This is the second part of this mini series of articles. Please read Part 1 to make sure you have all the context necessary. This is quite a long one but please read it and share it as much as possible. Consider it an instruction manual on how to save the world.
In this article, I use the phrase “Save the world” a lot and that is because its what we are trying to do. The world is dying. Everybody, at some point in their lives, dreams of saving the world and being a hero. Fighting climate change is an opportunity to be a hero, presented to you on a silver platter. Is this list everything you can do? No. Does this list tell you all the benefits and effects of each point? No. That would make this article into a monster of many hundreds of thousands of words. Please read and research as much as possible!
The fight against climate change needs every single one of us to do what we can, when we can. Too often, this is advertised as being only possible through huge changes that are completely life altering. While those actions would make a massive difference, they aren’t always achievable. Not all of us can afford to buy an electric car. I mean with the current state of the world many of us can’t afford the extra few pounds to buy more eco-friendly alternatives. Not all changes have to break the bank. This article will basically be a list of actions people can take. Please remember that not everyone can make every change. We are fighting Climate change and extinction together. No more shaming people for not doing enough unless they are actively not doing anything. Like Billionaires. This is a team effort, and every single action helps, no matter how small.
Democracy
I hate the fact that I have to say this but: This section may not apply to you depending on where you live. Please be safe and do what you can. Not all of us are lucky enough to live in free democracies. However, those of us that do can make a huge change relatively easily. Your. Vote. Matters. Losing an election sucks. I have lost literally every election or referendum I have ever voted on, but my voice was heard. More voices means a stronger argument.
Sign petitions
Petitions are a great way to make your voice heard. While they aren’t the strongest tool we have they can be effective. They show companies and politicians the way the wind is blowing which can lead to big changes. They also have the added benefit of reminding us that there are other people that feel the same way as us. Feeling like you’re fighting the issues alone can have such a negative impact so it is important to be reminded that we aren’t alone. You can sign them online or in person. They all matter. Change.org is great for world-wide petitions. The UK government even has a website for petitions to parliament (petition.parliament.uk). Check if your government has a similar site!
If you see a problem and there isn’t a petition, make one! The sites listed before and many like them make it as easy as possible to do and you can make a huge impact! Here is an example of a petition I made in about 10 minutes (consider signing if you’re a UK resident).
Blame who is to blame
Always remember who is to blame. Do I contribute to plastic pollution by buying products in plastic containers? Yes. Are there other options? Not really most of the time. If you want people to stop polluting, stop selling them products that cause the pollution. Use all the points in this article to pressure companies to change how they package and what they sell. Single use Plastics are horrible for the environment but we can’t always avoid them. If companies use better alternatives and stop using single use plastics, people will stop using them. Also, I am not talking about companies offering ‘eco-friendly’ alternatives that cost more next to their normal products. I mean when they replace them and don’t do it for a profit.
It is also important to notice when companies shift the blame. When BP encouraged everyone to be mindful of their carbon footprint it was to make us blame ourselves instead of them. Basically, ignore anything fossil fuel companies say. Money will always be more important to them than you or the planet are. The top 100 most polluting companies make up 71% of Carbon emissions! You can see the list of these companies here. The average person emits the equivalent of 7 metric tonnes of CO2 per year; ranging from 0.2 tonnes in Malawi and 21 tonnes in the USA. When you look at the list, just remember that. Look at their numbers. Are we to blame? Yes. Are they to blame? VERY yes!
Contact your representatives
If you read our last post you will remember that politicians aren’t the most reliable people in fighting climate change. I mean, if you have ever voted (or heard literally anything about governments) you likely already know that they can be unreliable. We can, however, use this to our advantage. Politicians want to be re-elected more than anything. Contact them and tell them you want more to be done to help solve these issues. If they don’t respond or don’t make the changes you feel to be necessary just tell them you will vote for someone else. This can be particularly effective when combined with petitions, protests and group campaigns. Losing your vote is bad for them. Losing the votes of all the people that signed a petition is even worse. They will soon come around to your ways of thinking. Which leads me into the next point.
Vote
The previous point links into this but vote for politicians that have committed themselves and/or their party to fighting climate change, deforestation or any natural issues. Even if your party doesn’t win, your voice is still heard. The closer the results are, the more likely it will be that some of your views are adopted by the winning party. Again, exploit the fact that they want to be re-elected. That is the biggest impact your vote will have. Whoever wins, keep pushing them to do what they promised and to do even more!
