WAYS TO PREVENT CLIMATE CHANGE

 A.10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Climate Change

Changes in normal levels of heat, cold, rain, and wind are known as climate change. Using fossil fuels such as crude oil, natural gas, or coal affects our climate. That’s because burning these fuels disturbs the balance of greenhouse gases in our earth’s atmosphere (gas envelope that covers the earth). Follow one or more of these tips to reduce climate change.

1.
Change your light bulbs.

Use CFL (compact fluorescent light) or LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs. Both use at least 75% less energy than regular bulbs and last much longer. If 20 million light bulbs were changed to CFLs, we could all save more than $118 million in energy costs. It would also prevent releasing greenhouse gases equal to that of more than 150,000 cars each year. Greenhouse gases change our earth’s temperature. You can buy CFLs and LEDs at your local hardware or discount stores.

 

2. Make less trash—reduce, reuse, recycle.

Use reusable products instead of things you throw away. Make sure to recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass, and aluminum cans. Recycling...

·       A soda can uses less energy than making a new one. The energy you save could power your television for three hours.

·       Saves families up to $22 a month if they take items to their local recycling center. Find a recycling center near you: http://tinyurl.com/RecyclingCenters

 

3. Use less water.

Most people in LA County use 123 gallons of water a day. Most families pay $51 per month for water. Use these tips to save water and money:

·       Take showers instead of baths. A four-minute shower uses 20-40 gallons of water. A bath uses more than double that amount of water.

·       Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. You’ll save up to 200 gallons a month.

·       Make sure your toilet works. Almost all high water bills are due to a leaky or running toilet. Think about installing a water-saving toilet. It can save

up to $110 in costs and 13,000 gallons of water each year.

 

 

4. Keep your home at the right temperature.

More than half of all the energy we use in our homes comes from heating and cooling. You can save 10-15% on your energy bill if you set your thermostat to 68˚F in winter and 78˚F in summer. This will also help one home make 2,000 pounds less carbon dioxide each year. This gas is made when we burn fossils fuels, like natural gas, coal, and crude oil. Carbon dioxide is one of the main gases that change our earth’s temperature.

 

5.
Walk and bike more.

Leave your car at home two days a week. This will lower the amount of greenhouse gases we release by about two tons each year. Walking and biking also helps keep you healthy. California spends about $34 billion each year in medical costs for heart disease, obesity, and other diseases that come from people being overweight and not exercising enough.

6. Drive less to work.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) found that a 40-mile round trip commute costs an average of…

·       $22.08 per day

·      
$463.68 per month

·       $5,564.16 per year

Lower your stress and decrease your time in traffic. Ask your boss about working from home or working a modified schedule. You can also take public transit or join a carpool. Find a carpool near you:

Dial 5-1-1 or visit http://tinyurl.com/CarpoolVanpool

7.
Buy food that’s grown close to home.

Most fruits and vegetables travel about 1,500 miles from the farm to your supermarket. When you buy produce from local farmers, you support your local economy and lower air pollution from transportation.

Find a Farmers’ Market near you: http://tinyurl.com/FindFarmersMarkets

 

8. Eat more vegetables.

Having one meatless meal each week helps your heart, wallet, and the earth. Livestock, like cows, create greenhouse gases and use up a lot of water and land. By eating more vegetables, you lower the demand for livestock and save at least

$237 each year on meat-related costs. Many studies have shown that eating less meat can lower your risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer. Find ways to eat more veggies: www.cdc.gov/family/minutes/tips/fruitsveggies/index.htm

 

9.
Plant a tree.

Planting a tree is good for the air and the earth. It also saves you money on cooling costs by making shade for your home. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that putting just three shade trees in the right place can save homes about

$100-250 in energy costs each year. Trees also absorb carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. Trees can increase property value and improve the neighborhood. Make it a family activity and plant a tree every year.

Learn about planting a tree at www.arborday.org

10.  Share these tips.

Ask your friends, family, and neighbors to do one thing from this list. If we work together, we can all enjoy a healthier Earth.

B.What can we do to slow or stop global warming?

