Climate change and what to do
AN alarming new report from the United Nations Inter governmental Panel on Climate Change warns that we have only a dozen years to act if we’re to manage the risk of ecological and economic devastation and that we need to get to zero emission by 2050.
This has spurred billionaire Bill Gates to action. He has formed a coalition with former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva to launch the Global Commission on Adaptation which aims to find sensible solutions to the problem of climate change.
“We’re at a moment of high risk and great promise,” Gates said, adding: “We need policies to help vulnerable populations adapt and we need to ensure that governments are supporting innovation and helping deliver those breakthroughs to places that need them the most.”
The commission will spend a year sorting out the best adaptation approaches and will present a plan to the 2019 United Nations climate summit. But the alarming news about climate change has also got many people wondering and asking what they can do, as individuals, to help reduce their carbon footprint.
This is quite a sea change in attitude. Before this, most people were not so concerned about climate change because it was seen as a problem whose consequences would only be felt in the distant future ― perhaps many generations later and long after we’re all dead and gone. Because of the UN report, people now realise this is something that can affect all of us in the very near future.
Here are some of the things that individuals can do to help avert climate change:
HAVE FEWER CHILDREN
This sounds super radical but a Lund University study mentions that, by and large, the most effective way to reduce one’s impact on the carbon footprint is to have one fewer child. Every extra person born to this earth will mean one extra mouth to feed and that inevitably has a negative environmental impact. The earth’s population is ever growing and that will put more and more strain on the resources needed to feed the planet’s population. As provocative and perhaps controversial as it may be to say this, having fewer children will help a lot.
EAT LESS MEAT
Eating less meat, especially beef, will help. People don’t realise this but livestock — animals raised for food — generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all vehicles combined. The livestock sector is estimated to account for 14.5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally, which is more than direct emissions from the transport sector. It’s unrealistic to expect people — even those who care a lot about climate change — to become vegetarians. What’s more realistic is for them to simply eat less meat. Say, reduce meat consumption by 30 per cent. Eating less meat and not wasting food will make a big difference.
BE WISE ABOUT TRANSPORTATION
Speaking of vehicles, if you must buy a car get a hybrid one. Electric cars are not yet common in Malaysia but when they do become widely available in the near future, you should consider getting one of those. Practice car-pooling with your neighbours. If you can do without a car, use public transportation. Lastly, when some place you want to go isn’t that far away, consider walking or cycling. More exercise is good for you anyway.
AVOID SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
Plastic that’s meant to be used once only — such as straws and plastic bags — are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. This one you can easily do without. Bring along with you glass or metal straws. These can be bought online and are nowadays very common. As for grocery bags, bring your own bag. If you don’t have any that’s suitable for storing cold items, every supermarket sells such insulated bags for a reasonable price. Buy them once and you can use them over and over again.
ADOPT GREEN ENERGY CHOICES
Opt for renewable energy if possible. Installing solar panels on your roof is a simple way to do this. Malaysia is a hot country so solar power is very practical here. You can use photovoltaics and solar thermal systems to power your home and heat the water. Also make a point to turn off computers and other electronic devices when you’re not using them. This includes mobile phone chargers. These things consume energy even when not in use. Just turn them off when you’re done with them.
USE ENERGY-EFFICIENT DEVICES
For lighting, move away from conventional light bulbs. Instead, use energy-efficient ones such as LED. If you prefer non-LED lights, you could opt for compact fluorescent lamps and halogen incandescents, both of which use up to 80 per cent less energy and last 25 times longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs. Also, buy energy-efficient appliances, which are very common these days. Usually these items would carry a sticker that indicates how “green” they are. Manufacturers realise that today’s generation cares a lot about such things and they’re pushing out more and more energy-efficient products to fulfil market expectations.
ADOPT A MINDSET CHANGE
Mindset is very important. If you have the right mindset, everything you do will contribute towards the fight against climate change. For example, if you adopt the “reduce, recycle and reuse” principle, you’ll always be mindful of your consumption habits. Generally speaking, lower consumption will lead to lower gas emissions. It’s good to be circumspect about what you buy. If you really don’t need something or can do without, perhaps just give it a miss. It’s better for the environment if you do so. As for things that you don’t need anymore, don’t just throw them away. Try to see if they can be recycled. And of course, re-use whatever you can.
Perhaps of the three, “reduce” may be the hardest to do because we have a high consumption culture. That’s why there are so many shopping malls. People love to consume more and more but this can’t go on. We need to change. Instead of buying things, we could and should embrace life’s simple pleasures and spend more time going for walks and enjoying nature with friends and family. Accumulating experiences is far more fulfilling than accumulating things.
EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS
Sometimes it’s easy to lose hope and think that nothing we, as individuals, do can make much of a difference. But if everyone does his/her part ― however small ― it will help to thwart climate change. It all starts with us and having the right mindset. When friends and family see the change in our attitude and our consumption practices, some are bound to be influenced. And the virtuous cycle can begin.