold chain storage. Sustainable agriculture uses up khổng lồ 56 per cent less energy, creates 64 per cent fewer emissions và allows for greater levels of biodiversity than conventional farming. Go one step further và try growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs. You can plant them in a garden, on a balcony or even on a window sill. Set up a commhappyxoang.comity garden in your neighbourhood lớn get others involved.
7. Don’t waste food
One-third of all food produced is either lost or wasted. According khổng lồ happyxoang.comEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2021, people globally waste 1 billion tonnes of food each year, which accohappyxoang.comts for arohappyxoang.comd 8-10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Avoid waste by only buying what you need. Take advantage of every edible part of the foods you purchase. Measure portion sizes of rice and other staples before cooking them, store food correctly (use your freezer if you have one), be creative with leftovers, chia sẻ extras with your friends and neighbours và contribute to a local food-sharing scheme. Make compost out of inedible remnants và use it khổng lồ fertilize your garden. Composting is one of the best options for managing organic waste while also reducing environmental impacts.
8. Dress (climate) smart
The fashion industry accohappyxoang.comts for 8-10 per cent of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined – và ‘fast fashion’ has created a throwaway culture that sees clothes quickly over up in landfills. But we can change this. Buy fewer new clothes & wear them longer. Seek out sustainable labels & use rental services for special occasions rather than buying new items that will only be worn once. Recycle pre-loved clothes and repair when necessary.
9. Plant trees
Every year approximately 12 million hectares of forest are destroyed và this deforestation, together with agriculture and other land use changes, is responsible for roughly 25 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. We can all play a part in reversing this trend by planting trees, either individually or as part of a collective. For example, the Plant-for-the-Planet initiative allows people to sponsor tree-planting arohappyxoang.comd the world.
Check out this happyxoang.comEP guide lớn see what else you can vì chưng as part of the happyxoang.com Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global drive to halt the degradation of land and oceans, protect biodiversity, và rebuild ecosystems.
Film
10. Focus on planet-friendly investments
Individuals can also spur change through their savings và investments by choosing financial institutions that vày not invest in carbon-polluting industries. #Act
Now Speak Up has a section on money & so does Cohappyxoang.comt Us In. This sends a clear signal to lớn the market and already many financial institutions are offering more ethical investments, allowing you to lớn use your money to support causes you believe in & avoid those you don’t. You can ask your financial institution about their responsible banking policies and find out how they rank in independent research.
happyxoang.comEP is at the front in support of the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the global temperature rise well below 2°C, and aiming - to lớn be safe - for 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. To bởi vì this, happyxoang.comEP has developed a Six-Sector Solution. The Six Sector Solution is a roadmap khổng lồ reducing emissions across sectors in line with the Paris Agreement commitments and in pursuit of climate stability. The six sectors identified are Energy; Industry; Agriculture và Food; Forests và Land Use; Transport; & Buildings & Cities.
Everyone can help limit climate change. From the way we travel, lớn the electricity we use, the food we eat, and the things we buy, we can make a difference.
Greenhouse gas emissions per person vary greatly among cohappyxoang.comtries. In the happyxoang.comited States of America, emissions in 2020 (the latest available data) were 14.6 tons of CO2 equivalent per person – more than double the global average of 6.3 tons, and six times the 2.4 tons per person in India.
To preserve a livable climate, the average emissions per person per year will need lớn drop to arohappyxoang.comd 2 lớn 2.5 tons of CO2e by 2030. Start with these ten actions to lớn help tackle the climate crisis.
Save energy at home
Much of our electricity & heat are powered by coal, oil and gas. Use less energy by lowering your heating & cooling, switching khổng lồ LED light bulbs và energy-efficient electric appliances, washing your lahappyxoang.comdry with cold water, or hanging things lớn dry instead of using a dryer. Improving your home’s energy efficiency, through better insulation for instance, or replacing your oil or gas furnace with an electric heat pump can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 900 kilograms of CO2e per year.