 BY  DAVID HERRING

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 29, 2020  UPDATED SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Climate Q&A 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to stopping or slowing global warming, and each individual, business, municipal, state, tribal, and federal entity must weigh their options in light of their own unique set of circumstances. Experts say it is likely many strategies working together will be needed. Generally speaking, here are some examples of mitigation strategies we can use to slow or stop the human-caused global warming (learn more):

• Where possible, we can switch to renewable sources of energy (such as solar and wind energy) to power our homes and buildings, thus emitting far less heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
• Where feasible, we can drive electric vehicles instead of those that burn fossil fuels; or we can use mass transit instead of driving our own cars.
• Where affordable, we can conserve energy by better insulating our homes and buildings, and by replacing old, failing appliances with more energy-efficient models.
• Where practicable, we can counterbalance our annual carbon dioxide emissions by investing in commercial services that draw down an equal amount of carbon out of the atmosphere, such as through planting trees or carbon capture and storage techniques.
• Where practical, we can support more local businesses that use and promote sustainable, climate-smart practices such as those listed above.
• We can consider placing an upper limit on the amount of carbon dioxide we will allow ourselves to emit into the atmosphere within a given timeframe.

Note that NOAA doesn’t advocate for or against particular climate policies. Instead, NOAA’s role is to provide data and scientific information about climate, including how it has changed and is likely to change in the future depending on different climate policies or actions society may or may not take. More guidance on courses of action can be found in the National Academy of Sciences' 2010 report, titled Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change. Also learn more here, here, and here.

 

REFERENCE: What can we do to slow or stop global warming? | NOAA Climate.gov

 

C.How You Can Stop Global Warming

1. Speak up!

What’s the single biggest way you can make an impact on global climate change? “Talk to your friends and family, and make sure your representatives are making good decisions,” Haq says. By voicing your concerns—via social media or, better yet, directly to your elected officials—you send a message that you care about the warming world. Encourage Congress to enact new laws that limit carbon emissions and require polluters to pay for the emissions they produce. “The main reason elected officials do anything difficult is because their constituents make them,” Haq says. You can help protect public lands, stop offshore drilling, and more here.

2. Power your home with renewable energy.

Choose a utility company that generates at least half its power from wind or solar and has been certified by Green-e Energy, an organization that vets renewable energy options. If that isn’t possible for you, take a look at your electric bill; many utilities now list other ways to support renewable sources on their monthly statements and websites.

3. Weatherize, weatherize, weatherize.

“Building heating and cooling are among the biggest uses of energy,” Haq says. Indeed, heating and air-conditioning account for almost half of home energy use. You can make your space more energy efficient by sealing drafts and ensuring it’s adequately insulated. You can also claim federal tax credits for many energy-efficiency home improvements.

4. Invest in energy-efficient appliances.

Since they were first implemented nationally in 1987, efficiency standards for dozens of appliances and products have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. That’s about the same amount as the annual carbon pollution coughed up by nearly 440 million cars. “Energy efficiency is the lowest-cost way to reduce emissions,” Haq says. When shopping for refrigerators, washing machines, and other appliances, look for the Energy Star label. It will tell you which are the most efficient.

5. Reduce water waste.

Saving water reduces carbon pollution, too. That's because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat your water. So take shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, and switch to WaterSense-labeled fixtures and appliances. The EPA estimates that if just one out of every 100 American homes were retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, about 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year would be saved—avoiding 80,000 tons of global warming pollution.

6. Actually eat the food you buy—and make less of it meat.

Approximately 10 percent of U.S. energy use goes into growing, processing, packaging, and shipping food—about 40 percent of which just winds up in the landfill. “If you’re wasting less food, you’re likely cutting down on energy consumption,” Haq says. And since livestock products are among the most resource-intensive to produce, eating meat-free meals can make a big difference, too.

7. Buy better bulbs.

LED lightbulbs use up to 80 percent less energy than conventional incandescents. They’re also cheaper in the long run: A 10-watt LED that replaces your traditional 60-watt bulb will save you $125 over the lightbulb’s life.

8. Pull the plug(s).

Taken together, the outlets in your home are likely powering about 65 different devices—an average load for a home in the U.S. Audio and video devices, cordless vacuums and power tools, and other electronics use energy even when they're not charging. This "idle load" across all U.S. households adds up to the output of 50 large power plants in the U.S. So don't leave fully charged devices plugged into your home's outlets, unplug rarely used devices or plug them into power strips and timers, and adjust your computers and monitors to automatically power down to the lowest power mode when not in use.

9. Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle.

Gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles, save fuel and money. And once all cars and light trucks meet 2025’s clean car standards, which means averaging 54.5 miles per gallon, they’ll be a mainstay. For good reason: Relative to a national fleet of vehicles that averaged only 28.3 miles per gallon in 2011, Americans will spend $80 billion less at the pump each year and cut their automotive emissions by half. Before you buy a new set of wheels, compare fuel-economy performance here.

10. Maintain your ride.

If all Americans kept their tires properly inflated, we could save 1.2 billion gallons of gas each year. A simple tune-up can boost miles per gallon anywhere from 4 percent to 40 percent, and a new air filter can get you a 10 percent boost.

11. Rethink planes, trains, and automobiles.

Choosing to live in walkable smart-growth cities and towns with quality public transportation leads to less driving, less money spent on fuel, and less pollution in the air. Less frequent flying can make a big difference, too. “Air transport is a major source of climate pollution,” Haq says. “If you can take a train instead, do that.”

12. Shrink your carbon profile.

You can offset the carbon you produce by purchasing carbon offsets, which represent clean power that you can add to the nation’s energy grid in place of power from fossil fuels. But not all carbon offset companies are alike. Do your homework to find the best supplier.

REFERENCE: How to Stop Global Warming, Solutions to Prevent Climate Change | NRDC.org

D.6 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT CLIMATE CHANGE

Saving the environment starts with us and it is our responsibility to act against these terrible changes to preserve the planet for future generations.​ 

Climate change has already begun to impact our planet in more ways than we can think. Temperatures continue to rise throughout the planet and we are experiencing changes in precipitation patterns as we have never seen before. The main cause of these catastrophic effects on our planet is pollution.

Fortunately, there are always things that we can do to fight against climate change. Saving the environment starts with us and it is our responsibility to act against these terrible changes to preserve the planet for future generations.

 

1. Make Your Commute Green

Millions of people drive to work every day. It is simply unavoidable in our modern-day society. However, the downside to this is that millions of cars emit greenhouse gases that destroy our atmosphere. Vehicle emissions are a close second when it comes to the top causes of climate change. There are always other options that you can utilize to make your commute to work eco-friendly. For starters, taking public transportation to work is a great way to cut out emissions. Riding your bike to work is also incredibly helpful to the environment and is a great method to get exercise.

 

2. Be More Conservative with Energy Usage

Becoming more energy efficient is a great way to prevent pollution. It causes the power plants to expend less energy that can lead to the production of greenhouse gasses. This means that you should do what you can to cut down on energy usage in your household. Make sure to turn off lights and unplug devices that you are not using anymore when you are done with them. Replace your light bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs to help you save electricity too.

 

3. Get Active and Vote

One of the best ways to improve climate change to is to help those who will fight against it get into office. This means voting for legislation and politicians that aid against the detrimental effects of climate change. Many corporations have politicians on their payroll and use them to lobby against legislation that would require more regulations against them. Voting the right people into office will help pass legislation that allows us to fight against these corporations that are mainly to blame for climate change.

 

4. Recycle

Manufacturing plants emit a large number of greenhouse gasses per year. It is unavoidable in the production of goods that we use on a regular basis. However, a cleaner alternative would be to invest in recycling. Recycling is a cost-effective and eco-friendly process that eliminates waste and doesn’t emit greenhouse gasses into the environment. Be sure to collect your discarded paper, glass, plastic, and electronics to your local recycling center. The professionals will take these items to a processing plant where they will be remade into other recyclable materials again.

 

5. Educate Yourself and Others

The importance of educating others about climate change cannot be overstated in our modern society. There are many platforms for us to utilize that can allow us to spread our message easily. Whether you use word of mouth or social media, there are always ways to educate others on what climate change is doing to our planet. You can help protect the planet by educating others about the dangers of climate change and how to act against it.

 

6. Encourage the use of renewable energies

Focusing your efforts to spread awareness about renewable energy is the best way to create a positive impact in your community. By informing others about how renewable energy is better than utilizing fossil fuels, you will sway others into investing in the idea.

REFERENCE: 6 Things You Can Do To Prevent Climate Change (activesustainability.com)

 

VIDEOS ABOUT THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT CLIMATE CHANGE:

 

1.     https://youtu.be/2NER-0N5RfE

2.     https://youtu.be/gUhxcdzRgLQ

3.     https://youtu.be/1gFRHVYjsP0

4.     https://youtu.be/pL32gcXUKxY