Climate Change: 5 ways to lower your carbon emissions quickly

Today, April 22, is Earth Day. The day is set aside to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

First held on April 22, 1970, it is now coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including  one billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2023 is ‘Invest In Our Planet’.

What is climate change? Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts could be natural.

However, since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change. The main causative human activities being burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.

Today, we bring you a few things you can do to lower the emission of these gases, as published by BBC.

Fewer flights

If all flights on Earth were suddenly stopped, it would in an instant halt at least 2.5% of all CO2 emissions.

Aviation contributes around one billion tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. From 2013 to 2019, emissions from the aviation sector grew 30%, according to a report by the International Council on Clean Transportation.

Despite a downturn due to the pandemic, its emissions are now on the rise again.

A blanket ban on flying would be unthinkable, of course. But decreasing the demand for flights is entirely possible, and doesn’t mean you can’t travel.

You could try taking the train or bus, which have far lower emissions, one or both ways instead. Or you could try to fly half as often for twice as long.

Food

Switching to a plant-based diet could save you around 0.8 tonnes of CO2e each year.

If everyone in the world shifted to a plant-based diet, it would free up 75% of the world’s agricultural land for other uses – such as a range of biodiverse and carbon-capturing ecosystems.

But even if you don’t go entirely plant-based, switching individual foods for a lower-carbon option is one way to reduce emissions from your diet.

For example, cow’s milk scores worse than plant-based alternatives on land use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and pollution from fertiliser, while different kinds of protein can also have different emissions.

Transport

Private transport is one of the world’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and in countries like the UK and the US, the transport sector – dominated by cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes – is now responsible for emitting more greenhouse gases than any other.

If you have a car, simply cutting down on how much you use it can be a great first step to reducing your emissions.

In many places, the majority of car journeys are only for relatively short distances, and walking or biking are great alternative which can also help keep you healthy.

For longer journeys (and where it’s available), public transport tends to be a far lower carbon option than driving.

Finance

It might not be the most obvious way of reducing your carbon footprint, but how you save, invest and give away your money can make a big difference for climate change.

Many banks are well-documented financiers of the climate crisis, providing trillions of dollars to fossil fuel extraction.

The money you put in the bank doesn’t directly go to this (as typically consumer banking arms of banks are separated from their investment arms) experts and campaigners argue where you put your money can still make a difference to their social licence.

Fashion

Each year more than 100 billion items of clothing are produced globally, with 65% of these ending up in landfill within 12 months.

The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined.

How can we make our wardrobe more sustainable? You could start by buying your clothes second-hand, in thrift shops or on sites such as eBay, Vinted or Depop, or renting them, instead of purchasing new items.

Cutting down on washing can also help further lower the carbon footprint of your wardrobe and reduce the number of microplastics that end up in our waterways.

Finally, it’s important to think about what we do with our clothes at the end of their life. Instead of throwing clothes away in landfill, a better approach is to pass them onto friends, sell them online or take them to second-hand shops.