If you are new to realising the urgency of the climate emergency you might be wondering what you can do now that the Global Climate Strike is over.
Educate yourself about the climate emergency. Read the IPCC 2018 report to hear directly from the scientists and what is required to try and stay under 2 degrees of warming. Read books about the climate emergency and even more importantly, solutions from your library. Look at the news through new eyes and think about how many of the effects we are already seeing are due to the climate emergency, even if it is not mentioned. For reports on how the climate emergency will and is affecting Australia the Climate Council, Bureau of Meteorology, and CSIRO are good sources. Find out how climate change will affect your area with tools such as Coastal Risk, Climate Analogues and Climate Change in Australia.
Join other people and groups working on climate action. Depending on your area and interests you can join a wide variety of groups. There are national and international groups such as 350.org, AYCC, Australian Parents 4 Climate Action, Extinction Rebellion and more. There are political parties such as The Greens whose policies reflect what science says is necessary. There are local groups like Climate Action Mobilisation and Clean Energy for Eternity here in Bega. There are Landcare and Dune care groups and other groups like BRAWL planting trees. Do an internet search on your area and you will find them.
One of the most effective individual actions you can take is to take your money away from organisations supporting fossil fuels. Not many of us have shares but if you do move your money from fossil fuel companies to renewables. Superannuation is something that many of us pay no attention to, but practically all of us have. Change your superannuation company to one that doesn't invest in fossil fuels. It takes about 5 minutes and is one of the more powerful actions you can take. Next look at your bank. If you are with one of the big 4 banks in Australia they are still investing in fossil fuel projects. Change banks and tell them why. Donate to organisations making a difference in researching climate change or fighting for climate action.
Audit your life. Calculate your ecological footprint. Measure your current water, energy, food, petrol, waste so that you can see what your current consumption is. Now you have a baseline for improvement. You can also see how much this is a systemic problem rather than an individual problem. Poor public transport, inefficient houses, over wrapped plastic products designed to break down, advertising to make us buy.......it goes on. Make individual change in your life BUT FIGHT for the systemic change we need so that sustainable choices are the easy, affordable thing for everyone to do. Not consuming is powerful in so many ways.
Change your diet so that you are eating mostly plant based, unprocessed food grown locally and in season. Buy your food from local growers and producers so that you are supporting your local economy rather than multinationals. It is healthier for you and the planet. Yes you will have to change your habits and learn new recipes so do it slowly but surely.
Dare to imagine a sustainable low carbon future and start taking steps towards it with both individual and collective actions.
Finally talk about the climate emergency to everyone. Amazingly that is more powerful than scientists or politicians talking about it. Talk about the climate emergency and VOTE based on the parties climate action policies. VOTE for what is needed, not for what is politically possible.
Educate yourself about the climate emergency. Read the IPCC 2018 report to hear directly from the scientists and what is required to try and stay under 2 degrees of warming. Read books about the climate emergency and even more importantly, solutions from your library. Look at the news through new eyes and think about how many of the effects we are already seeing are due to the climate emergency, even if it is not mentioned. For reports on how the climate emergency will and is affecting Australia the Climate Council, Bureau of Meteorology, and CSIRO are good sources. Find out how climate change will affect your area with tools such as Coastal Risk, Climate Analogues and Climate Change in Australia.
Join other people and groups working on climate action. Depending on your area and interests you can join a wide variety of groups. There are national and international groups such as 350.org, AYCC, Australian Parents 4 Climate Action, Extinction Rebellion and more. There are political parties such as The Greens whose policies reflect what science says is necessary. There are local groups like Climate Action Mobilisation and Clean Energy for Eternity here in Bega. There are Landcare and Dune care groups and other groups like BRAWL planting trees. Do an internet search on your area and you will find them.
One of the most effective individual actions you can take is to take your money away from organisations supporting fossil fuels. Not many of us have shares but if you do move your money from fossil fuel companies to renewables. Superannuation is something that many of us pay no attention to, but practically all of us have. Change your superannuation company to one that doesn't invest in fossil fuels. It takes about 5 minutes and is one of the more powerful actions you can take. Next look at your bank. If you are with one of the big 4 banks in Australia they are still investing in fossil fuel projects. Change banks and tell them why. Donate to organisations making a difference in researching climate change or fighting for climate action.
Audit your life. Calculate your ecological footprint. Measure your current water, energy, food, petrol, waste so that you can see what your current consumption is. Now you have a baseline for improvement. You can also see how much this is a systemic problem rather than an individual problem. Poor public transport, inefficient houses, over wrapped plastic products designed to break down, advertising to make us buy.......it goes on. Make individual change in your life BUT FIGHT for the systemic change we need so that sustainable choices are the easy, affordable thing for everyone to do. Not consuming is powerful in so many ways.
Change your diet so that you are eating mostly plant based, unprocessed food grown locally and in season. Buy your food from local growers and producers so that you are supporting your local economy rather than multinationals. It is healthier for you and the planet. Yes you will have to change your habits and learn new recipes so do it slowly but surely.
Dare to imagine a sustainable low carbon future and start taking steps towards it with both individual and collective actions.
Finally talk about the climate emergency to everyone. Amazingly that is more powerful than scientists or politicians talking about it. Talk about the climate emergency and VOTE based on the parties climate action policies. VOTE for what is needed, not for what is politically possible.
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