Why Our Climate Needs Saving
On October 8th 2018, the United Nations released a 12 year warning calling for urgent changes needed to limit the catastrophe that is climate change & its repercussions.
Our generation is the answer to the end goal; a safe climate.
What Is Climate Change?
I fully encourage any young person that feels they don’t understand what climate change is, to ASK this question. You should never feel embarrassed or ashamed for not understanding the topic.
More importantly, have you noticed the news headlines of crippling heat conditions, severe earthquakes, devastating hurricanes & more extreme weather conditions becoming more frequent? That is our climate changing.
Our climate is changing because of human activity. Actions such as deforestation, agriculture & burning fossil fuels have caused the climate to reach a tipping point. A tipping point that places Earth in the unthinkable direction of a state of being inhabitable. This would mean that it would be impossible for any living being to survive on Earth.
What Causes Climate Change?
You might not have noticed but certain everyday actions can have a huge impact on the progress of our climate changing. Leaving a light on when you’re not in that particular room, spending longer than 5 minutes in the shower, using an unnecessary amount of plastic, eating excessive amounts of meat & using aerosol cans such as spray deodorants are all a contributor to the worsening of our climate.
Ideas To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Although the reduction of these everyday actions might seem extreme, they are not as scary as you might think. Even cutting down the amount of meals you eat a week that contain meat can have a positive impact on our climate. You do not have to make a drastic dietary change if you don’t think it suits you. Personally, I became a vegetarian to do my part in bettering the climate & it has its perks. I now have a much better diet & I also get my meal on airplanes before anyone else onboard (usually, the vegetarian meals are tastier too). I’m not a fantastically skilled cook (though I still survive on a vegetarian diet) but when I give cooking a go, books like ’30-Minute Vegetarian’ by Ylva Bergqvist with 100 vegetarian recipes make the vegetarian lifestyle feel incredible.
Start making small positive contributions to the climate, every contribution makes a difference. After a certain amount of time, that small contribution you made will become a habit & your everyday actions will help towards a better climate without you even noticing.
Why Should I Care?
I believe the problem that surrounds the neglect towards climate change is formed from a lack of interest. Caring about climate change & how you can help is the key solution to a better climate. Follow an Instagram page (@climatereality is a great Instagram page that posts daily about our climate) that focuses on climate change, read an article or a book about climate change or ask someone about the current situation surrounding our climate. Feed the curiosity.
I find that climate change is also a great topic to bring up in a conversation. Sharing your knowledge of the current climate crisis & how humanity can help will spread the word but you might also learn something new about it from others. It’s also a brilliant conversation starter on dates if you’re stuck in silence!
Here is link to an article I read recently speaking on climate change & the United Nations’ statement: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report
This is only the beginning, if no change is made. The winters will be deathly cold with unbearable conditions, if no change is made. The summers will be suffocatingly hot with people gasping for relief, if no change is made. People will continue to suffer as a result of our climate changing, if no change is made. Learn how you can help. Change is possible, a better climate is possible.
Words by Sarah Crean