Protest
Protests can have monumental impacts on governments but also the general public. Show them that you care about an issue and that you aren’t going to let them get away with ignoring the issues you care about. They don’t even have to be mass protests to start with. We all know who Greta Thunberg is and she started with a school protest and a single cardboard sign. Make the voice of the people heard and impossible to ignore.
“But you know well enough now that starting is too great a claim for any, and that only a small part is played in great deeds by any hero.”– J. R. R. Tolkien
Food
Changing your diet is an incredibly effective way of helping fight climate change and extinctions of our wildlife. They are often displayed as an ‘all or nothing’ change though which isn’t true and can actually be harmful in the long run.
Going vegan or vegetarian if you can
Going Vegan or Vegetarian can have a colossal impact on your carbon emissions and related deforestation. Meat uses up so much land compared to a plant based diet. There is no doubt that changing to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is one of the best things you can do to fight climate change. However, it can be hard. Breaking habits is difficult. Completely changing your diet is even harder. You should 100% be vegetarian or vegan if you can be. For those that can’t or are trying to be one step at a time, the following point is for you.
Small changes are still changes
It is important to remember that small changes add up over time. Big changes are better but small changes still matter. If you are trying to drink less cows milk, for example, spend some time finding your favourite alternative. Oat milk is my favourite and it is one of the best in terms of environmental impact. Once you found your favourite, slowly transition. Maybe start by having your tea and coffee with oat milk. Then move to cereal. Keep going until it is the only milk you use. Apply this same method to all aspects of your life. From what foods you eat to how you travel. Cutting out meat is probably the best thing you can do for the environment. Here is how you can do the most good while you are transitioning to a veggie or vegan diet.
Change what meats you eat
Eat chicken instead of pork and beef. It is that simple. Chicken emits less and destroys less of the environment. Even if you don’t go all the way to vegan or veggie, eating chicken instead of other meats will be better. Why stop there? Try out meat-free alternatives. There are loads of options so do your research!
Grow your own food if you can
The UK, as of 2021, Imported 45% of its food from as far away as Australia. These huge distances mean that so much more carbon is released. Even buying food that was grown a mile away has some transport related emissions. A small vegetable patch in your garden or even on your balcony is a great step you can take to reduce your carbon emissions. Fruit trees, strawberry plants and even potatoes are all easy to grow. It is more satisfying, cheaper and you will be helping to save the planet!
“If you want to be happy for a day, get drunk. If you want to be happy for a year, get married. But if you want to be happy for a lifetime, plant a garden.”– Dutch Proverb
Your Home
Many of us, myself included, do not have our own homes. I won’t go into how depressing the housing market is but what I will say is that those of you who do have homes can make a colossal impact. Even those that live with other people can! Help fight the climate crisis just by having a home!
Solar panels if you can
Solar panels aren’t cheap. Not everyone can have them just yet. Those of you that can afford them, please get some installed. You’ll be burning less fossil fuels and you will be saving money on your bills! They will pay themselves back and will result in you having more money than you started off with. They even increase the market value of your home!
Better insulation if you can
Heating and cooling homes makes up a significant percentage of greenhouse gas emissions. The easiest way to fix this is simple: Better insulation. It is a passive way to keep the heat in on cold days and the heat out on hot days. Many governments even help pay for the installation of better insulation. Keeping the heat out of our homes is only going to get more difficult as the planet warms. Insulation will make it easier and slow down the warming of the planet. That’s what we call a win-win.
Use less power if you can
Insulation will help you use less power. Other ways include using more efficient appliances and lights. Turn off things when you aren’t using them! Small things that add up are a simple and effective way to help fight these issues we are facing!
Repair and reuse if you can
This isn’t always possible and, in many cases, it may even be cheaper to buy a replacement. Please try to repair broken things as much as you can. Every repaired item is money you have saved and it prevents the emissions that would have been emitted to make a new item.
More animal friendly gardens if you can
I am just going to start this little bit by getting something off my chest. Please, for the love of all that is good, stop using AstroTurf in your garden! Maybe it is just where I live but I see so many gardens with plastic grass it is so sad. Not only are you preventing life from…being alive, you are actively dumping plastic into the environment! Anyway, other points. Clover lawns are beautiful, good for wildlife and the environment and they are low maintenance. Seriously, I can’t write a thousand words on each point so please go and google their benefits. Let Weeds grow. There is no such thing as a weed. Just let them live their lives.
Plants!
Got a garden? Fill it with plants. Balcony? Plants. Birthday gift? Plant. Literally any other gift-giving holiday? Plants. Lawn? Plants. Empty spot on the windowsill? I would suggest a nice sculpture and just kidding. Plants. Plants absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, help filter pollutants, feed pollinators, are good for mental health and cool the environment they are in. When you are writing an article, it is important to never tell your readers they are wrong but if you think you have too many plants, you are wrong.
