Sustainability 101: Ways To Fight Climate Change

As the world warms, extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, sea levels rise, prolonged droughts stress food crops, and many animal and plant species become extinct. It’s difficult to imagine what we as individuals can do to address a problem of this magnitude and severity, but sustainability is one way of seeing the answer to this issue.

We know that the effects of climate change are affecting and will continue to affect many businesses in a variety of ways. However, many people are unaware of what they can do to help fight it. Big or small, every person can contribute to fighting climate change and worsening the impacts of environmental degradation. 

Here are some actions we can take to contribute to the fight against global warming:

Help Reduce Carbon Emissions

When possible, use more sustainable modes of transportation, such as bicycling, or public transportation instead of driving. Another healthy option is walking. If you are going to a place that is not too far from you, you can take some exercise and opt to walk as well. Long-distance travel by train is more environmentally friendly than flying, which emits a significant amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. 

If you like cars, keep in mind that increasing your speed by one kilometer will significantly increase your CO2 emissions and expenses. Each liter of fuel used by your car equals 2.5 kilos of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere.

Conserve Energy

Examine the labels on your appliances and never leave them on standby mode. Always set the thermostat for heating and cooling. You can also purchase appliances that require less energy than the many traditional ones that are still widely sold in the market. 

By making efforts to conserve energy at home, you can save energy and, of course, money at the end of the month. This is how you can enjoy being mindful of how we use home appliances.

Go Low on Waste

Reduced waste generation is another way for a business to reduce its carbon footprint. All businesses generate waste, whether it is industrial waste from a large corporation or paper waste from a tertiary sector SME (small-medium enterprise). If you run a business, avoid disposable cups, stirrers, and capsules for the coffee machine in favor of kitchen crockery, reduce the number of prints, reuse papers as drafts, and correctly sort waste for recycling. 

There are numerous solutions depending on the facility (office or factory) and the core business of an organization, and many employees will have plenty of useful tips if they are motivated to embrace an eco-entrepreneur mindset. This will also encourage consumers to buy the products offered by businesses since they are able to contribute to a better environment.

Buy Less

The original money-saving mantra was to buy less or not at all. Add “refuse” to the previously mentioned three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Furthermore, by not purchasing, you reduce the amount of waste you contribute to landfills. 

The carbon footprint of refusing is difficult to calculate because it varies from person to person; however, tools such as footprintcalculator.org can help you identify your current ecological footprint and offer doable solutions for change, such as buying less.

Key Takeaway

Aside from your role as a citizen, fighting climate change requires a more systemic approach to be able to fully realize it. Companies’ roles are also political. Companies that want to combat climate change must be aggressive on their own turf, whether at the regional or national level. 

They can have a significant impact by pressuring politicians and public figures to take action on global warming. Companies that are active may result in new environmental regulations that have a significant impact on global warming.