BBC :
In 2024, the critical 1.5C threshold was breached for a full year for the first time, highlighting the urgent need to rapidly cut global emissions. Much of the work needed to curb climate change goes beyond the remit of individuals – from scaling up renewable energy to stopping the production of oil, gas and coal. But research shows that individual actions can add up too.
But it can sometimes feel overwhelming to know where to start. Which steps can actually make a meaningful difference? We have rounded up some of the most impactful actions you can take to live a more sustainable life this year, from eating more plant-based food to reducing your number of flights to buying more second-hand clothes. By 2033, it’s thought that there will be almost two billion cattle, one billion pigs, 32 billion poultry, and nearly three billion sheep on our small blue-green planet – that’s some 38 billion individual animals. As they go about their lives, all will be releasing the potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide – molecules which have effects 28 and 265 times stronger at warming the planet than carbon dioxide, respectively. That’s not to mention the vast amounts of land and water required to keep them.
As a result, it’s widely agreed among the scientific community that to rescue the global climate from ever-warming temperatures, one of the most impactful ways our species can change its behaviour is to eat less meat. According to one UK study, vegans have diets that emit just 25% of the carbon emissions of the most carnivorous meat-eaters, while both vegetarians and vegans have significantly lower water use and cause less harm to biodiversity than omnivorous ones.
In 2022, BBC Earth features editor Martha Henriques and senior journalist Zaria Gorvett decided to put this to the test, and tracked the carbon emissions of their meals over the course of a week. They found that the vegan diet did indeed have lower emissions overall, though on some days of the week the vegetarian diet won. Surprisingly, the amount of food waste generated and the cooking methods used each day also had a sizeable impact.
Transport is the biggest source of emissions in the US, where it contributes almost a third of the total emissions, and makes up 16% of emissions globally. While infrastructure change is critical to helping people cut the emissions from transport, individual action can still can go a long way toward reducing this.
If you fly regularly, it’s probably making up a huge proportion of your carbon footprint, so cutting out any flight is one of the best ways to live more sustainably. Using the train, bus or even a car with more than one person is nearly always lower carbon per km or mile. And reducing flying will also likely mean you travel closer to home, reducing carbon even further.
This year one of our writers, Matilda Welin, even tried replacing an airplane journey between London and Sweden with a long-distance bike ride. While it cost more and took far longer than the plane would have, she experienced an “unforgettable journey” and enjoyed seeing the world “at human speed”. She now feels prepared to do shorter long-distance bikes rides more often, replacing car and train rides.
If you use a car, choosing a small one which uses less petrol and takes less energy and materials to manufacture will cut down on emissions, while electric vehicles are also an overall net win for the climate compared with their fossil-fuel-powered counterparts. Whatever car you have, simply driving less can have a big impact – especially on shorter journeys which can be made by foot or bike instead, which is also beneficial for your health. Of course, where feasible, getting rid of your car altogether is a good way of cutting emissions.
Fashion is a major contributor to global warming, responsible for 8-10% of global emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined. Every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothes is burned or buried in landfill, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an environmental non-profit.
So how can you make your wardrobe more sustainable? The best thing you can do is to buy fewer new garments, especially fast fashion items which are often made from unsustainable materials.
Instead, you could rent clothes, upcycle your existing wardrobe or switch to second-hand clothes in thrift stores or through online platforms such as Vinted, Depop or eBay.
