Climate change- what meaningful things can we do?

[inthecastle]

So obviously we all know climate change is an issue, but this heatwave has really made it hit home of what we can expect in the future if nothing changes.
So, what real things can I/we do to make a real, meaningful difference to how much we are contributing to climate change?
Realistically is it all about going vegan and not driving a diesel/petrol car?

To be less pessimistic: become a science, technology or maths teacher; become involved with environmental groups; do NOT vote conservative.

A great tip I heard was to spend 10 minutes everyday writing emails or doing action work; local MP, media, organisations, etc.

I believe trying to influence the decision makers will be more effective than recycling more (for example).

Oh dear, couldn't find 'Your Elite' on Google Scholar.

Did find this www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8499632 which is fascinating.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. In that order.

Most importantly, sounding like a cat poster, believe it can be different. Yes the richer people use the most resources: but I could easily have used double what I have in my life and have chosen not to. I don’t fly, didn’t have a car for years and then chose a fuel-efficient one, keep the thermostat as low as possible. Just be aware, and do hat you can. It’s usually far cheaper too.

Stop blaming big business, government and the elite, get off your arse, get educated.

Kill the rich.

Of course it's big businesses that are driving it. Don't be so dismissive. If you're so educated, why not fill us in rather than posting comments like this?

Looks up the origin of the carbon footprint concept, for a start! (Hint- it came from one of the biggest polluters in the world, BP!)

@QuestionableMouse The CDP sponsored report that suggested 29 companies are responsible for 80% of emissions (or whatever the figures were) with BP among them is really disengenuous. It allocated scope 3 emissions as if they were scope 1, i.e. that the emissions from next door's boiler or my car are not my responsibility but the responsibility of BP because they supply the gas and the diesel. From memory one of Chinese coal companies came as the biggest polluter. The problem with this is it decouples or offshores the CO2e emissions, it's easy to blame China but we buy their stuff. Scope 3 emissions are worth considering when making purchasing decisions but because the inventory (system boundary) is subjective and arbitrary and allows for double accounting or even non accounting of emissions and offsets it needs to be acknowledged as such and muddled up with Scope1. After all it's why there are three scopes in the first place.

I regret my post but it does represent my frustration with some of the discourses of delay.

Sorry, not muddled up with Scope1

There are loads of good books on this.
It boils down to

• be as sustainable as possible in your personal lifestyle (food, travel, heating, consumption etc)
• use any influence you have in your work
• campaign for change at higher levels

Do as much as you can personally. But the real action will be with governments and corporates. So:
-Use your purchasing power, including choosing products, service provides, banks, utilities that have a good position on the environment. (Look at their website, there will usually be a section on sustainability)
-If you work for big company, find out about their policies on environment/carbon. See if you can get involved in any staff programs
-vote for parties that support climate action. If your local MP doesn't, let them know you're unhappy!

I've just read Natalie Fee's How to Save the World for Free and there's lots of things we can do. The obvious ones have all been mentioned, fly and drive less, eat less meat and dairy, waste less water, switch to a renewable energy tariff, campaign/write to councillors and MPs.

Some other changes buy clothes 2nd hand or from ethical companies, use Ecosia as a search engine instead of Google, take refillable bottles/cups when you're out.

I'm a big believer in voting with your money, and most companies will continue to exploit and pollute as long as it is profitable so give your money to more ethical companies instead, that includes divesting and banking.

Love all the ideas on here, but as a climate campaigner and mum of two small people I would push for an end to ALL new oil and gas fields. Fossil fuels are the number 1 cause of climate change and we have been told in report after report that we can have NO new fossil fuels if we wish to keep the planet habitable.

The Tories are ignoring the science and our climate commitments. While suggesting we need new oil and gas fields to tackle the cost of living crisis. New oil and gas fields won't lower our bills - they will line the pockets of oil and gas giants as we don't own those fields. Ambitious home insulation and increased home-grown, renewable energy will reduce our bills. It's cheaper and faster than fossil fuels to get up and running. And it WILL reduce our contribution to global emissions.

@OnlyOneWorld You are absolutely correct, ~75% of emissions are from burning fossil fuels but I'm in two minds re new fields. In a perfect world we wouldn't need them but I would rather new fields which we can control responsibly than import from the likes of Russia. Ultimately it doesn't matter whether fossil fuels come from new fields or old we just need to reduce and ultimately stop burning them. Unfortunately that isn't going to happen over night.

I was absolutely no fan of Boris but he did take climate change seriously - I'm not so sure about his replacement whoever it turns out to be.

Composting! Easy to do and saves about a ton of CO2 per household or something? I’m not 100% sure but it’s worth doing.

around 30% of household waste can be composted at home and if sent to landfill biodegradable material produces methane due to anaerobic decomposition. Much better to do it at home and also you’re saving on the energy costs involved in the transport of wheelie bin waste, the processing and sorting of waste etc etc.

i compost everything I can, I rip up paper, cardboard (a lot of cardboard is sent to China for recycling). My 3 year old is getting really into it too and gets excited about a banana skin that will “feed the worms”!

trying to go zero waste so I’m also careful about what I buy and the packaging it’s in. I’m aiming to keep the wheelie bins mostly empty from here on, and it’s quite nice as the general bin isn’t stinky or anything anymore. Would totally recommend it.

@CheapandTrashy composting is great, we have two built from old pallets. But commercial composting captures the methane emissions and uses them as a source of sustainable feedstock either in fuels or chemical processing industry.

@Daftasabroom yes that’s true but we don’t have a separate food waste collection in our area. The joy of it for me is that Im able to manage a lot of waste myself and I’m diverting waste from the general and recycling bins. I am much less reliant on other people to sort and deal with my waste and all the energy costs that are involved in that etc. Its also something that I can do myself, immediately without trying to change things via my vote or waiting for the government or other people to do.

i do feel a bit powerless about what I can do to help the climate crisis and this is something I’ve been able to do and do well. We’ve gone from squashing the wheelie bin shut every two weeks (before I started using reusable nappies) to a bin that’s about a quarter full after two weeks. Very satisfying. Imagine the impact if more people could do that. Also it’s fun! Or maybe I’m just odd 😅