January Top Tips // 5 ways you can individually tackle climate change

Hi Everyone!

This is the first of our new monthly posts for 2022! We will be sharing top tips every month, near the beginning, for things you can do during that month for the better. It's almost like a whole year of new year's resolutions (though let's hope they are achieved)!

In these posts, we aren't just going to talk about climate change, of course, there will also be posts about animals, plants, habitats, plastic pollution and so much more! They will not be huge tips though, they won't demand too much of you (usually!). We need rebellions and people in the public eye spreading the word of course but we also need people like you, who can just do their bit. So, welcome to our top tips posts!

We all know that we need to come together to fight the climate crisis, but we don't seem to be doing that right now. So here are our top tips for ways you can individually tackle climate change, even if this means simply spreading the word. These are things you can do now, and things you can carry through your life.

A crisis has many aspects. If you get a storm, this doesn't just cause devastation from the wind and rain, but also lost power, families separated and so much more that isn't from the immediate effects of the storm itself. The climate crisis is just the same: there are many ways it will affect us, and many of these we have no idea about.

Tip #1: Knowledge is power - educate yourself

Before you even think about telling others, you need to understand more about the climate crisis yourself. Whether that's through watching TV programs, reading books, researching online, or listening to speeches, you need to know what the problem is, how it's caused and ways to reduce it. And by that I don't just mean "The problem is greenhouse gases. It's caused by human activity. You can reduce it by not burning fossil fuels." because that's not helping anyone. I could carry on forever speaking metaphorically and telling you about all the things you need to know, but I think I'll just tell you about a few of my learning methods instead!

TV - Earth shot Prize: I don't think this got the recognition it deserves but it really is such an amazing series. It taught me so much and gives off such hope too. I love that it is about the solutions and I think you would all benefit immensely from watching it.

Books - No. More. Plastic by Martin Dorey

- No-one Is Too Small To Make A Difference by Greta Thunberg

Online Sources - Through this blog, we've found so many websites and articles. It would be impossible to link them all but here are a few of the most useful.

- The Guardian has amazing pages on the environment

- WWF has so many resources about animals and the way that climate change is affecting them

Speeches - Greta Thunberg

- David Attenborough

- Just google climate change speeches, it comes up with loads of results!

We also have a post about climate change and how the greenhouse effect works. If you want to learn more - click here.

Tip #2: Stay informed

The news, our blog, and social media (although don't always believe what you see), there are so many ways that you can keep yourself informed on the latest statistics, science and updates. This means that you know the most up-to-date advice and can change your habits accordingly, you never know when something may be unveiled that you need to take action on. It's also a way of keeping it on your mind and not forgetting it as soon as you switch off the documentary! I am guilty of this and staying informed is definitely something I need to do more.

As mentioned above, the Guardian has amazing resources about the environment and we often use their articles to create content for this blog.

Tip #3: Don't be afraid of bringing it up in a conversation

For this tip, I want to encourage you to speak out and if the topic of climate change is brought up in a conversation, not be afraid to show off your knowledge and help others to understand the issue. I think sometimes we are afraid of what people will say and frustrated at the fact that people don't take it seriously enough but we stay annoyed and don't take the steps necessary to change this. We want climate change to become something that is actively talked about and something that people are worried about.

If someone doesn't believe in climate change, you need to educate them and not be afraid of the consequences. I understand that this can be difficult and you don't want to rock the boat in your friendship or relationship but their understanding of your views is vital to them changing their own and making a difference themselves.

Tip #4: Appreciate Nature

This is something that I believe is so often overlooked in how to individually tackle climate change. I know that whenever I take a beautiful countryside walk, I am motivated to do my bit to protect it. Motivation is often something I lack, just the thought of actually changing something in my life that works perfectly fine doesn't seem very appealing. It's only when I think of the consequences of my inaction that I am motivated to make that change.

So although appreciating nature won't reduce the effects we are having on it, it can mean that you feel more responsibility to protect that place for future generations, and future you.

Here are some ways I appreciate nature:

- Take a walk in a beautiful forest and take deep breaths, breathing in the fresh air.

- Use your senses. When out and about, listen to the birds, look for hidden beauty spots and smell the flowers and anything else you find on your adventures.

- Take some time to just watch the world without thinking too much about your busy day-to-day life.

