By, CELIA BROCKER
Anyone who believes that there’s no such thing as global warming must be either blind or unintelligent.
– Stevie Wonder
Climate change is real, folks! It’s simple science: Carbon dioxide is released when fossil fuels are burned for energy. It and other greenhouse gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight. These pollutants trap the heat, which warms the Earth. It has been studied and proven countless times. Scientists predict that we have until 2030 to make drastic changes to save our environment.
It’s pretty frustrating that our government won’t take serious action to fight global warming, but there are some small things ordinary citizens can do that will make an impact. Here’s a list of things you can do about climate change.
Eat organic food when you can. Organic food is grown without synthetic fertilizers, which begin as byproducts of oil refining.
Eat less meat. It takes a lot of energy to produce food for animals and to care for them. Consuming less of the end result can decrease that energy.
Don’t waste your food. It’s also helpful to grow your own food if you can.
Buy bottled water less frequently. Bring your own bottle and refill it.
Stop using cups for coffee. Use your own coffee mug/thermos.
Buy locally manufactured products more often. Minimizing the transportation of goods also reduces carbon emissions.
Reduce and reuse more often. Most people only follow through on the third R – recycling – because it’s the most convenient. But it produces a lot of carbon to transport and process materials for recycling.
Recycling still uses less energy than making new products, but reusing and reducing use even less.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs produce the same amount of light but use only a quarter of the energy incandescent light bulbs use.
Turn off lights and unplug devices when you’re not using them. They’re still using energy when they’re plugged in!
Unsubscribe from junk mails. Mail and email require paper, electricity, and fossil fuels to be produced and transported. They’re annoying you anyway; you might as well help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Do full loads of laundry. Also, decrease the number of daily showers you take, and turn off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth.
Hang dry when you can. Dryers take up a lot of energy, too.
Walk, bike, and use public transportation when available. And carpool when you can.
Fly less frequently. Air transport is a major source of pollution. If it’s at all possible for you to take a train instead, you should do that.
Contact your senators and representatives and push for laws to aid our environment against climate change.
These things are all cost-effective and easy. Do your part to help our environment!
For more info on climate change and the environment, visit these websites:
To calculate and offset your carbon emissions, follow this link: https://unfccc.int/climate-action/climate-neutral-now
GRAPHICS BY HANNAH COHEN
