Will you be an everyday hero by taking small steps to help fight climate change? Changes can be as simple as turning your thermostat down just one degree, washing your clothes at 30°C, leaving the car for shorter journeys and recycling your food waste.
Seems easy! And in fact, these small changes can make a big difference.
- The Energy Saving Trust point out that turning your thermostat down from 22°C to 21°C saves 310kg – 360kg of carbon dioxide every year. You could also save £85 – £90 a year in fuel bills.
- Washing your clothes at 30°C instead of 40°C uses around 40% less energy, and drying your clothes on a line instead of in a tumble dryer can make a big difference.
- 23% of car journeys are under 1 mile, and another 33% under 2 miles. Walking or cycling shorter distances can make a big difference to reducing car use.
- We waste 600,000 tonnes of food and drink per year. Sending food waste to landfill causes the release of harmful greenhouse gases like methane. Recycling your food waste through the council or composting it in a compost bin in your garden makes sure that it doesn’t go to waste. Through your council it can either be composted or sent off for anaerobic digestion, where waste is turned into energy for homes. By not wasting food, each person could save £470 and 610kg of CO2e.
Reducing emissions in our everyday lives is important because a massive 42% of our emissions come from things that we have control over – our energy use, travel choices, food choices, and the things we buy. Changing our behaviour can go a long way towards limiting climate change, making heroes out of us all.
Why do we need to limit climate change?
Recent weather events have highlighted the sorts of effects that we’re likely to see more of in future because of rising average global temperatures and changing weather patterns. From flooding to droughts, to impacts on agriculture and our food supply around the world, the effects of climate change will be felt by us all.
For nature too, climate change has a big impact. The timings of natural events such as flowering and reproduction is changing for some species, having knock-on effects to other aspects of nature. Some species may benefit, though others may no longer thrive in areas where they are usually found – and some of our best loved species may struggle to survive at all. We may see more pests and diseases as the climate becomes more suitable for them, and we may see some new invasive species. For more information see the Biodiversity climate change impacts report card.
In the marine environment, carbon dioxide may be causing oceans to acidify. This is potentially harmful for many marine creatures like corals and molluscs and crustaceans, including the prawns and mussels that we enjoy eating. These rely on the ocean’s alkaline properties to build up their shells and skeletons. Emissions from our cars and energy use emit carbon dioxide, which is then absorbed by the oceans. For more information on the expected effects on our oceans, see the Marine climate impacts report card.
Scientists agree – human behaviour has caused climate change. It is now our responsibility to protect ourselves, each other, and the environment around us from the worst effects.
Your mission should you choose to accept it: to live a little greener in 2016.
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