- Whatever the weather, think about how the weather will help and hinder some of your plants and animals.

- Appreciate each season by noting the changes that happen around you. You could even write them down in a notebook.

Tip #5: Take small steps to change

Using the knowledge, up-to-date facts and motivation you have gained from these tips, take those small steps to change your habits. You don't have to go radical, although radical is what we need, we also need the changes to be long-term and actually work so if taking it one step at a time is what you need, then that's fine. However, if you want to make a more radical change that is amazing too.

The main thing is to use the knowledge you have and change your habits accordingly. I'm sure you all know what kinds of things you should do to reduce your carbon footprint, if you don't then the previous tips should help you!

I hope this post has been useful in telling you about the ways that YOU can tackle climate change, perhaps not the things that are obviously mentioned which I feel people have heard too much.

If you have any ideas for themes for future top tips, please leave them in the comments or contact us in another way, which you can find out more about here!

Thank you so much for finding the time to read this and maybe some of you will put these into place!

Green World Blog Team

Sources:

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/10-ways-you-can-help-fight-climate-crisis

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181102-what-can-i-do-about-climate-change

Image: This image owned by a blog editor (Zoë).

Comments

Coral reefs

Hello! We would love to introduce you to the topic of coral reefs and especially coral reef bleaching, as it is a greatly ignored but certainly significant topic. Have fun! 5 coral reef facts 1. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet and is 2300 km long! 2. Less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface is covered in coral reefs. 3. At least 25% of all marine animals live there. 4. Coral reefs are often known as the rainforests of the ocean. 5. In 1 square kilometre of coral reef, up to 35 tons of fish can be 'produced'. The 5 biggest coral reefs in the world 1. Great Barrier Reef (near Australia) 2. Red Sea Coral Reef (near Egypt, Israel and Djibouti) 3. New Caledonia Reef (Pacific Ocean near New Caledonia) 4. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (near Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras) 5. Florida Reef (Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico near Florida) What is coral? Coral is actually made up of small anim...

Energy comparison: solar (PV) panels

Hi everyone, Today I'm looking into the first on a long list of energy sources: solar (PV) panels. Are they actually sustainable and could they become our main energy source in the near future? After all, enough energy from the sun reaches the earth in 90 minutes to cover the entire world's energy consumption for a whole year! How they work There are a couple of ways to transform energy from the sun into electricity. The one we are looking at today is solar panels also known as solar photovoltaic technology. Photovoltaic (PV) technology is the key to solar panels. A solar panel is made of many PV cells. A single PV cell will produce 1-2 watts of power. They are very thin and are normally protected by glass and/or plastics. This is the best explanation I could find (click here for the source): When the semiconductor is exposed to light, it absorbs the light’s energy and transfers it to negatively charged particles in the material calle...

Animals 31-35 in our '50 incredible animals' series

Hi Everyone! Welcome back to our blog, today we are sharing another 5 incredible animals. This is part of a series to celebrate our 50th blog post, all about unusual animals! Enjoy! 31. Pangolins These creatures are often mistaken for reptiles but they are in fact mammals. They are covered in scales and use them to defend themselves because similar to a hedgehog, they curl up into a ball. They eat ants, termites and larvae. They eat using their tongue, which is very long- sometimes even longer than their body! Sadly, Pangolins are in high demand as their meat is considered a delicacy their scales are used in traditional folk remedies, which means that there is an illegal trade. Luckily, there have been many initiatives put in place to help these animals by WWF and similar organisations. 32. Macropinna Microstoma This is a species of fish that live at about 600m below sea level. They hang nearly motionless in the water and have a very unusual...

Wildfires

Welcome back to Green World, In the last few months, wildfires have been raging across the globe. Hawaii, Canada, the USA, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Tunisia and countless more have been affected. But what are the environmental impacts of such a blaze? The USA has had an average of over 70 000 wildfires a year since 2000. In 2020, Californian wildfires emitted more than 90 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is more than the state's power industry emits per year. It is estimated that humans start 87% of wildfires. Around the world, 4 million squ. km are hit by wildfires every single year. This emits vast amounts of carbon dioxide, which fuels climate change . The smoke causes air pollution in the entire surrounding area and can lead to respiratory problems in humans. The air pollution also kills birds, including those migrating through the area. Studies also show that socially vulnerable populations are more at risk of harm...

