Slowing climate change is a huge task, but even small individual steps can contribute to reducing emissions, writes the BBC server and offers seven steps to achieve it. From eating plant-based foods to reducing the number of flights to buying second-hand clothes.
Eating a plant-based diet can be the first step. It is assumedthat in 2033 there will be almost two billion cattle, one billion pigs, 32 billion poultry and almost three billion sheep on Earth – that’s about 38 billion individual animals that will produce in their lifetime greenhouse gases in the form of methane and nitrous oxide. They have 28 times, or 265 times more influence on the warming of the planet than carbon dioxide. In addition, animal production will fall victim to a huge amount of land and water, which are needed to raise animals for meat, writes the BBC. UN experts say that to save the global climate from warming, choosing to eat less meat is one of the most effective ways the human species can affect climate change.
Another option is to limit flying. Forgoing any flight is one of the best ways to live more sustainably, he writes BBC. Using a train, bus or driving a car with more than one person almost always results in lower carbon emissions per kilometer traveled. And cutting back on flying is also likely to mean not traveling as far, reducing carbon emissions even more.
Another point is to buy less clothes. Fashion is a major contributor to global warming, even responsible for eight to ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than air and shipping emissions combined. According to the nonprofit organization Ellen MacArthur Foundationwhich deals with environmental protection, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or thrown into a landfill every second. An alternative may be to switch to second-hand clothes, either in brick-and-mortar stores or through online platforms such as Vinted, Depop or eBay.
Research also shows that keeping domestic cats is not exactly the most environmentally friendly. But there are ways to reduce the carbon footprint of pets. One option is to switch to more sustainable proteins in their feed. For example, fish production produces only a quarter of the emissions associated with lamb and beef. Another alternative protein that is gaining popularity in pet food is insects. A simple but perhaps surprising way to make your pet more environmentally sustainable is to switch to recycled dog poop bags. Unlike bags made from primary plastic or compostable alternatives, which also have an impact on the environment.
The fifth point, how to behave more sustainably in the new year and help the planet slow down its warming, is to consider the method of alternative heating in homes. Fossil fuels still cover 60 percent of the world’s heating energy demand, and emissions from the sector continue to rise, despite the rise of renewable heat. In Brussels, scientists and engineers looked below the earth’s surface into the sewage system to heat the city’s buildings. A similar project in Vancouver, Canada is already helping to heat homes in the suburb of False Creek. Elsewhere, there are other potential sources of heat that could be used to reduce the need for fossil fuel heating, such as data centers.
Banks are the main financiers of fossil fuels. When people are planning for retirement, they may consider moving their savings to a savings association or building society, where they are less likely to finance fossil fuels due to the way they are invested, writes the BBC.
The last, seventh step, which can contribute to a slower warming of the planet in the new year, is to limit the use of single-use plastics. Plastics have penetrated all aspects of not only human existence. Microplastics have been found in Antarctic sea ice, inside animals in the deepest ocean trenches or in food and drinking water. If civilization continues to consume plastics at their current rate, they could account for 20 percent of oil production by 2050. More than 99 percent of plastics are made from chemicals derived from fossil fuels. Getting rid of plastics completely is difficult, but steps can be taken to reduce their consumption. This could help not only the planet, but also health, as some types of plastic have been linked to infertility and endocrine problems. Buying unpackaged vegetables is a great way to get rid of plastic in your regular shopping. The solution is, for example, to bring your own cloth bag for vegetables to the store, which can be used repeatedly. As well as bringing your own containers for milk or cleaning products, or reducing the use of plastic dishes.
Source: spravy.pravda.sk
