Part III: The time for action is now

This is the final part in a series about climate change – and how you have the power to help stop it.

In my last article I mentioned that in the latest UN report scientists gave us twelve years before the catastrophic effects predicted become unavoidable.  I also said I would give you some concrete steps to take. Here are six.

1.     Contact your local politicians and vote on the issue. Two degrees of global warming will impact everyone on the planet – not just for one country or one group of people. It is the most important issue of our time. So take a moment and tell your local politicians to prioritize it. We must stop subsidizing fossil fuels and start investing in renewable energy from wind, solar and heat power. (The Union of Concerned Scientists has some tips for people in the U.S.)

2.     Buy stock in wind, solar and heat power. Talk talks but money walks. Contact your bank or broker, or look into companies on your own. There are a number of cleantech companies listed on stock exchanges across the globe, as well as opportunities to diversify your risk with clean energy ETFs. Here are some tips from The Balance.

3.     Fly less frequently. As an individual, this might be the biggest change you can make. To stop climate change, the average person should produce less than 2 tons of CO2 each year. A seat on transatlantic flight contributes more than 3 tons. This website will help you calculate your carbon contribution if you’re curious – and give you suggestions for how to offset it.

4.     Reduce your gas use. Drive less, and if you replace your old car, get an electric one.

5.     Reduce your water and electricity use.  Water requires a lot of energy to clean and transport – energy that turns into emissions, just the way electricity use does. Here’s some more practical advice.

6.     Tell everyone you know about heat power. As I mentioned before, heat power is not some unproven idea like nuclear fusion – it’s real technology we can start using today, anywhere on Earth, and unlike solar and wind it can supply a nonstop baseload supply of electricity. And somewhere in your 7 degrees of separation, there is a future heat power operator, a mayor or city planner, an electrical engineer, or a politician with the power to influence where your electricity comes from. There’s no doubt in my mind that we can stop global warming if we replace the energy we currently get from fossil fuels with a mix of solar, wind and heat. The time for action is now.