Climate change mitigation entails decreasing emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into our atmosphere and increasing sinks (such as forests) that absorb them, thus lessening human activity’s effect on Earth’s temperature and contributing towards meeting global warming limits of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
1. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
No matter if it be purchasing shoes, eating meat or traveling – our decisions have an effect on the environment in many ways, such as emitting greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change. Your emissions make up what is known as your carbon footprint – any time we can decrease it is better for our planet!
Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses are produced when fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are burned to generate electricity, so mitigation strategies often center around reducing energy use by encouraging renewable sources of power generation or making existing technology more energy-efficient.
Protect and expand natural carbon sinks – forests and oceans – while simultaneously seeking ways to create new ones through forest regeneration or geoengineering. Such measures will help keep global warming below 2deg Celsius; however, much more work remains, particularly among low and middle income countries which will struggle without financial and technological assistance to mitigate climate change while adapting accordingly.
2. Green Your Urban Areas
Green urban areas play a key role in mitigating climate change and improving quality of life for city residents. By supporting sustainable building designs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy sources, they help provide people with space to relax, play and reduce vehicle congestion in cities.
These spaces can offer natural solutions for climate change impacts such as flooding, ocean acidification and droughts. Restoring wetland areas reduces erosion while attenuating flood waters – something much more cost-effective and eco-friendly than engineering hard shoreline solutions such as sea walls or bulkheads.
Another example would be creating urban gardens to produce food while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or encouraging composting of food waste to reduce landfill methane emission rates, which have 26 times more warming potential than carbon dioxide. Greening cities is another way of mitigating urban heat island effect by planting trees or upgrading stormwater systems.
3. Reduce Your Waste
Keep food waste out of landfills is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to lower your environmental impact. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food accounts for 30 percent of landfills and produces methane gas as it breaks down in compost heaps or curbside pickup services in your city. Instead of throwing away food scraps directly, consider creating your own compost heap or taking advantage of curbside pickup services instead.
Consider its impacts when purchasing new items, from manufacturing and shipping through disposal. Energy used during these processes generates greenhouse gases; to help minimize this wasteful consumption of natural resources look for products made of recycled materials or select reusable options as an alternative.
Pela, one of the 1% for the Planet member companies, is committed to combatting climate change with their eco-friendly phone cases and at-home composting tool Lomi. Furthermore, they’re working on streamlining shipping routes, decreasing end of life waste disposal rates, encouraging customers to donate unneeded items and streamlining shipping routes.
4. Choose Sustainable Businesses
Climate change mitigation efforts come in various forms, from individuals adopting sustainable habits and advocating for change, to companies adopting policies and investing in renewable energy solutions. Even if your company has not made the transition yet, you can still contribute by supporting nonprofit organizations focused on issues critical for its own sustainability.
Companies that prioritize sustainability often see many advantages, including increased customer loyalty and competitive edge. Furthermore, sustainability commitment can reduce business risk by helping adapt to future challenges such as weather fluctuations that lead to crop failures or shortages of raw materials.
Businesses cannot ignore climate change anymore. Making a commitment to sustainability will result in a greener planet, improved profitability, and stronger relationships with consumers. Prioritizing sustainable practices among your staff, investors or customers yields results everyone will be grateful for: an improved world for everyone.