The climate crisis looms. Mere hints of its effects already ravage the world. Warm winters, wildfires, and raging floods are the first beams of a scorching sun breaking through the horizon. These catastrophes are pregnant with promise of what’s to come. Or, perhaps, what might come.
More people than ever before are becoming aware of and taking action against the climate crisis. And although your personal actions may feel small in scale, a crashing avalanche needs its each and every snowflake. And because an avalanche of change is what it will take to fight the climate crisis, your actions matter. Here are four ways you can do your part to start fighting the crisis.
1. Change Your Energy Source
Fossil fuels contribute to global warming. So the more you can weaken your dependance on them, the better. Now, entirely eliminating fossil-fuel dependency isn’t something that you can do overnight, if at all. So it’s important to make consistent, substantial changes over time. And one of the most substantial, long-lasting changes you can make is to personally invest in renewables.
Three of the best renewable energy sources on the market are solar, wind, and geothermal. However, the latter two are quite expensive and, honestly, out of reach for the average household. Thankfully, solar is just the opposite. While switching to solar may have been prohibitively expensive just two decades ago, now that’s often no longer the case in 2024. In fact, a solar installation may cost you nothing with a solar lease, even saving you money in your first year.
The fact that solar installations can save you money while you help save the planet is groundbreaking. This means that, to fight climate change, you don’t have to give something up. You actually get something. So find out whether your house is eligible for a solar installation today. If it is, you can likely reduce your carbon footprint and electricity bill in one fell swoop.
2. Move Differently
Speaking of fossil fuels, it’s time to talk about one of the biggest personal polluters: your car. It’s no secret that the American economy has a vested interest in the success of the automotive industry. Ever since its inception, America has been shaped again and again around the car. The advent of the highway opened new opportunities to many (though certainly not all), including oil companies and car manufacturers.
Thankfully, there are many ways you can fight against the influence of the car. Not least of which is simply not using one. If you can, walk, bike, or use public transportation instead of driving. If you must drive, try to accomplish as many tasks as possible during each trip. So instead of just going to the post office to check the mail, hit the coffee shop, gym, and grocery store too.
Now, if you live in a rural area, stopping car use entirely may not be feasible, and that’s fine. Again, focus on reducing where possible. Remember, what’s most important is to make changes where you can that are realistic to commit to over a long period of time.
3. Practice Sustainable Consumption
Besides how you power your home, there are a multitude of daily opportunities to reduce your climate impact. As the modern world is based on consumption, it’s about finding opportunities to be a more sustainable consumer. Now, you may think that this means you should consume less. And while, yes, you should, just like with fossil fuels, it’s not realistic to stop consuming entirely right now. So, instead, aim to be smarter about how you consume.
This may seem like an abstract concept on first blush, but there are actually many practical ways to be a more responsible consumer. Take packaging, for example. When you’re buying groceries, don’t buy fruit in plastic. Instead, reach for the berries stored in biodegradable containers like wooden crates, cardboard boxes, or paper cartons. Buy drinks bottled in recyclable plastic or cans. Try refillable beauty products too.
Stop using single-use plastics whenever possible. Bring reusable bags with you to the grocery store, for example, or a reusable mug for your daily coffee-shop run. If you love eating fast food, keep a set of cutlery and a metal straw in your car. Adopt a zero-waste mindset by substituting disposable plastics either for biodegradable or durable, reusable materials whenever possible.
4. Use Your Voice
When considering your climate impact, it’s hard not to feel like your efforts don’t make a difference. You’re probably not a high-profile celebrity or billionaire CEO taking 20-minute flights in your private jet. Compared to someone like them, what effect can you really have, either positive or negative, on the climate?
While it’s true that one voice alone may be small, many together are mighty. So use your voice by contributing to ongoing efforts that fight against climate change. There are so many organizations out there devoted to making the world a livable place. You can do your part by actively helping these organizations by joining or by donating to their cause. Use your social media platforms to post about ongoing work by these organizations to spread awareness.
Also: vote! Vote for legislation that taxes, prevents, or otherwise hampers the ability of large polluting entities to continue pumping carbon into the air. And, while presidential elections certainly matter, make sure to also vote locally, throughout the year. Keep up to date with ongoing and upcoming policies in your local government. Change has a snowball effect, so use your vote to start small.
Keep Hope
It may sound cheesy, but hope is one of your — and the world’s — greatest assets amidst the climate crisis. Yes, it’s true that things may get worse before they get better. But there won’t be a better if people don’t collectively work toward the future that’s possible. So take heart and keep hope by making changes that work toward a better tomorrow today.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
