There’s no more funny business allowed ever since the United Nations came out with a report that we have LESS THAN 12 YEARS TO FIX THE PLANET AND SLOW DOWN CLIMATE CHANGE or basically we will have ruined everything.
So, to put this into perspective for some of you who may not be as environmentally literate (which is alright, but idk try harder I guess), they base their research on the fact that if we keep consuming our resources and emitting the same greenhouse gases at the same rate, then our global temperature increase will hit 1.5 degrees Celsius and will cause a drastic sea level rise (aka your favorite vacation spots could be underwater or uninhabitable due to severe flooding from intensified storms).
Coral reefs could be depleted by 70-90% which could deeply affect our ocean’s ecosystem (fish could die without them) and shorelines as they play a huge role in decreasing storm surge and destruction of the land.
So, you’re probably wondering why I gave you all of this weird “sciency” information. Well, it’s like SUPER EXTREMELY REALLY important that we decrease our consumption if we want to continue living and having a grand ole time on our dear old planet like this bear:
Here are 4 simple ways that you can help decrease your consumption and slow down Climate Change:
1 Possibly the most obvious: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!
We have been taught this for years on end but we still continue to have a huge plastic and pollution problem in our oceans that have huge effects on our planet. My freshman year, I started to notice how much plastic my suite in the Village was consuming so I found a cardboard box and wrote in Sharpie: “PLEASE RECYCLE” and then forced my friends to recycle their bottles and if they didn’t, I would raid their garbage cans. Probably (definitely) sounds weird, but I promise it was worth it. Reusing things around the house can save you money AND save the planet. One-use plastic utensils and other products are being banned in countries around the world. If we can reuse these usual “one-use” pieces in our homes then we could save some money and our oceans one utensil at a time.
2 Eating less meat
This one sounds like it might be hard but really, if you look up the footprint that one steak burger has and the amount of water that it requires, you might change your mind. (If you’d like to know more here’s a great website that explains it very well: https://www.saveur.com/beef-climate-change-greenhouse-gas ) Plus, beef and other high-end meat cost a good amount of money, so cutting this out of your diet just a few times a week could save also some money.
3 Unplug/turn off appliances when you are not using them!
This simple task can save a lot of energy AND money for yourself in the long run. Leaving to go to the gym? Unplug your laptop or that charger in the wall. These appliances, though not in full use, still are pulling potential electricity from the wall so it is important to try your hardest every morning to do your part and unplug!
4 VOTE!
Creating sustainable lifestyles and industries is only important and meaningful if EVERYONE becomes apart of the bigger, global plan. We cannot continue to use non-renewable energy such as fossil fuels that emit so many greenhouse gases. Educate yourself and vote for a candidate who will support and enact policies that will create sustainable energy while helping our environment in the long run.
Let’s listen to President Obama, ladies: