What can we do on a personal level to help stop global warming?

Question

We all know the world's scientists are trying to figure out a large scale solution, but what we can we do today? What are some small things we can do on a personal level that will help reduce global warming?

What can we change in our day-to-day behavior to help stop global warming?

Answer 1

Any real solution has to be large-scale, and it has to be political, in the sense that it will require a deviation from normal, economically-driven activity. Therefore, the most important thing to do is participate in the political process.

To achieve success, it is important to:

1) Be truthful and realistic about the science. Exaggeration of the problem will simply drive people toward anti-global-warming propaganda. Become informed about the scientific uncertainties and the assumptions behind the predictions.

2) Be open to free-market solutions, if there are any. It may, for example, be sufficient to simply tax the use of fossil fuels and let the free market sort out the solution. To some on the left, global warming is seen as a means to right the world's perceived economic wrongs, rather than being in itself the greatest threat to humanity. Some on the right would be happy to starve to death in the heat rather than submit to a solution that is perceived as socialist.

Answer 2

This is one of my favorite topics.

We can stop consuming so much. Each time we go into Target, Wal-Mart, or other stores and buy stuff, we are using up tremendous amounts of fossil fuels. The item itself, the packaging, and the transportation from all over the world represented in purchasing anything from those type of stores creates the climate change that we need to stop.

So, buy only from second-hand stores, farmers' markets, or do without as many consumer goods as you can.

Drink water from your tap, filtered, rather than buy bottles of water and create empties that must be recycled or thrown away. Don't buy bottles, cans, or other small containers of sodas. It creates garbage.

Buy used stuff locally via craigslist.org. Better yet, offer your unused junk on freecycle.org, and look there for the stuff you want.

Support businesses that have a 'green' philosophy. If they cost a little more, consider all the money you're saving by getting most of your stuff second hand!

Answer 3

A large scale solution would be for every human to stop scoffing at human involvement and understand that 9 billion people with their factories, cars, food and tree cutting are seriously screwing this planet. Can one viral cell make a person sick? Can the propagation of that virus make a person sick?
We can recycle...despite the cost.
We can shut down all excess power draining sources..(if you aren't watching it, turn it off. If you are not in the room, shut the light off).
We can turn down our thermostat.
We can car pool.
We can irrigate less.
We can drive Hybrid or alternate fuel cars.
We can use alternate energy sources i.e. solar or wind.
We can park our SUV and Trucks and use them only when NEEDED....instead of trying to win the Biggest truck contest.
We can get rid of excess street lighting and electric signs.
We can plan trees..

Now if every human being had conservation on their minds and hearts across the world.. THE CHANGE WOULD BE PROFOUND.

Answer 4

Recycle, Reuse items that can be reused.
Use less electricity, conserve water. Keep the heat at 68 F/20 C in the house. Buy products with little packaging. Drive only when necessary, keep the car tuned up,

Answer 5

Plant Moore plants . All green plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere and the plant holds on to the C and gives us back the O2. They were considering algae to use in long space missions.

Answer 6

this is what do,i have made many Gardens and some parks and planted thousands of trees in my life.
and made a lot of people aware about Nature and educated them
i tell a lot of school kids the story outlined below,and pass this message on to as many as i can like i am doing now to you,

i talk to farmers about organic farming and soil conservation and reforestation and give advice.

here are some nasty details and some solutions in general

in North Africa,India,Mexico ,millions of people are effected by land loss and desertification


in recent times thousands of people have died because of exessive heat,usually old people.in India ,Mexico and France,
deforestation causing desertification,the desert conditions causing very cold nights and scorching hot days

in china, thousands of what used to be farmers are running for their lives from the dust storms that have burried their towns and turned their lands into dessert,the globe where they were got to hot for them .
and instead of producing food they are now needing it from some where else,and they will drastically effect the world food prices when they start buying water in the form of grains ,at any cost destabalising governments, in some countries ,could be the result
(are you seeing more Chinese around interested in agricultural lands ,we do here in Mexico)

,the Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year
and all of the desserts we know are a results of mans actions ,and they are increasing ,not getting less ,in the dinosaurs days ,there were no desserts.

collectively this planet is drying up because of bad farming practices like,over grazing and fertilizers,

as far as the food production is concerned, Global warming or some of its effects are serious,rising seas result in landloss

each degree rise in temperature means 10%crop loss

more landloss because of desertification every year,we have less areble land to produce food ,for an extra 70 million people ,

and there is less and less water (because of deforestation),to irrigate this production ,
and there are less and less farmers to do it..
who are overpumping deep carbon aquifiers
who are plowing more and more unstable lands because they have lost so many million hectares to desertification ,
because of bad farming practises ,such as using fertilizers and heavy machinary or over grazing

RISING SEAS
The northpole is melting ,and we will know it without ice in our life times.
this does not affect the sea level because it is ice that is already in the water.but the melting ice from Green land and the south pole ,are another matter.

Global warming is in theory reversable,but it will mean global co operation between all countries ,and taking into account human nature and the world politics ,it is unlikely that this will happen,

At least not untill we are all in the middle of planetary disastres and it becomes a battle for the survival of humanity every where.

SOLUTIONS
if you want to help the planet ,plant a tree every week ,if everyone on the planet did we we would be able to reverse the destructive processes,what every school kid can do is plant trees ,where ever and when ever possible ,and we do this in Mexico,

what helps a lot for polution is that if everybody has a little compost heap by the house to take care of all the households organic waste,Organic waste mixed with rubbish is responsible for 70%of all contamination


reduce carbon emisions,and they are already working on that by alternative forms of energy and regulations on carbon producing materials,aerosol cans,burning rubbish,industrial chimneys,powerplants etc.

the capture of carbon and the production of water and assist the aquiferous manta.

the world bank pays large subsidies for reforrestation to capture carbon and the best tree for this is the Pawlonia

Waterharvesting projects ,such as millions of small dams.to redirect over ground waterflows from the rains into the ground to supply subteranian water supplies.

the protection of existing forrests.

stop building more highways,urban planning to include vegetation stop building cities encourage people to return to the land to conduct their business from there which now has become possible thanks to the internet.

education to motivate people to auto sufficiency by building more home food gardens.

education on environmental awareness
education on family planning to curb over´populaion

Agricultural education and improvements to follow the principals or sustainability and soil management.

more environmental or land ,design to prevent bush fires,such as--fire breaks

,more dams.regulations and control for public behaviour

alternative effeciant public transport to discourage the use of the internal conbustion engine

recicling wastes,limit water use

i am a Permaculture Consultant for the department of Ecology for the regional government in Guerrero Mexico
http://spaces.msn.com/byderule

Source(s) Lester E Brown is the director and founder of the global institute of Environment in the United states .he has compiled a report based on all the satalite information available from NASA,and all the information that has
come from Universities and American embassies WORLD WIDE ,
his little book--a planet under stress , Plan B has been trans lated into 50 languages and won the best book award in 2003.