Ten Ways You Can Mitigate Climate Change

Dr. Ingrid H. H. Zabel, Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York 14850

April 15, 2022

This is clear: We, the humans on this planet, need to find ways to use less energy, and adopt rapid, systemic change to our energy systems in order to avert climate disaster. Disaster is a strong word, but consider what is already taking place, as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its February, 2022 report on Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability [1]:

  • “Increasing weather and climate extreme events have exposed millions of people to acute food insecurity.” You may be one of the people experiencing the horror of food insecurity, or you may be affected in the future.

  • “Hundreds of local losses of species have been driven by increases in the magnitude of heat extremes." The extreme heat brought on by our actions is killing other species.

  • “Climate change has caused substantial damages, and increasingly irreversible losses, in terrestrial, freshwater and coastal and open ocean marine ecosystems.” Our lives are not separate from these ecosystems.

  • “Animal and human diseases, including zoonoses, are emerging in new areas.” In the midst of a pandemic, we do not need the pressure of additional diseases.

  • “Climate and weather extremes are increasingly driving displacement in all regions.” How terrible it must be to be uprooted from your home by climate change.

These impacts sound disastrous to me.

The IPCC has also just published its report on mitigation of climate change, which is about what we can do to slow down or stop heating up our planet. Hundreds of authors from around the world have reviewed thousands of research studies and written a comprehensive review of the actions we can take to lower energy demand and improve our energy systems and land use in industry, buildings, transportation, and materials and waste management, in both urban and rural areas. The report also discusses the need for not just avoiding greenhouse gas emissions, but also removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, an action that the IPCC concluded several years ago would be necessary to limit warming to below 1.5° C (2.7°F) over pre-industrial global average temperature.

The report contains some good news, such as the fact that the cost of low-emission technologies continues to fall. But as one small person trying to comprehend the scope of all the changes we need to make, it’s easy to feel helpless. You might find yourself wondering that if what we really need is large-scale, systemic change, how can your actions make a difference?

 

Your actions do matter. Every little bit helps, and the small, positive outcomes of many individual actions can add up to a large, positive outcome. I can avoid about 1 kg of carbon dioxide emissions by biking or walking to and from the pharmacy instead of driving. If a million people take similar actions, we avoid 1 million kg of emissions! The IPCC reminds us that every ton of emissions contributes to global warming [2], so every ton avoided helps make the problem easier to solve.

Individuals who come together to form groups can create a lot of change on a community level, encouraging adoption of renewable energy and changes in infrastructure to promote energy efficiency. Even a small group of people can have a big impact.

 

If you want to get involved in creating a better climate future, here are some suggestions for what you can do.


  1. Speak up!

    Advocate for changes to our energy system.

    Tell companies that if they want you to buy their products, they need to be energy efficient, use renewable energy, and minimize waste.

    Normalize caring about climate change and the environment—talk about the things you do to mitigate climate change. Your voice could have more power and influence than you think.

    Speak up on our “Share Your Views on the News” webpage in our online climate exhibit, Changing Climate: Our Future, Our Choice.


2. Use renewable energy

The most direct and long-term cost-savings approach is to install solar panels at your home. If you can’t do that, you can take part in community solar by purchasing a panel at or subscribing to a solar farm.

Sign up for an electricity supplier that uses wind energy and other renewables.

Advocate for your community to install more renewable energy infrastructure.


3. Electrify your home and transportation

If our utility companies switch to low-carbon sources for generating electricity, then we all can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by running various systems with electricity instead of fossil fuels.

Switch to a heat pump for heating and cooling your home. Heat pumps run on electricity instead of burning fossil fuels, and they are highly energy efficient. The upfront installation costs can be high, but heat pumps can save you a lot of money in the long run.

If you can, drive an electric car. In addition to avoiding emissions, you’ll be using a vehicle that is much more energy efficient. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, at least 77% of the energy used by an electric car goes into power at the wheels, whereas only 12%-30% of the energy used by a gasoline-powered car goes into power at the wheels. [3]


4. Conserve energy

In a fossil-fuel based society, using energy leads to greenhouse gas emissions. And even low-carbon, clean energy sources cause some environmental degradation. It’s critical that we find ways to use less energy.

Influence businesses and industry by letting them know you want them to be energy efficient.

When it’s time to replace appliances, buy the most energy-efficient ones you can afford.

Switch to LED light bulbs and change your transportation (see #6 below!)


5. Conserve water

We have lots of good reasons not to waste water, and conserving energy is one of them. It takes a lot of energy to clean water, pump it out to buildings, and pump the wastewater back to be cleaned again. That energy use leads to greenhouse gas emissions.

Check for leaks and fix them quickly.

Avoid watering your lawn and use only the minimum water you need for your garden.

Use a low flow shower head and faucet aerators.

Replacing a toilet? Choose a dual flush or low flow one.

Monitor your water use—check your water bill.


6. Change your transportation

Reduce driving by walking and biking instead, and using shared transportation, public or private.

Fly less. Travel has tremendous benefits, and the cultural exchanges that come from international travel are important for building good will and cooperation. We need those things to solve the climate crisis. But we can be thoughtful about our air travel and try to minimize it.


7. Help conserve and restore forests

Forests excel at taking in and storing carbon. They also provide habitat for our non-human relatives, clean our water and air, prevent flooding and soil erosion, and much more.

Advocate for stopping deforestation.

Get involved in forest restoration projects.

Use fabric replacements for paper towels.

Use recycled toilet paper (see the National Resource Defense Council’s Toilet Paper Scorecard)


8. Practice climate-friendly gardening

Stop using gasoline-powered power tools.

Minimize use of synthetic fertilizers. They can lead to emissions of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Buy locally-grown plants and garden products to minimize transportation emissions.

Grow plants that shade your house, to reduce your air conditioning use.

Use cover crops over the winter to keep carbon in the soil.


9. Reduce greenhouse gas emission through your food choices

Eat less meat and more plant-based foods.

Reduce food waste. Bring your own take-home container to a restaurant to take home leftovers and avoid using a disposable container. One-time-use containers waste resources and energy, leading to greenhouse gas emissions.

Compost uneaten food instead of sending it to a landfill where it releases methane when it decomposes.


10. Consume less

It’s not about deprivation, it’s about living in a way that will sustain our lives and other life on this planet.

Reduce the amount of stuff you buy. Slow down and think about your purchasing decisions instead of acting impulsively. Maybe I don’t need to buy that Japanese mechanical pencil or that “I ❤️Manatees” t-shirt. Full disclosure: after thinking it over for 24 hours, I did buy the pencil but not the t-shirt. I’m not perfect. And I do love manatees, but instead of buying a t-shirt, I donated to the Save the Manatee Club.

Reuse items.

Buy secondhand clothing and goods.


It feels good to take action to mitigate climate change, even small steps. And it’s important to talk about caring for our environment, to normalize this point of view.

For more help in getting started, the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University has developed a great tool called “Realistic Ways You Can Fight Climate Change Today.” It guides you to actions you can take based on the amount of money, time, and effort you think you can realistically spend.

Happy Earth Day 2022, and good luck to all of us in our efforts to mitigate climate change!


Learn more about climate change mitigation in PRI’s chapter on this topic in the Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science on Earth@Home: Climate Change Mitigation.

References

[1] IPCC, Summary for Policymakers [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, M. Tignor, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem (eds.)]. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. In Press, 2022. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/

[2] IPCC, AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis Outreach Materials, https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/outreach/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM_Basic_Slide_Deck_Figures.pdf , accessed April 13, 2022.

[3] “All-Electric Vehicles,” https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/evtech.shtml , accessed April 13, 2022.