The life of ... a cicada

Hi everyone, We're back to talk about another animal. Cicadas ( Cicadoidea ) are invertebrates and are 1.9cm to 5.7cm in size. There are 3 000 species that can be divided into annual cicadas and periodical cicadas. Annual cicadas can be seen annually and are found worldwide whereas periodical cicadas only leave the ground every decade or two and are only found in North America with hotspots in the eastern and central areas of the United States. Most annual cicadas have a lifespan of about two to five years and periodical cicadas can live up to the age of 17. Female cicadas lay around 400 eggs split up over several places. They normally lay their eggs on twigs, branches or other vegetation. The eggs hatch after about six to ten weeks, now known as nymphs, and dig their way into the soil. The nymphs feed on the liquids found in plant roots. They fully develop underground, before molting their shells and coming to the surface, now fully deve...

10 Animals on the Edge of Extinction No. 10- The Javan Rhino

The Javan rhino is listed as the 1st animal on WWF’s list of the 10 world’s most endangered animals, and I for my part, had never heard of it! If you hadn’t either, we’re changing that now. A bit about the rhino’s lifestyle The Javan rhinos are now exclusively found on the island of Java in Indonesia, but were once found in vast regions of northeast india and Southeast Asia. They have a dark grey colour which looks almost black when wet, and their (often pink) skin folds look a bit like plated armor. Both males and females have lower incisors which resemble tusks that they use to fight. Males have one relatively short horn of about 25 cm (10 inches). Javan Rhinos live in tropical forests, marshy areas and in the thick bush. They are mainly browsers and eat over 100 plants species they find in the forest, weigh between 900 and 2300 kg (1984-5071 pounds) and are between 3 and 3.2 meters (10- 10.5 feet) long. How endangered are we talking? Javan rhinos are the most ...

Heatwaves - what's so bad about them?

Hi everyone, Today we’re talking about heatwaves and what effects they have on us and the environment. Heatwaves are becoming ever more common, with 2023 breaking multiple world records. In China, 52.2°C were recorded at one point and the coastal waters near Florida, USA, were as warm as a hot tub. This is because of the combination of climate change and El Niño , both of which make the effects of the other worse. But we can’t push the blame onto El Niño. When analysed it became clear that without human made climate change the USA heat records would have been almost impossible. So what exactly are the effects of such high temperatures. A study in Europe found that the 2022 heatwave possibly caused over 70 000 heat related deaths. Although it is sometimes hard to tell whether or not someone died from the heat or from something else, after analysing the data the team found that their original estimate of 62 000 people (which is still a lot) was probably ...

18.10.20 Animal Of The Week: Sloth

Hello, Sorry this didn't come out on Sunday as planned but this week's animal of the week is the sloth because the twentieth of October is Sloth Day. Habitat The sloth resides in Central and South America. It lives in the rainforests there and occasionally drops into the water for a bathe as, believe it or not, they are actually excellent swimmers! Diet Sloths eat leaves, twigs and buds which they find in the rainforest. As they don't have incisors they smack their lips together to make leaves more digestible. Sloths can survive on relatively little food as it takes a while for them to digest it. Sleep and Speed When you think of a sloth, you probably think of this slow, sleepy creature. They actually sleep for about 15 hours a day! Sloths have an extremely low metabolic rate (what basic calories your body needs to survive), which means they move at a slow pace through the trees. On average, sloths travel 40 yards per day ...

Announcement: Factfile

This image is owned by a blog editor.

February 2021 Factfile - a bit of news from the last month and more!

Hi Everyone! Welcome to February's factfile! We are very sorry that we have not posted very much so far in 2021 but we are going to hopefully make up for it in the spring. News: Source- BBC Newsround The great yellow bumblebee has been spotted in Scotland! They used to be common in the UK but their population declined by about 80% in the last century. The find is a spark of hope as it is currently endangered. This is thought to be because of a decline in natural flower meadows and a boost in farming. The team of conservationists that found it were thrilled and when we heard about it we wanted to share it with you in case you hadn't heard! Source- Guardian In the 1840s a bird was caught in the East Indies. It had never been seen before and Charles Lucien Bonaparte (Napoleon's nephew) named it the black-browed babbler. The species wasn't seen again, so the only proof that it had ever existed was a stuffed specimen. ...

Green World

Search This Blog