10 Ways to Stop Global Warming

Here are some actions you can take to stop global warming -- from cheapest and/or easiest to more committed and complex. Don't overlook the small steps -- like using low-energy light bulbs and carrying groceries home in cloth shopping bags -- even if at first they seem inadequate to the crisis. When enough of us demonstrate that we want action on global warming, by how we spend our time, where we spend our dollars, and how we cast our votes, then our political and business leaders will take stabilizing the climate a lot more seriously, too.

1. Take a walk

   It's not that surprising, given the intertwined dependencies of food and fuel in industrial society, that the most rigorous study on cancer to date ended up offering the same bits of advice that turn up on nearly every list of things one can to do save the planet: "Don't eat too much. Stay lean. Avoid red meat." As my colleague Alan AtKisson wrote last year, cover all these bases, and build your strength for the next step, by taking a walk.

    

2. Switch to reusable cloth shopping bags

   An estimated 180 million non-biodegradable, disposable, petrochemical plastic bags are given to American shoppers each year -- and they throw away around 100 million of them without using them again. It's like dumping almost 12 million barrels of oil (504 million gallons) -- and that's just one of the environmental harms caused by these filmy evil-doers. If you don't happen to live in one of the cities that have already banned plastic bags, switching proactively to cloth bags is an easy way to whittle down a bit of your personal carbon burden.

     

3. Eat less meat

   The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has established that the global livestock industry generates almost a full fifth of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Americans are among the world's richest peoples, and thus in the top tier of meat consumers. It's estimated that if each American had one meat-free day of eating a week, it would cut greenhouse gas pollution as much as taking 8 million cars off the road. Eating less meat overall is effectively the same thing; here are some ideas on how to do it deliciously from Mark "The Minimalist" Bittman, food writer for The New York Times.

    

4. Eat a local, grass-fed burger

   But then again, people like meat. So let's consider how we can raise livestock and still curb global warming. A small but growing number of innovative ranchers advocate carbon farming: growing grass that absorbs carbon out of the atmosphere; then grazing cattle on the grass, which tramples the grass into the soil, which absorbs the carbon; and then repeating the cycle over and over as new grass sprouts. So while it might seem counter-intuitive, eating a burger made from a grass-fed cow helps power a potentially massive-yet-natural engine for cutting atmospheric carbon and helping to stabilize the climate.

    

5. Cut your energy use, get more for less energy

   Conserving energy at home is a direct way to have an impact on global warming, and saves some money to boot. Turn down the heat: lowering the thermostat just 2 degrees can cut a winter energy bill 10 percent. Unplug gadgets when they're not in use: Americans spend around $1 billion a year powering devices that continue to pull current even when shut off. Trade out those energy-hogging "Edison" light bulbs for super-efficient compact fluorescents.

    

6. Switch your electricity to clean power

   Purchasing electricity generated by renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and hydropower, is a straightforward way to cut carbon emissions, and encourage utilities to commit to and expand clean energy sources. The U.S. Department of Energy's green power map is a good place to learn what's available in each state. Another option is to purchase renewable energy certificates, or "green tags," which support renewable energy generation across the national grid.

    

7. Support good science

   Putting ideology over scientific integrity, the Bush/Cheney White House has censored scientific reports, fired scientists who disagreed with its policies, attempted to squelch other scientists as well as federal officials, and, with particular stealth, simply ceased to provide (and perhaps even to collect) to the public data that were once freely available. To act fast and effectively to curb global warming, the next president must support good science, restore the flow of scientific information, rebuild agencies devastated by political interference, and protect federal scientists. Read what Sens. McCain and Obama have to say about science at ScienceDebate2008.com. And get more background with the Union of Concerned Scientists' report, "Atmosphere of Pressure: Political Interference in Federal Climate Science."

    

8. Stay informed

   Knowing what's going on with climate change can help you fine-tune your own daily choices, evaluate what you hear from politicians, business leaders, local officials, and other public figures, and respond effectively. Here are a few of the many, many good sources of info online:    

   • Find good coverage of the big climate stories at The New York Times (including reporter Andrew Revkin's DotEarth blog) and the Washington Post.
   • Real Climate's motto says it all: "Climate science from climate scientists."
   • Grist Magazine and its Gristmill blog provide daily coverage of environmental news and views.
   • deSmogBlog is generally on top of debunking the latest dis-information.
   • The Society of Environmental Journalists puts out a daily digest of environmental news stories from around the country and the world.
   • And of course, there's the Stop Global Warming blog on Change.org.

      

9. Stay hopeful

   Keeping up with the latest science and news on global warming is important -- but truthfully, it can also be a steady diet of alarming and depressing info. Pace for the long haul by tuning in to hopeful developments as well: the ideas, models, and tools we need to transform agriculture, business, industry, transportation, design, and more are already out there. As the British World War II motto put it, "Keep Calm and Carry On."    

   • Here are a few (of many) good sources for positive trends to keep in your newsreader:
   • Worldchanging.com
   • TriplePundit
   • EcoGeek
   • The Science and Development Network
   • Treehugger

      

10. Speak up

    Want to organize your block association, little league team, church congregation, stitch n' bitch circle -- your community -- to take any or all of the actions above -- and get the message out to local, regional, and national leaders? Go to 350.org to find inspiration in the diverse actions people have organized to demand a sharp and fast cut in atmospheric carbon dioxide to 350 ppm -- where the climate would likely stablize. Take photos, write it up, and put a record of your community action on the site, where it will inspire others.