Net zero emissions need to be reached by the middle of this century in order to limit global warming to 1.5 C. We need to reverse more than a century of rising emissions and bring annual emissions down to near zero in less than 30 years.
We have to do everything we can to reduce our use of fossil fuels. Many people don't know how to do this. The chapter devoted to changing people's behavior can help accelerate the transition to net zero.
An analysis of 60 individual actions which can help fight climate change is included in the chapter.
We grouped them into three areas, avoiding consumption, shifting consumption and improving consumption. The chart below shows what we found.
It's the most effective thing to avoid. Living without a car reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 2 tonnes of CO2 emissions per person per year, while avoiding a single long distance return flight cuts emissions by an average of 1.9 tonnes. It would take a typical EU car more than 16,000 km from Germany to Ulaanbaatar and back.
The author isMax Callaghan.
Since the vast majority of the world's population don't fly at all, only a small percentage of fliers can make significant reductions to their carbon footprints.
Living sustainable isn't just about giving up stuff. Changing to a different way of doing things can help reduce emissions. Walking or cycling can make an enormous change, with added benefits for your health and local air pollution levels, due to the fact that driving is sopolluting.
The author isMax Callaghan.
The high emissions associated with meat and dairy can be mitigated if you shift to a more sustainable diet. A completely vegan diet is the best way to go, but there are other ways to save money.
The things we do already could be made more efficient by using insulation and heat pumps, or by using solar panels.
The author isMax Callaghan.
If you want to make your car journeys more efficient, you should switch to an electric car that has a battery. As time goes by, the amount of electricity generated by renewable sources grows.
Every metric ton of CO 2 is counted in the race to net zero. The ambitious goals set out in the Paris climate agreement are more likely to be achieved if more of us take a few of these suggestions into account. The changes need to be supported by political action on the issue of sustainable living.
If we want to use less fossil fuel energy, we need to either restrict or increase the price of fossil fuels. If revenues are redistributed to take the financial burden off poorer households, carbon pricing can benefit people on lower incomes.
Better, safer public transport and active travel infrastructure are some of the things that governments could do to help people live more sustainable lives.
If political solutions are used to address climate change, they will limit the extent to which we can indulge in carbon- intensive behaviors. We need to vote into power those who are prepared to make tough decisions for the sake of our planet.
A researcher in climate change is at the university.
Under a Creative Commons license, this article is re-posted. The original article is worth a read.
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