:strip_icc()/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_59edd422c0c84a879bd37670ae4f538a/internal_photos/bs/2017/L/h/B7AuW6RJKfY4r7jOxQvA/correction-new-arctic-fran-2-.jpg)
[ad_1]
The world's leading climate experts have issued their strongest warning to date: actions already implemented are not enough to reach the 1.5 ° C warming target planetary. According to a report released in September, humanity must redouble efforts.
There is no doubt that climate change is a reality and there are several examples of its effects, from fires in California to torrential rains in Brazil.
But we should not ask ourselves whether global warming is occurring or whether it is potentiated by humans. The most important question is: what can we do to stop it?
Check out our guide here with the most effective strategies.
1. What is the most important thing that humanity should do in the coming years – and what does it mean for me?
] The number one goal: to limit the use of fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and replace them with renewable and cleaner sources of energy, thus increasing energy efficiency.
"We need to reduce CO2 emissions by almost half (45%) by the end of the next decade," says Kimberly Nicholas, badociate professor of sustainability science at the Center for Sustainability Studies in the United States. University of Lund in Sweden.
The road that leads to this transition includes daily decisions at your fingertips: how to drive and fly less, opt for (if possible) a "green" energy supplier and even change what you eat and buy .
Of course, climate change will not be solved solely by our purchasing or transportation habits, although many experts agree that it is important. This posture can also cause other people to change (learn more below).
In practice, changes can not be made that on a larger scale, such as reformulating our subsidy system for the energy and food industries, which continue to depend on fossil fuels, or the establishment of new rules and regulations. new incentives for sectors such as agriculture, deforestation and waste management.
Refrigerators are a good example of this importance. A group of researchers, entrepreneurs and NGOs called Drawdown found that getting rid of HFCs (chemicals used in refrigerators and air conditioning) was the most effective way to reduce emissions. In fact, they produce 9000 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO². The good news is that we have made progress in this area. Two years ago, 170 countries had agreed to begin phasing out HFCs by 2019.
This is important because we need "unprecedented changes in all aspects of society to deal with global warming. the planet, "says the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). "Everyone will have to get involved," said Debra Robert, co-chair of the organization.
2. Changing the way industries are run or subsidized does not seem to be something that I can influence … or can I?
You can. "Individuals must exercise their rights as both citizens and consumers," said Robert Debra Robert of the IPCC and other experts, "urging governments and businesses to make the necessary changes across the board. of the system".
Another way, increasingly adopted by universities, religious groups and even at the national level, is to "alienate" resources from polluting activities – for example by avoiding fossil fuel stocks. or banks investing in high-emission industries. By getting rid of financial instruments related to the fossil fuel sector, organizations can take climate action and gain economic benefits.
3. Apart from that, what would be the best action to take in my daily life?
A study conducted in 2017 by the University of Lund (Sweden) identified 148 individual actions on climate change according to their impact. Removing cars was the most effective action that a person could undertake (except not having children – read more about it below). Cars are more polluting than other means of transportation, such as public transport, cycling and walking.
In industrialized countries, the fact of not using the car can reduce by 2.5 tons of CO² – about a quarter of the average annual emissions (9.2 tons) per person in developed countries. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. ).
"We should opt for more efficient vehicles and, if possible, electric vehicles," said Maria Virginia Vilarino, one of the specialists involved in the preparation of the latest IPCC report.
4. But renewable energy is not very expensive?
In fact, renewable energies such as wind and solar power are becoming cheaper all over the world (although the final costs depend on local conditions). The latest report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) revealed that many of the most widely used renewable energy sources, such as solar, geothermal, bioenergy, hydro and wind, will cost the same or will be cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020. Some are already more economical.
Do you think the content will be reduced by 30% to half after the end of 73% night since 2010, for example, making solar energy the cheapest source of electricity for many households in Latin America, Asia and Africa. In the UK, solar wind and onshore wind energy is more competitive than gas and will be, by 2025, the cheapest source of electricity generation.
Some critics argue that these prices do not take into account the value of integrating renewable energies into the electricity system – but recent evidence suggests that these costs are "modest" and manageable for the grid.