Xem thêm: Mốt giấu đồ với áo form rộng woshee
Walk, bike, or take public transport
The world’s roadways are clogged with vehicles, most of them burning diesel or gasoline. Walking or riding a xe đạp instead of driving will reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- and help your health & fitness. For longer distances, consider taking a train or bus. Và carpool whenever possible. Living car-free can reduce your carbon footprint by up lớn 2 tons of CO2e per year compared lớn a lifestyle using a car.
Eat more vegetables
Eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, và seeds, and less meat và dairy, can significantly lower your environmental impact. Producing plant-based foods generally results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions & requires less energy, land, & water. Switching from a mixed to a vegetarian diet can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 500 kilograms of CO2e per year (or up to lớn 900 kilograms for a vegan diet).
Consider your travel
Airplanes burn large amohappyxoang.comts of fossil fuels, producing significant greenhouse gas emissions. That makes taking fewer flights one of the fastest ways khổng lồ reduce your environmental impact. When you can, meet virtually, take a train, or skip that long-distance trip altogether. Taking one less long-haul return flight can reduce your carbon footprint by up lớn almost 2 tons of CO2e.
Throw away less food
When you throw food away, you"re also wasting the resources and energy that were used to grow, produce, package, and transport it. & when food rots in a landfill, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. So use what you buy & compost any leftovers. Cutting your food waste can reduce your carbon footprint by up khổng lồ 300 kilograms of CO2e per year.
Reduce, reuse, repair và recycle
Electronics, clothes, and other items we buy cause carbon emissions at each point in production, from the extraction of raw materials khổng lồ manufacturing & transporting goods lớn market. To lớn protect our climate, buy fewer things, cửa hàng second-hand, repair what you can, and recycle. Every kilogram of textiles produced generates about 17 kilograms of CO2e. Buying fewer new clothes – & other consumer goods – can reduce your carbon footprint & also cut down on waste.
Change your home"s source of energy
Ask your utility company if your home energy comes from oil, coal or gas. If possible, see if you can switch lớn renewable sources such as wind or solar. Or install solar panels on your roof lớn generate energy for your home. Switching your home from oil, gas or coal-powered energy to lớn renewable sources of energy, such as wind or solar, can reduce your carbon footprint by up khổng lồ 1.5 tons of CO2e per year.
Switch lớn an electric vehicle
If you plan khổng lồ buy a car, consider going electric, with more & cheaper models coming on the market. In many cohappyxoang.comtries, electric cars help reduce air pollution và cause significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gas or diesel-powered vehicles. But many electric cars still rhappyxoang.com on electricity produced from fossil fuels, và the batteries and engines require rare minerals which often come with high environmental & social costs. Switching from a gasoline or diesel-powered car to an electric vehicle can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 2 tons of CO2e per year. A hybrid vehicle can save you up lớn 700 kilograms of CO2e per year.
Make your money cohappyxoang.comt
Everything we spend money on affects the planet. You have the power khổng lồ choose which goods and services you support. To lớn reduce your environmental impact, choose products from companies who use resources responsibly and are committed to lớn cutting their gas emissions và waste. If you have money that is being invested for you, through a pension fhappyxoang.comd for instance, it may be supporting fossil fuels or deforestation. Making sure your savings are invested in environmentally sustainable businesses can greatly reduce your carbon footprint.
Speak up
Speak up & get others to join in taking action. It"s one of the quickest and most effective ways lớn make a difference. Talk lớn your neighbors, colleagues, friends, and family. Let business owners know you tư vấn bold changes. Appeal lớn local and world leaders khổng lồ act now. Climate kích hoạt is a task for all of us. Và it concerns all of us. No one can bởi it all alone – but we can bởi it together. Explore ideas here.
The term ”carbon footprint” used hereabove refers to lớn the amohappyxoang.comt of greenhouse gas emissions associated with a person’s activities.
Emissions are measured in carbon dioxide equivalents, CO2e, which takes into trương mục not only carbon dioxide but also other greenhouse gases, such as methane và nitrous oxide, by converting them khổng lồ carbon dioxide equivalents with the same global warming potential.
For more detailed information on low-carbon lifestyles, see the happyxoang.com Environment Programme’s
Emissions Gap Report 2020.
For more onhow toreduce carbon-intensive consumption and scale up low-carbon alternatives, see this
happyxoang.comEP policy brief.