“Your home is the planet. To protect the environment is to protect your own future.” – Francesco La Camera
Money makes the world go round
Let’s be honest, money is in short supply for most of us. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the last part of this series, those with all the money are less likely to make the changes necessary. However, every molecule of Carbon dioxide, every animal and every plant saved will help. Every penny used to fight these issues helps! Here are some of the ways you can help without breaking the bank as well as some changes you can make if you are lucky to have enough money!
Donate where you can
The cost of living right now is expensive. While I encourage everyone to go donate to as many good causes as possible, it just isn’t a realistic step for most people right now. And yes this will be a common theme. If you can, donate to charities that exist to fight climate change. If you can’t donate on a regular basis, donate when you can to offset the carbon emissions of your flights for holidays etc.
Buy second hand where you can
Buying second hand can have an incredible impact. You are essentially removing any emissions created by buying that product new. It is also cheaper. Much cheaper! Charity shops, online and from friends. Every second hand item saves emissions, money and stops the destruction necessary to make them.
Buy locally if you can
This is pretty much the same as growing your own food but can be applied to a huge range of products. You help your local community and reduce emissions caused by transporting those goods a long distance.
“What capitalism doesn’t get it is that there is no economy on a dead planet”– Unknown
Transportation
People and things move around. This isn’t news. However, how they move is so important.
Public transport if you can
Public transport is probably the most efficient way to get around aside from walking or cycling. Unfortunately, public transport is a bad option in so many places. However, use it instead of cars in any circumstances you can. Also, support local efforts and political movements to increase public transport as much as you can.
Electric cars if you can
Buying a new car is expensive. The cost of living right now is expensive. Electric cars are particularly expensive. While I encourage everyone to go electric as soon as possible, it just isn’t a realistic step for most people right now. If you can, buy electric. If not, campaign to make electric cars cheaper for everyone/
Bike/walk if you can
Not everybody can walk long distances and that’s OK! I cycle to work and it is tiring. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. But I am emitting next to nothing and I am keeping fit. Well…Fitter than I would otherwise be.
Fly less if you can
Basically everyone reading this won’t have to worry about this but if you have to fly, fly commercially. Do not fly on private jets. They are some of, if not the most, wasteful and polluting modes of transport on Earth. Make sure everybody knows about billionaires and their flying habits. Seriously, google it. It is disgusting to read about.
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.”– H. G. Wells
Save money by saving the world!
Most of the points I have made so far will save you money in the long term. This section is more about short term savings you can make while saving the world!
Sell things you don’t want or need
Too much of our possessions are simply thrown away when they get old or a new version is released. Once these things truly become unusable or you don’t need them anymore, why not sell them? Even giving them away! Someone else could find a use for them, even repairing them and giving them a new lease of life. You help save the world, the people you give them to benefits from cheaper products and you could potentially make a bit of money. This links heavily to my next point.
Buy Second-hand
Second hand products are usually cheaper. A lot cheaper. Buy second hand and you will save so much money. I have found branded suits being sold second hand for less than 10% of their original price, practically un-used. You save money and you produce little to no emissions. Nothing new is made so no materials, land or emissions are associated with it.
Bring food with you
Bring lunch into work or school or wherever you are going. You save money and can use reusable containers instead of single use plastic bottles etc. Plus you have more control over how eco-friendly your food is.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
This is the most commonly shared phrase in environmentalism. And that’s because it works. Reduce what you buy and use as much as possible. Reuse things. Use plastic bottles more than once. Repurpose things like plastic boxes into storage containers. Recycle and pressure governments to make recycling more effective and widespread.
Thermostats and Air Conditioning
Use these less if you can. Put your heating a degree cooler and your air-conditioning a degree warmer. You wont notice the difference in temperature but you will notice the money you save. Plus using these less pollutes less. This reduces the effects of climate change and means you won’t have to use them as much. Using them less means you will need to use them less
Make your own things
This has a limited scope based on the product and the tools you have. But things like shelves. Make them out of scrap wood you wood you buy. It is cheaper, pollutes less and is more unique which is always nice. Handmade gifts are always so much more special. If you can make it yourself, please do so.
Waste less food
Please read up on the effects of food waste and how to reduce it. There are apps and companies which allow you to donate food you won’t eat and even get free food! Use services such as ImperfectFoods. Super markets will often refuse foods that aren’t perfect. Stupid things like carrots that aren’t straight enough. These foods otherwise go to waste and are just thrown away. Companies like these allow you to buy these foods and they are often cheaper.
