Your Role in Climate Change

 

David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg

Over the past couple of years, our environment has become more sharply into focus: activists like Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough are opening our eyes to the pressures our planet faces. With the US finally re-joining the Paris Climate agreement, prehaps now is the time to revaluate the impact of Climate Change and explore more earnestly the technologies that will change our future.

 

While the biggest changes must come from governments and corporations (Coco-cola and Nestle are the worst culprits), we can all still do our bit and an important weapon against this is education. Since the 1980s, fossil fuel companies such as ExxonMobil have fuelled climate change denial which has a big impact on our ability to move green proposals forward. Therefore, it’s critical that we brush up on our climate facts and help our loved ones make positive steps to a cleaner future. The BBC are releasing a new campaign titled ‘Our Planet Matters’ where, for the next year, special programmes will be shown to help educate the nation on this issue.

 

So what can you do? Becoming ‘eco-friendly’ is a trend that’s gaining popularity on social media platforms and, though this promises a greener mentality within society, we must be wary of companies trying to cash in on our planet.

‘Green washing’ is when companies falsely mislead consumers into believing their products are environmentally friendly. This is done by using organic colours like green and brown and using catchphrases like ‘eco’, ‘natural’ or ‘earth friendly’.

Use reusable straws instead of plastic.

When investing in a new product, take time to research the company’s climate pledge and see if they’re really meeting the standards. If possible, by local to reduce the product’s carbon footprint. It may also pay off to buy more expensive but higher quality items that you’re less likely to replace. That said, the worst thing you can do is buy something you’ll never use and will ultimately end up in the bin.

We can see for ourselves the impact of Climate Change. Sea levels are rising, our weather is becoming more extreme and mass extinctions are currently taking place. At the end of the day, we must decide what we want for this planet and make active steps towards a better future. It’s not too late. Yet.

UN: 'Yes, Climate Change is Driving Wild Fires.'