How to avoid global warming? 5 solutions to combat it

26 Feb How to avoid global warming? 5 solutions to combat it

The world is experiencing an unprecedented climate emergency and time is running out. This is what we call the increase in temperature due to greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity. And, if we are largely to blame, it is also our task to find solutions. How to avoid global warming? Here are 5 ideas:

How to avoid global warming?

The UN Secretary-General is not without reason when he points out that “this is not the summer of our youth. This is not the summer of our grandparents.” The high temperatures do not stop breaking records. In fact, last July was the hottest on record. Another example in case there is still a skeptic in the room: we have just learned that the Arctic has five new islands “born” from global warming. Here are some of the latest UN proposals to fix a melting planet :

Agriculture And Food

To fight global warming it is not enough to reduce emissions in industry, cars, or power plants. In addition, the world has to go on a diet: eat less meat, waste less food and commit to sustainable land management. Some facts that explain these recipes:

• Agriculture, forestry and other activities linked to land use already produce 23% of greenhouse gas emissions.
• We waste between 25 and 30% of the food we produce.
• If not stopped, deforestation will release more than 50 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere in 30 to 50 years.

Construction And Urbanism

The construction sector and the energy use made in buildings cause 39% of the world’s CO2 emissions. The migration from the countryside to the city will continue to be constant and it is expected that, during the next 40 years, some 230,000 million square meters of new infrastructure will be built. Conditioning existing buildings, improving quality standards in new constructions, or seeking sustainable solutions for air conditioning and waste management in homes, among other proposals.

Energy

Renewable energies are free, non-polluting, and inexhaustible resources provided by nature. Therefore, investing in renewable energies is investing in a sustainable future. In this it seems that we are doing our homework: the capacity of renewable energies in the world has quadrupled from 2009 to 2019. In addition, in 2018, global investment in renewables quadrupled that made in coal and gas.

Transportation

Transport is responsible for almost a quarter of CO 2 emissions in the atmosphere and its impact continues to grow. With the right policies and incentives, says the United Nations, it is possible to put a stop to the most polluting means of transport, especially the car and the plane. An example to understand the differences we are talking about: according to the International Civil Organization, an economy class flight from London to New York emits about 0.67 tons of CO 2 . This is equivalent to 11% of the emissions produced annually by someone living in the UK, or almost the total of those caused by an inhabitant of Ghana.

Education

Last but not least, we must highlight the power of education. As we remember in the World Education Campaign, education is key to achieving the individual and collective change in mentality, behavior, and lifestyles that is necessary if we want to save the planet. At Ayuda en Acción we work every day so that the most vulnerable people can be able to understand the main environmental challenges, respond to them, and face the effects of global warming.

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