Use things for as long as possible
If you have to buy a replacement for something, wait as long as you can before doing so. This is basically an extension of buying second hand or reusing things. If there is no way to avoid buying something new, delay doing so as long as possible. If you do this, it may eventually lead to you needing less of that item over time. Fewer items means fewer emissions and wastage.
Drink more water
Water is good for you. It is also good for the environment if you don’t buy plastic bottles. The energy, transportation and emissions of other drinks are enormous compared to water.
Other Things you can do!
The things mentioned before in this article are relatively common and obvious changes you can make. But there is always more you can do to help.
Develop ideas to fight climate change
Every advancement that changed the world started with an idea. In many cases, a different idea that accidentally discovered something incredible. If you have an idea that you think could have a good impact, run with it. Research and develop it. It might not work. In that case move onto the next idea. However, if it does work, you could change the world.
Spread awareness
Sharing posts like this are a great way to raise awareness. If you read something and believe it is credible, share it if you liked it. Obviously I am biased but the message means more to me. So, even if you don’t share this post, share others!
Litter picking
It’s no secret that plastic pollution, as well as other forms of pollution, is just awful. An action as simple as picking up litter as and when you see it is a step in the right direction. It is a low effort way to make a positive change. If every person picked up a single piece of litter every day we could clean up 2,920,000,000,000 pieces of plastic every year. Or, better yet…
Don’t litter
Don’t litter. It is as simple as that.
Don’t smoke
Spoiler alert: Smoking is horrifically bad for you. It is also terrible for the planet. I reached out to one of my lecturers from university, Dr Dannielle Green, and she had this to say on the litter left by smokers:
“As litter, cigarette butts present a double edged sword to the environment. They are single use plastics (made out of a plastic called cellulose acetate) and break down into microplastics. After smoking they contain thousands of chemicals including many that are classified as toxic to aquatic organisms. Although still an understudied issue, cigarette butts and the chemical leachate from them can cause mortality to many aquatic organisms and can retard plant growth on land.”
They kill organisms and slow plant growth as well as breaking down into microplastics. If you have heard anything about plastic being found in human blood or food, those are microplastics and are very bad for you. Thank you to Dr Green for speaking with me. You can find her publications here. I would strongly recommend reading them to learn more about why plastics are so bad for the environment.
Fame does not mean importance
Celebrities getting behind these causes are great. They can spread awareness like crazy. However, just because someone is making a huge difference, it doesn’t mean your small differences don’t matter! This can also link into Self Licencing as mentioned in my last article. Just because other are fighting the problem, does not mean you don’t have to and certainly doesn’t mean what you do matters any less!
Always be aware of Self Licencing!
For those of you who didn’t read my last article, I strongly recommend you do so. If you haven’t the this section is basically copied from that post. However for those that didn’t: Self licencing is when you do something good like donating to team trees. You have done some good and you then, subconsciously, feel like you don’t have to be as careful in the future. Basically, “I donated to ‘x’ cause, removing carbon from the atmosphere. I can drive more because It balances out.” Lets say this hypothetical person donated $20 to team trees, planting 20 trees. They will absorb a total of 500kg of Carbon dioxide per year. That is a lot. This person feels like they are more justified to drive their car to work every day instead of getting public transport because ‘their’ trees will balance it out. The average commute in the UK is 23 miles round trip. Using average carbon emissions per mile by car, this means that every year, their trees will absorb enough carbon to cancel out their commute for 98 days. Chances are they will be working more than 98 days a year. In this situation, the psychological and practical impact of planting these trees has resulted in more carbon entering the atmosphere.
Do everything you can to avoid this!!!!
Defeatism
It is so easy to look at the state of the world and feel like giving up. Every positive change is good. We can prevent the effects of climate change.
If you have any ways of fighting climate change let us know and I will add it to the list. If you have any questions Please ask them!
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Dr. Jane Goodall
Everything I have written WILL help fight climate change, but it isn’t enough. The more you emit, the more you contribute to climate change. Do everything you can to reduce your own impact. However, to make any meaningful change, the changes must start at the top. So your best weapon against climate change is your voice. The first section, Democracy, is the single most powerful tool we have. It can be frustrating. It usually is but remember, the government is there to serve you, not the other way around. We control them by voting who we want into office. Just choose the right ones.
We can do it! We just have to work together. Like ants! the next post in this mini-series will be about ants. In the meantime, please read and share these articles as much as possible. Thanks,
Alex.
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