Climate change - what can we do about it?

[KarynVA]

The urgency of climate change is all I hear about on the news, especially this week with the Climate Change Conference going on in Glasgow. For our discussion on this thread, it is important to stick with a single definition of "climate change" so I'd like us to use the one that the world leaders have reached consensus on, which is this:

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas) which produces heat-trapping gases.

As the health and well-being of planet Earth is a bipartisan concern, please keep politics out of this thread.

We are seeing a major shift by many car makers globally toward electric vehicles in an effort to mitigate further harm to the planet. I do not yet own an electric vehicle and, honestly, I'm a little apprehensive about it. But I am certainly willing to do what I can to reduce climate change impacts.

Being a planet-level crisis, it is so difficult to put it in the context of each of us as individuals, families and households and how we can play a part in lessening the harms. This thread is to discuss ideas and experiences related to climate change in our region of the world (wherever you may live) and ideas about how to have any helpful impact (no matter how small!) on leaving a livable planet for our children and grandchildren.

 

[Callender Girl]

I like your approach and hope people will respond accordingly.

I think the "each one, teach one" philosophy might be helpful. If each of us did ONE thing, there would a lots of us doing something.

Thanks for starting the discussion.

 

[KarynVA]

I see someone has reacted with an angry icon to this topic, and I completely understand. It makes me angry, too, that my generation and the generations before me have not been good stewards of the earth. To some extent, it is understandable because we didn't know what we didn't know.

But we know now. When you know better, you do better. Rather than feeling angry about it, I choose to focus on positive action toward improving the bad situation rather than dwell on negativity.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

This is a political topic (which is prohibited on BYC) and needs to be removed .......

 

[Callender Girl]

I would disagree that this topic is political. As I understand it, @KarynVA is asking people to offer suggestions on how to treat the earth, air and water with respect, the upside being perhaps a better, more stable environment for everyone,

I interpret what she's saying is that natural changes in long-term weather can be affected by what people do. She has even asked people to keep politics out of the discussion -- which, these days is good advice nearly all the time!

And, BTW, both of my grandfathers worked in southern Iowa coal mines, so I have some knowledge of fossil fuel production. I understand it from an economic standpoint; their jobs kept food on their families' tables. And I understand that both of my grandfathers died of Black Lung, certainly related to their long-term exposure in the mines. Few topics are completely black and white; being exposed to a variety of viewpoints is often beneficial.

What if we just leave politics out of the discussion and talk about what to do to mitigate natural changes in the natural environment? Perhaps not everyone can see changes in the weather patterns where they live, but I have been an Iowan for more than six decades, and I know it's different now than when I was a kid.

 

[KarynVA]

Whenever I am confronted with a problem that seems just too big to get my arms around, I look for easy wins. What are some easy wins in this case?

I think there are many of us on BYC who are already doing some or all of the following:

• composting
• growing our own food/ livestock/ eggs
• planting trees
• being mindful about how we use natural resources like water, etc.
• perhaps even bringing our own bags to the grocery store or keeping our thermostats a bit lower to save energy
• homeschooling / teaching our children to be self- sufficient

Things like that. We have to start small, right? As individuals, we don't have much power to make big changes but it's not impossible to do our part.

 

[Callender Girl]

I am with you on the easy wins.

I am not great at veggie gardening or composting, but I try. I certainly have plenty of eggs with my menagerie of chickens, ducks and geese; and I have fruit trees and berry bushes. I try to eat seasonally as much as possible.

I take reusable bags to the grocery but sometimes opt for paper bags -- which I use as "rugs" at the back door to keep from tracking in all the stuff that comes with livestock (which function as grazers, not meat for meat production) and poultry.

My thermostat is set at 64 all winter, and I dress in layers, throw a blanket on my lap while I read or watch TV, religiously turn off lights that don't need to be on, have a rain barrel, and try to be mindful of all my energy use.

None of that is a hardship for me.

 

[BleuSaphir]

This is a political topic (which is prohibited on BYC) and needs to be removed .......

What is so political about climate change?

Right now I am experiencing spring temperatures where I live. Usually this is time to experience COLD temperatures!

 

[KarynVA]

Beware. There are some who will post deliberately volatile political statements on threads as a means of deliberately trying to shut it down, as we've seen on, ahem, another thread on Random Ramblings today.

I take the post quoted above as a prelude to just that sort of disgraceful behavior.

 

[BleuSaphir]

I’m will be honest, I been counter productive to combat climate change.

It counter productive when I want a gas guzzling car ( G Class, Porsche).

Things I done is watch what I am buying. Being aware what big corporation are doing to their part take, if any.
Curbing less material goods wants.
Stop wasting water from excess showering. I used to shower 3 times a day. But now once a day when I work. But when I don’t want to do anything but stay home. I don’t shower. Stop running water when I wash dishes, brushing teeth.