Do you sometimes find yourself wondering what you can do to address climate change? Out first piece of advice is Don’t Panic.
At ClimateLaunchpad, our motto is Keep Calm and Tackle Climate Change. This post gives you 4 things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint and make a difference in the world.
2016 is the hottest year on record so far, and there is no end in sight. The Middle East has suffered from temperatures as high as 54°C (129°F). Texas is in a record long drought. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a spike in increased temperatures since the 1990s.
What can you do about it? Here are 4 things you can do right now.
1. Eat less meat and poultry
It’s been well known for quite some time now that the meat and poultry industries have an overall negative impact on the world’s environment. Here’s what a report from Chatham House concluded:
Greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock sector are estimated to account for 14.5 per cent of the global total, more than direct emissions from the transport sector.
The report also noted that there wasn’t great awareness of the impact of raising and consuming livestock:
Compared with other sectors, recognition of the livestock sector as a significant contributor to climate change is markedly low.
Consumers with a higher level of awareness were more likely to indicate willingness to reduce their meat and dairy consumption for climate objectives. Closing the awareness gap is therefore likely to be an important precondition for behaviour change.
You know what’s really exciting about giving up meat and poultry? You can make a huge difference in your carbon footprint right away. How much? There’s a study you can read here which explains. Or just take a glance at this chart from Shrink That Footprint:
Recipes
So what could be easier than giving up meat and dairy a couple of days a week (or more)? Here are a couple of links to recipes to get you started:
Jamie Oliver’s 15 Veggie Recipes to Make Meat Eaters Envious
Persian Fusion vegetarian recipes
Eat well!
Eating with insects
You might also want to check out these cleantech startups that are farming insects for high protein consumption:
2. Be like Al Gore, support funding for clean tech implementation
It takes longer for clean tech businesses to make a profit than it does for other businesses. It has also proven more difficult for them to find investors. That is changing as the cost of technology goes down. But making big changes in the way we consume and produce energy means involving lots of partners. It makes it difficult to be flexible and respond to needs in a speedy manner. So support funding for sustainable green businesses.
Even in China, with its commitment to solar, implementation is proving difficult. There are a lot of hurdles. (Learn more here: One Man Leads China’s Solar Power Revolution)
You can even become an investor yourself. Al Gore’s sustainable business fund is out to make long term profits. It seems it’s also doing well in the short term. There may be a thing or two we can learn from Generation Management about sustainable investments. You can read more about Al Gore’s fund in The Atlantic.
Take a look at the teams we’ve trained too. There might be one or two that could use some of your investment.
3. Vote for politicians that take climate change seriously
Individuals cannot tackle the program alone. Politicians must get involved. Make sure your vote goes to people who take the issue seriously.
4. Don’t Panic
As Mike Goodfellow-Smith reminds us, “Love works better than politics.” Scaring people to death with doom and gloom about the future hasn’t helped us tackle climate change yet. So pull out your Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and remember what it says in LARGE FRIENDLY LETTERS…
Don’t Painic. Photo by Kreg Steppe. CC 2.0
And make sure when you are trying to gain support for addressing climate change issues that you look for ways we can solve problems. We already know how to make problems, that’s for certain.
Tags: Al Gore, China, Climate Change, Mike Goodfellow-Smith
