How to battle climate change?
When it comes to saving the dying oceans, melting glaciers, burning forests and heavily-polluted environment, there has been a welcome change in the approach. Being ‘environmentalist’ seems to be the new trend and it is not uncommon to witness people swapping plastic straws with paper ones.
Remember to start slow
Going by the amount of plastic that ends up in our oceans every year, going plastic-free seems like a good idea. Sadly, a lot more needs to be done to tackle climate change than just going straw-less (and rebuking your friends to do the same). Ditching the straws and using less paper might be well-intentioned but if you are really bent to “save the planet”, it is time to go beyond the #PrayForAmazon.
In order to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change, you may start with making these 3 small but incredibly effective tweaks in your lifestyle. Remember to start slow, instead of going cold turkey--it is more sustainable that way.
Ditching meat twice a week
While a lot of people understand the disastrous impact plastic waste has on our environment, many are still in dark about how meat consumption is leading to climate crises. According to the scientists avoiding meat and dairy products is the biggest way one can reduce their carbon footprint.
A startling study
According to a study published in the journal Science, while meat and dairy provide only 18 percent of calories and 37 percent of protein, it uses 83 percent of farmland and creates 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
Joseph Poore, who led the research, told a media outlet, “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use.” He further added, “It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car.”
While we understand that going vegan isn’t something which may happen overnight or is for everyone, you can still do your bit by cutting down meat twice a week and skipping diary-based products for a day or two every week.
Ban plastic from your life
Again, not accepting plastics from food joints takeaways is definitely well-intentioned, but it needs to go beyond that. Stop buying plastic water bottles, plastic utensils and plastic bags altogether. It should be a non-negotiable deal and you must ask others to do the same. Single-use plastic is a nuisance but so are all other types of plastic as well.
Stop wasting food
When you throw a perfectly fine plate of food in the trash, just cause you are full, you are not only burning a hole in your pocket but are also contributing to global warming. You read that right. For the uninitiated, food waste going to landfills releases large amounts of methane gas, which contributes to global warming.