World Action Against Global Warming Day
As the climate continues to warm, and devastating droughts, heat waves, floods and forest fires multiple and certain governments and companies double-down on fossil fuels – the major source of climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions – the situation may seem to be overwhelming and impact any one of us can make to be utterly insignificant. On the other hand, at the macro-scale, there are some very encouraging trends: wind and solar energy supply have been increasing exponentially for several decades (such that wind+solar+hydro electricity generation in 2023 equaled 40% of fossil fuel+nuclear electricity generation globally), the price of batteries for cars fell by a factor of 14 from 2010 to 2025 and electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 22% of new-car sales in 2024, almost 50% in China, and 92% in Norway, and global fossil fuel emissions seem poised to begin declining before 2030. All this is certainly helpful, but we need to do even more, and faster – so concerned citizens are left wondering what they can do to contribute effectively. Below are my priorities for personal action.
1.Get involved with your local, municipal government
As beneficial as the ongoing shift from gasoline/diesel to EVs is, EVs still pose their own environmental problems and supply-chain risks. If you live almost anywhere in North America, the number one urban environmental priority has to be thoughtful urban intensification – increasing the density of people in the urban area because that then makes all the alternatives to automobiles (walking, bicycling, public transit) more viable. Around the world, there is also a housing affordability crisis, so governments at all levels (and private enterprises) need to provide compact, transit-oriented housing at lower cost that addresses this crisis while embodying advanced environmental standards. The ways to do this are well known but often encounter resistance from often only a small number of people, resistance that can be overcome if local politicians can see sufficient support for the right actions. In cities that already have sufficient population density, measures can be taken to improve what might already be relatively good public transit and bicycling infrastructure.
2. Home improvements, appliances
If you live in a climate with cold winters, simple measures involving air sealing could reduce the heating requirements by 20-40% (and this might be possible and worthwhile from a comfort point of view even you do not own the place where you live). Getting a blower-door test can be very enlightening. If you own where you live, more extensive measures – extra insulation, better windows when they are due for replacement, and switching to electric heat pumps (where feasible) can dramatically reduce your GHG emissions. In hotter climate, maximizing whatever opportunities exist for cross-ventilation and using aerodynamic fans can trim your cooling energy requirements. If and when major appliances need replacing, purchasing (or getting your landlord to purchase) the most-efficient models will save money over time and could involve a factor of two or more reduction in electricity use (its worth doing a little research!).
3. Shift to a low-meat and dairy, if not vegan, diet
Using the conventional accounting scheme for comparing GHGs (based on a 100-year time horizon), the production of food accounts for about 1/3 of total human GHG emissions and animal agriculture about half of that (with food production and the animal share even larger fractions on a time horizon corresponding to the 2050 target for net-zero emissions). Among animal food products, red meat and dairy entail by far the greatest GHG emission per unit of protein provided, while shifting to protein-dense plant sources of protein (such as beans of all types, soybeans, chickpeas, and lentils) entails a GHG emission reduction by a factor of 5-20. This switch would also entail significant health benefits if complemented by increased or sufficient consumption of fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, algae-derived omega-3 fatty acids, herbs and spices – all of which can make for very tasty meals!
4. Minimizing air travel and material consumption
Despite the talk about “sustainable” aviation fuels, there will need to constraints on air travel (especially with projections of 2-3 times more travel by 2050) if overall emissions are going to be reduced by the required 80-90% by mid-century (with offsets to achieve net zero emissions). This is because the potential for further efficiency improvements is less than in most other sectors – a factor of two at most. For those who would otherwise travel frequently, we’ll need to cut back. And finally, we need to buy things that last, repair and re-use to the extent possible, recycle metals especially, and minimize the use of single-use plastics – actions that, collectively, will notably reduce our personal carbon and environmental footprints.
Professor in the Department of Geography, University of Toronto, where he teaches courses related to climate, global warming and energy use. He first learned about the global warming problem 47 years ago, and has been following the issue and involved in it one way or the other ever since. His work has spanned climate and carbon-cycle modelling, energy use in buildings and transportation, and decarbonization scenarios. He has been involved in 3 IPCC reports and written 5 books, and most recently has turned his attention to food, diet, greenhouse gas emissions, and related environmental issues.