Climate Action

4 everyday things you can do to tackle climate change

Cows look on during feeding at the livestock breeding complex and collective farm named after Vasily Chapaev near the Russian southern city of Stavropol, March 17, 2015.

The livestock industry accounts for 14.5% of global emissions Image: Eduard Korniyenko / Reuters

Rosamond Hutt
Senior Writer, Forum Agenda

As world leaders sign the landmark Paris Agreement to tackle climate change on 22 April – the same day as Earth Day – it’s worth thinking about the ways in which we can also do our bit.

By signing the deal, countries are committing to a goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius and, if at all possible, limiting the temperature rise to 1.5C.

So, while countries take action to save humanity from climate disaster, here are a few changes that we can make to our everyday lives that can make a difference.

Eat less meat

Overall, cutting meat consumption is probably a better way for people to reduce carbon emissions than giving up their cars.

The livestock industry accounts for 14.5% of global emissions – more than the amount produced by all the world’s cars, trucks, trains, planes and ships. A report by think tank Chatham House says that if we don’t reduce our meat and dairy consumption it is unlikely that we will keep global temperature rises below 2C.

Another study calculates that a widespread switch to vegetarianism could curb emissions by almost two thirds and veganism by 70%.

But you don’t have to become a strict vegan to make a difference: cutting down red meat is a good place to start.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that ruminant livestock, such as cattle and sheep, emit an annual 100 million tonnes of methane, a greenhouse gas far more damaging to the planet than carbon dioxide.

There could be health benefits, too. Research shows that processed meat, such as bacon, ham and sausages, can increase our chances of developing cancer.

Your food's carbon footprint
Image: CNN

Take fewer flights

Air travel accounts for a small proportion of global emissions, because relatively few people can afford to fly. Only about 2-3% of emissions annually are produced by planes.

But aircraft have a greater impact than other forms of transport in terms of greenhouse gases produced per passenger mile. In addition to CO2, exhaust from planes is also made up of other greenhouse gases that harm the planet.

So individual trips by air can have surprisingly large carbon footprints – just one transatlantic flight can add as much to your emissions as a typical year's worth of driving.

Carbon tonnage compared
Image: New York Times

Drive more efficiently

Electric cars are likely to become a more common sight on our roads in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, though, there are a number of tricks to cutting emissions from petrol and diesel vehicles.

For example, driving at 80 miles per hour uses 25% more fuel than driving at 70mph. As well as reducing speed, other tips for boosting fuel efficiency include using less air conditioning, taking any unnecessary items out of the trunk and making sure tyres are fully inflated.

Turn off appliances

The average high-performance gaming computer uses as much energy each year as three refrigerators, according to a study.

The average gaming computer and display power and energy profile
Image: Forbes

Switching off power-hungry appliances such as computers, lights and televisions can save a surprising amount of energy. According to an indy100 article, if all of Britain's 17 million office workers turned off their computers at night, the carbon savings would be equivalent to taking 245,000 cars off the road.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Behavioural Sciences

Related topics:
Climate ActionEmerging Technologies
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Climate Crisis is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

Why the world needs a carbon removal budget, not just a carbon budget

Ben Caldecott and Injy Johnstone

November 8, 2024

How Colombia’s mangrove stewards are pioneering a climate and nature-positive approach

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum