Each year, on 24th October, the International Day against Climate Change is commemorated. It is a date established by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness about the effects of climate change and the serious consequences caused by global warming.
On the occasion of the International Day against Climate Change, we are sharing with you the 10 impactful actions suggested by the United Nations to tackle the climate crisis from an individual level.
We all can do our part.
Check out what you can do to contribute with a more sustainable life style:
1. Save energy at your household. Improve lighting at home by replacing high consuming bulbs by LED bulbs and avoid an irrational use of artificial light by taking advantage of daylight when possible. You can also turn off electrical appliances when they are not in use, for example, your mobile phone charger, as they keep consuming some energy. Moreover, you can check that the temperature of your refrigerator is correctly regulated and set to 5ºC in the fridge and -18ºC in the freezer, which are adequate efficient temperatures. You may also install volumetric reducers in the shower and aerators in the taps to save significant amount of water.
2. Walk, bike or take public transportation. Whenever possible, move by public transport, bicycle, electric vehicles or on foot, to avoid air pollution and energy consumption.
3. Eat more vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts, and less meat and dairy products, since it takes tons of water and energy resources to produce meat and dairy products.
4. Consider your travel means, both for your professional and your personal life. Travelling by plane consumes enormous amounts of conventional fuels, which pollute the air we breath. Whenever possible, choose to meet your colleagues virtually instead of flying. Or you may take the train instead. Be aware of the enormous impact that travelling has on the environment.
5. Throw away less food. Food loss awareness is something more and more in vogue nowadays. Our society cannot go on like this, wasting tons of food per person. Go shopping only for what you really need. Be careful with quantities, and with leaving food on the fridge for too long – it can go bad.
6. Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle. That is the main motto of the well known Circular Economy. We need to reduce consumption, reuse and repair objects, and always recycle. Only when it is not possible to recycle, then that waste can go to waste-to-energy disposal solutions.
7. Change your home’s source of energy. If possible, change your power supply to solar energy, or subscribe to a green power company, which will also take care of the environment.
8. Switch to an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles are not only the future, but the present. They are here to stay. Many governments worldwide are offering money grants to promote the use of electric vehicles, which have longer autonomy periods.
9. Choose eco-friendly products. We as consumers can force brands to turn to eco-design. With our shopping choices we are telling manufacturers what we need and what we want. Always choose eco-friendly items, from local producers.
10. Speak up for bold action against climate change. Help spread the word by convincing your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues of the need for climate action.
For more detailed information on low-carbon lifestyles, see the UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2020: https://wedocs.unep.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/34432/EGR20ch6.pdf?sequence=3
Text based on United Nations “Act Now” programme for Climate Action.