Climate change

Note that half of emissions come from the richest 10% of the world, which includes you if you're middle-class in a developed country. That's the target audience for the "personal actions" section of this page.

GHGs (greenhouse gases) (such as CO₂) are the gases that cause climate change. This is a pie chart of where they come from.

Here's what we need to do about climate change

If you think there's anything more significant to add here, leave a comment on the talk page.

Personal actions

• Frugalism
• Driving less (or not at all)
• Plant-based food
• Stopping food waste This includes food wasted by businesses iBusiness food waste is still (somewhat) affected by personal food choices. For example if we want restaurants to stop throwing out day-old bread, then more people have to at least be willing to eat the day-old bread.

Collective actions ✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿

• Stop planned obsolescence
  • Promote right to repair

• Make neighborhoods walkable
  • Also, improve public transit

• Replace ALL FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY with renewables or nuclear
  • Requires major tech innovations that might not come soon enough.
  • This would be a lot easier if energy consumption was lower - so in any case, the other actions on this page still matter more than ever.

Why those are the most important actions ↑

Most of the world's carbon emissions are affected by either...

• How much new "stuff" gets made. iSee pie chart: Sections: "Industry", "Energy Use In Industry", and part of "Fugitive Emissions In Energy Production" (as natural gas is used in the industries).

• How much people drive/fly. iTwo thirds of the "Transport" section of the pie chart (because the other third is for transporting goods; the ratio isn't found in this pie chart, but it's found in another pie chart).

• Heating & cooling homes and other buildings. iMost of the "Energy Use In Buildings" section is heating & cooling (not lights or computers etc). The pie chart doesn't specify this, but another pie chart does. Heating & cooling also contribute to "Fugitive Emissions In Energy Production", because natural gas is often used in heating and in generating the electricity that powers air conditioners.

• Food production. iMost of the "Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use" section goes towards producing food. Also note: This section affects more than just climate change, it also affects most of habitat loss.

Aren't there other things that can be done?

Yes. Read more: Longer list of actions.

• Be warned: Most have very limited impact, and some are even counterproductive!

See also

• What is climate change
• Why climate change is a problem
• Why climate change is anthropogenic
• Deforestation - another environmental problem, which affects more than just the climate.