Climate change is a growing problem. The average temperature of the earth has been rising and is causing many problems. There have been more droughts and the ice at Greenland and Antarctica are melting.  

Climate change is caused by the release of greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. These greenhouse gasses trap the sun’s heat on earth causing temperatures to rise.  

But there is plenty we can do from home to make a difference. To help with climate change we can use renewable energy sources, recycle, and use more energy and water efficient appliances.  

Switch to Renewable Energy 

One way people can help with climate change is to use more renewable energy to power their homes, such as solar energy. There are many factories that burn fossil fuels to make energy and that causes carbon dioxide to be released in the air. Renewable energy sources have little to no carbon emissions, so if more people switched to renewable energy sources less fossil fuel would need to be burned to make energy. Switching to renewable energy would allow us to replace carbon-intensive energy sources and significantly drop carbon emissions.  

Recycle 

Another way you can help reduce the effects of climate change is to recycle as much as possible. A lot of rubbish ends up in landfill and raw materials need to be collected to make new products, which uses up more resources, releasing more carbon dioxide into the air. Recycling materials such as paper, glass and plastic prevents greenhouse gas emissions that would result from mining and extracting raw materials to make new products. In addition to that, manufacturing new products from recycled material requires less energy than making a new product from raw materials.  

Reduce Water Waste  

Reducing water waste is important to help with climate change as it can also reduce carbon emissions. This is because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat and treat your water. To reduce your water waste, you can take shorter showers, wash your vegetables in a bowl instead of letting the tap run, and check your taps for any leaks. You can also invest in more energy efficient appliances. The efficiency standards of many appliances and products have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. When you are shopping for refrigerators, washing machines and other appliances it is good to check the energy star rating as it will tell you which products are most efficient.   

Making a change for our planet begins with us and it can start at home. By using these tips, we can all do our bit to lessen the impacts of climate change on our world.  

By Caitlin Ngo