Poorer and disadvantaged people in the UK are particularly vulnerable. Yet we still have time to stay within safe limits — if we step up action now. We must also be ready to withstand some of the impacts of climate change. This is largely the result of our burning of coal, oil and gas - fossil fuels - but also from deforestation. Any increase over 1. It is the poorest and most vulnerable people who will suffer most.
Women, children and the elderly are particularly at risk. Africa will be most affected, even if we help African nations adapt. However, most countries including the UK are not doing anything like enough to cut emissions fast.
The UK government has set targets but its own advisors, the Climate Change Committee, has said there is a massive gap between rhetoric and action. The change needed is vast, but it is achievable and will lead to many other benefits, like less air pollution and more jobs.
Taking action now is also cheaper — the later we leave it, the more it will cost. Keep fossil fuels in the ground. The UK should stop all new licences for fossil fuel extraction including in the North Sea. Switch to electric vehicles fast. Electric cars are much cleaner and over their lifetime comparable or even cheaper in cost than petrol or diesel cars. Following campaigns by Friends of the Earth and others, the UK government has set a date of by which all new cars should be low carbon.
Be energy-efficient citizens. The government should provide householders with grants to fit insulation and low carbon electric eco-heating. Many common household cleaners and other household products are toxic, in addition to being petroleum-based. Toxic chemicals in the home can be eliminated simply by making thoughtful choices in the supermarket after educating oneself about where the hazards are in common consumer products.
How can you determine what toxics you have in your home and what products may be safe substitutes? Develop a plan to reduce daily electricity use around your home. Ask each member of your household to take responsibility for a different electricity-saving action. Please note that if you are calling between pm and 10 am, park staff may not be available to answer your call. Explore This Park. Point Reyes National Seashore California. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Alerts In Effect Dismiss.
Dismiss View all alerts. Get a home energy audit Take advantage of the free home energy audits offered by many utilities. Use Renewable energy More than half the electricity in the United States comes from polluting coal-fired power plants.
Top of Page Purchase Solar Panels With the federal and state governments offering residential renewable energy incentives, solar energy is more accessible than ever before, not to mention an excellent long-term investment.
Buy Green Tags If your energy company doesn't offer green power, you can offset your carbon dioxide emissions by purchasing "green tags," or compensatory energy credits that add renewable power to the grid equal to the power you use. Purchase Carbon offsets The principle of carbon offset is fairly simple: you decide that you don't want to be responsible for accelerating climate change, and you've already made efforts to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions, so you decide to pay someone else to further reduce your net emissions by planting trees or by taking up low-carbon technologies.
Top of Page Adjust your thermostat Turning you themostat down 3 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and up 3 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1, pounds per year. Install solar lights From outside, solar lights look like small skylights on the roof.
Use energy-saving light bulbs If every household in the United States replaced one regular light bulb with an energy-saving model, we could reduce global warming pollution by more than 90 billion pounds over the life of the bulbs; the same as taking 6.
Top of Page Look for the Energy Star Label When it comes time to replace appliances, look for the Energy Star label on new appliances refrigerators, freezers, furnaces, air conditioners, and water heaters use the most energy. Electronics Reduce your use of energy reliant products, especially heavy consumers such as televisions and computers. Top of Page Install tankless water heaters Tankless water heaters fit on walls under sinks and warm only as much water as is needed, so there is little energy wasted.
Wash clothes in cold or warm water You can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about pounds by not using hot water on two loads of laundry a week. Line-dry clothes Hanging clothes out to dry requires no electricity or natural gas use.
Here are some other tips:. Originally from Australia, she has a master's degree from Columbia Journalism School and has also reported for publications including The Atlantic, Quartz and Vice Magazine. By Livia Albeck-Ripka. What Is a Carbon Footprint? You will need to know the following: Approximately how many miles you travel by car, bus, train and plane. The energy usage in your home. How much you spend shopping. The composition of your diet. A new book presents potential solutions.
Can you figure out which ones are top ranked? On the Road, in the Sky One of the most effective ways to begin thinking about how to reduce your carbon footprint is to reconsider how much, and how often, you travel. Drive Less In November carbon dioxide emissions from transportation surpassed emissions from electricity generation as the top source of greenhouse gases.
So, when you do, here are some tips to make your trip more climate-friendly: Go easy on the gas and brakes — driving efficiently can help to reduce emissions. Regularly service your car to keep it more efficient. Check your tires. Keeping tires pumped correctly can reduce emissions. West said. Air conditioning and intensive city driving can make emissions creep up. Cut down on these as often as possible. Use cruise control on long drives — in most cases, this can help to save gas.
Buying a New Car? The following can help: Search for cars here , where they are rated by efficiency. Think about where you will be charging up. How efficient hybrid and electric cars are also depends on what state you live in — different states rely on fossil fuels to different degrees. Weigh up both production and use emissions using this app. Making electric cars has a carbon footprint, too. Look for the Smart Way certification. Remember: Cars with lower emissions can often end up costing less to operate.
Fly Less Fly often? July 27, On Your Plate Globally, emissions are linked to what we put on our plates. Eat Less Meat While food systems are complicated, and research is still evolving on what the most environmentally-friendly diet is, experts mostly agree that cutting down on meat , and red meat in particular, is a better choice for the environment.
Weighing Your Options When it comes to food, most greenhouse gas emissions happen during production, rather than transportation : What you eat is more important than where it comes from. Waste Less This is a big one : on average, Americans waste around 40 percent of the food they buy. Be wary of bulk.
Account for the right amount of food for the number of people eating, and adapt recipes to your needs. Get creative. Reuse leftovers instead of tossing them. Extend the life of your food, including additional portions, as well as produce like fresh herbs, by freezing them properly.
Doggie bag. Take home half of oversized restaurant servings. Food That Travels Well August 6, December 9, In Your Home There are simple changes you can make at home that will save you energy, and money. Heat, Lights and Appliances In the average American home, 25 percent of energy is used to heat spaces, 13 percent is used to heat water, 11 percent is used for cooling and the remainder is spent on appliances, according to estimates from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Turn down the heat. Use a programmable or smart thermostat, if you have one. Keep blinds closed to help keep temperature stable inside. Turn down your water heater — degrees Fahrenheit is sufficient. Turn off appliances at the power outlet to reduce even more energy. Putting them to sleep is second best.
Stream movies through your smart TV, not your game console. Smart TVs and their plugins use just a few watts to stream movies, Mr. Buy a laptop, not a desktop computer. Laptops take less energy to charge and run. Replace lights. LED lights use up to 85 percent less energy, last up to 25 times longer and are cheaper to run than incandescent lights. About two billion sockets in the United States still have an energy-wasting bulb in them, said Mr.
Don't set your fridge and freezer temperatures lower than necessary. The United States Department of Energy recommends around 35 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit for the fresh food compartment and 0 degrees for freezers. And unplug that old fridge in the garage when you don't need it to chill anything. Choose renewables.
If you live in a state where you can choose your energy supplier, pick one that runs on renewables. Replace old fridges. This certification means a product has met energy efficiency standards for the United States. How to Recycle Americans generate about roughly million tons of trash a year , million tons of which ends up in landfills and incinerators, according to a report from the E.
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