5. Can I make a difference by changing my diet?
This is a very important behavioral change. In fact, after fossil fuels, the food industry – and in particular the meat and dairy products industry – is one of the main contributors to climate change. If livestock were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, after China and the United States.
The meat industry contributes to global warming in three main ways. First, cow erections release a lot of methane, a greenhouse gas. Second, we feed the livestock with other potential sources of food, such as corn and soybean, that generate inefficiencies in the processes. Finally, this type of activity also requires large amounts of water, fertilizers that can release greenhouse gases and land, which ultimately come from deforested forests, another source of carbon emissions.
There is no need to become vegetarian or vegan to make a difference: gradually reduce and become a "flexitarian". By halving your animal protein intake, you will reduce the carbon footprint of your diet by more than 40%.
6.
Aircraft use fossil fuels and no alternatives have yet been discovered. Although some of the first efforts to use solar panels to power planes around the world have been successful, we still have only decades of commercial solar powered flights.
According to Nicholas' study, a normal round-trip transatlantic flight can emit about 1.6 tons of CO², almost as much as a person's average annual emissions in India. This also highlights the inequality of climate change: while everyone will be affected, only a minority of humans will steal and fewer people will steal frequently.
There are those who decided to stop flying or steal less. Virtual meetings, vacations in local destinations or the use of trains instead of airplanes are ways to reduce their impact on global warming.
Wondering how much your trip contributes to climate change? Measure your carbon footprint in this calculator with the help of researchers from the Berkeley University in California.
7. Should I buy differently?
Probably. Everything we buy has a carbon footprint, whether in the way it is produced or in which it is transported.
For example, clothing accounts for about 3% of global CO² emissions from global production, mainly due to the use of energy to produce clothing. The fast pace of fast fashion contributes to it, because the clothes are thrown or defeated after short periods.
International transport, including shipping and air transport, also has an impact. Products shipped from Chile and Australia to Europe, or vice versa, have more "food miles" and generally have a larger carbon footprint than local production. But this is not always the case, as some countries grow off-season crops in energy-intensive greenhouses. The best thing to do is to eat locally and seasonally grown foods.
Nevertheless, becoming a vegetarian is always better for the environment than buying local foods.
8.
Nicholas' study found that having fewer children is the best way to reduce their contribution to climate change, with nearly 60 tons of CO² less per year. But this result is controversial – and leads to other problems.
One of those reasons is whether you become responsible for your children's climate emissions. The other is where these babies are born.
If you are responsible for your children's programs, would your parents be responsible for yours? And if you are not, how should we consider the fact that a greater number of people is likely to generate more carbon emissions? One might also wonder if having descendants is an indisputable human right. And we can ask ourselves whether having children is necessarily a bad thing to solve climate change: we may need more people to solve the problems of future generations, not less.
These are difficult philosophical questions – and we will not try to answer them here.
What we do know is that each person generates different CO² emissions. Although the human average is 5 tonnes per year, this varies by country: developed countries such as the United States and South Korea have the highest national averages (16.5 tonnes and 11.5 tonnes per year). nobody, respectively). developing countries such as Pakistan and the Philippines (about 1 ton each). Even in the same country, the richest people have higher emissions than those with less access to goods and services. So, if you decide to take into account this issue, you must remember that this is not just about the number of kids you have, but also where you are and who you are.
9. What difference does it make to make a difference in the world when you eat less meat or fly less?
In fact, it's not just you. Sociologists have found that when a person makes a decision about sustainability, others do it.
Here are four examples:
Experts say they think it's because we are constantly evaluating what people around us are doing, adapting our beliefs and actions accordingly.
When people see their neighbors taking environmental measures, such as energy conservation, they deduce that people who love them also value sustainability and feel more compelled to act.
10. What if I just can not avoid flying or reducing my car travel?
If you can not make all the necessary changes, consider offsetting your emissions from a green and reliable project – not a "blank check" but another feature to compensate for it. inevitable flight or car ride.
The United Nations Climate Convention manages a portfolio of dozens of projects around the world to which you can contribute. To find out how much you need to "buy back" what you spent, use this carbon footprint calculator.
Wherever you live, you may have noticed the impact of climate change on your life. But the opposite is also true: your actions will influence the planet in the decades to come – for better or for worse.
Source link
