Combating Climate Change

1. Know your carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the production, use of, and end of life of a product or service. This includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases (among other gases), which are commonly produced by humans and agriculture. Knowing your carbon footprint can help you pinpoint areas where you can make easy, small changes.

2. Travel less. Road travel was 19% lower in 2020 than in 2019, and air travel fell by 68% in 2020. Even though the CO2 change cannot readily be observed, changes in the concentrations of air pollutants can be used to test the veracity of the bottom-up emission reduction estimates. A decline in NO2 has been observed globally and in several countries and cities as well as a decline in CO2 emissions. We need to keep this trend going. Travel will always be necessary, but here are a few ways to lower your environmental impact:

Drive efficiently – go easy on the gas and breaks, along with using cruise control and regularly servicing your car to make sure that it’s running more efficiently.

Check your tires – low tire pressure can negatively affect your gas mileage.

Limit your use of air conditioning and intensive city driving.

Don’t weigh down your car – limit extra things when packing your car.

Carpool when possible – this splits car emissions and lowers the number of cars on the road, making travel more efficient all around.

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