Latest IPCC Report Says Warming May Be Inevitable — Here’s How You Can Stop It From Getting Worse
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change just released the physical science basis for its sixth assessment report on climate change. The IPCC stated that it leaves no doubt “that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land” and that “it’s too late to avoid additional warming in the coming decades.” This additional warming is projected to be at least 1.5°C despite any efforts that we make now to become net-zero within a few decades. However, if we do nothing now, or worse, escalate global CO2 emissions, the warming will surpass our current projections and lead to a far more damaged planet. It’s not all doom and gloom though because the IPCC stated that warming could stabilize at current projections with collective efforts. So what can you do to help?
- Reduce Your Own Carbon Footprint
There are plenty of carbon footprint calculators out there, but the general CO2-producing sources are all the same: transportation, energy, diet, and shopping habits. Utilize greener methods of transportation and energy, whether that is powered by you or the sun; reduce your meat consumption, especially from cows; and buy less and buy local. These conscious acts multiplied by millions, or billions, of people can make a world of difference.
2. Buycott
Buycotting is the act of supporting ethical companies when purchasing products. If you can’t buy everything you need locally to help reduce transportation/shipping emissions, then try supporting companies that are producing higher-quality, longer-lasting plastic-free products with little-to-no packaging.
3. Utilize Your Consumer Dollars
As a consumer, you have the immeasurable power of influencing corporations to meet your demands. When enough people participate in buycotting for example, the corporations left out will hear the message and make changes or be left behind.
4. Use Your Voice & Your Vote
Use your voice anywhere and everywhere — with family and friends, online, businesses, and your elected officials. There are still many people out there who don’t know about climate change and many more who have been misinformed by those around them. Your power of influence is greatest on those around you, so use that power to help fight misinformation and make changes.
5. Practice Empathetic Education
The situation is critical, but using your voice to lodge debates that shut others down won’t win people to your side. It’s important to remember that we are all human and not everyone is at the same point of the climate change journey as you. Showing empathy by answering questions and going over research together is more effective than involving yourself in a debate where it escalates and no one wins. Hear their concerns, provide information about those concerns, and relate the information to how it affects them or their community. As sad as the obligatory polar bear pictures are, they don’t help a lot of people in tropical regions understand how climate change will affect them.
Do you have any other tips for reducing carbon emissions and making changes to help combat climate change? I would love to hear them in the comments below.
