5 Simple Things You Can Do to Stop Climate Change

The article is intended for people who already understand the basic issues involved in climate change, and it focuses on simple, achievable actions that anyone can take. There are five action items, each followed by a short paragraph.

Actions include:

• being an involved citizen
• engaging with climate deniers
• doing a home energy audit
• eating with the planet in mind
• being a conscious user of energy

Climate change is in the news. We are seeing the effects of more powerful storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires. We are seeing it in increased health problems such as asthma and in the spread of diseases like Zika. The warnings from climate researchers are becoming ever direr, and the scientific consensus that climate change is caused by human activities continues to grow.

In its 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap, the Department of Defense wrote,

"Among the future trends that will impact our national security is climate change.  [It effects] will likely lead to food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe."

Activities and the political will to change don't seem to exist in the United States. It may feel like an overwhelming issue, but there are a few simple things you can do to make a big difference.

1. Become An Involved Citizen

Register to vote and encourage others to vote. Find your elected officials at usa.gov/elected-officials and learn how they vote at the scorecard. LCV.org. Then call, write or tweet your national and local representatives. This makes more of a difference than you may think. If you’re elected representative always votes on the wrong side of climate change, the Friends Committee on National Legislation recommends trying to move them towards neutral action, rather than positive action. For example, ask them not to cosponsor that dangerous bill, to vote present rather than yes, or to ask their party leadership not to bring the legislation to a vote.

2. Engage With Climate Deniers

It can be challenging to discuss such a politically charged issue, but don't let the fossil fuel industry propaganda. Succeed. Learn how to talk to climate deniers. Remember that the people you are talking to aren't the enemy. Find some common ground, and try to understand their values.

Several studies suggest that rather than focusing on the damage that climate change is causing, it's better to talk about how pro-environmental actions can create a more caring society and increase economic growth. There are some excellent articles available online on how to have these common arguments, check out the resources at dimaterealityproject.org.

3. Do A Home Energy Audit

Cutting down on your own home energy use can save you more and help the environment. A home energy audit will pay dividends into the future. Get rid of drafts, fix leaky faucets, and keep your home at an efficient temperature. Your local electric company probably has resources on its websites, such as online energy assessments, free energy audits, and appliance rebates. Also, upgrade old appliances to Energy Star Certified. According to the EPA, if every refrigerator sold in the United States were Energy Star certified, we could save more than $3.3 billion and prevent more than 19 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions every year. That's equivalent to the emissions from 1.8 million vehicles. Your TV, air conditioner, washer, dryer, and other appliances can all have a big impact.

4. Eat With The Planet in Mind

• First, eat local. Road transportation is a huge contributor to global warming. One study showed that meals in the US traveled about 1,500 miles to get from farm to plate, and a meal made of local ingredients is 4 to 17 times less fuel.
• Second, eat organic when possible. Agriculture, food production, food storage, and food packaging together account for about one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Organic farms produce fewer greenhouse gases than conventional farming.
• Finally, eat less red meat. The EAT-Lancet Commission recommends a planetary health diet, which limits red meat to one serving per week. This is better for your health, reduces greenhouse emissions, and provides the basis for a worldwide diet that would allow us to feed 10 billion people by the year 2050.

5. Be A Conscious User of Energy

Unless you own a fully electric vehicle that you charge from solar and wind power, our travel consumes the very fossil fuels that are causing the problem, and we live in leisure. Where you can, consider ways to reduce travel. Can you move closer to work, find work closer to home, telecommute a couple of days each week. Less travel means less energy consumption.