Make the Change: 11 tips for fighting climate change and biodiversity loss

We can, and need to, fight climate change and biodiversity loss

Every action helps, however small. Together we can make the change. Act now. The future remains ours to make.

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This summer our Earth Story event will take you on a journey through Earth’s astonishing past, precarious present day – and a future that’s ours to make.

11 tips for fighting climate change and biodiversity loss


1. Share

…ideas, lifts, tools, clothes, food  ̶  to save resources, reduce emissions and conserve wildlife; what you discover; and your passion: support each other and organisations and  campaigns working for positive change


2. Reduce

…food waste, water use, energy consumption, the amount of CO2 you produce ... Turn it off/down, insulate your home (and yourself) and buy less junk. It’s already having an impact.



3. Reuse

…items. Replace disposable or single use items with reusable cups, bags, bottles... It works. Since 2015 we’ve cut single-use plastic bags by 86%.


4. Repair

...and care. Value it, mend it or find someone who can mend it for you (see the Repair Cafe and the Restart Project).



5. Recycle

…glass, plastic, paper, your old mobile phone, anything you can. We live on a ball in space. Light comes in, heat goes out, everything else stays right here. Recycle so we don’t run out.

  


6. Grow

… plants. They absorb CO2 and support wildlife. Grow edible plants to reduce food miles and packaging, save money and gain self-satisfaction. Growing plants reconnects you to nature and does wonders for health and wellbeing.


7. Eat

… more fruit and veg, less processed food, less meat. Eat meat with a lower environmental impact (e.g. grass fed rather than intensively reared). Drink draught beer rather than bottles or cans – it has fewer emissions.


8. Compost

…your garden and kitchen ‘waste’. The resulting compost: Helps great plants grow; Reduces the need for artificial fertilisers (produced using CO2-emitting fossil fuels); Locks carbon underground (reducing CO2 in the air)


9. Buy

…wisely: natural materials, local, seasonal, organic, Fairtrade, FairWild, Rainforest Alliance, peat-free, Green Tariff energy, LED lightbulbs, low-energy products, products that help keep rainforests standing and seas clean, products that reduce CO2 emissions and pollution...Check out the Giki app. Check if your investments support low-carbon industries. And … buy less! 


10. Care

…for nature: reconnect with nature: take a walk on the wild side; do a beach clean/rubbish pick; use plankton-friendly suncreams/soaps; use a guppy bag when washing synthetics; join a wildlife-monitoring project; plant wildlife gardens at home, school, in your community; make a bug hotel; rewild some land (every little bit counts); support each other and organisations and campaigns working for change  


11. Go Wild!...

You are part of nature - reconnect; rewild bits of land (every little bit counts); act now, act together; do everything you can … and celebrate the good things.

Now take the pledge to Make the Change

Already doing all this? What else?

Work together

Individual actions add up. Because masses of us have switched to LED lightbulbs and other energy-efficient products the amount of electricity we use has been steadily dropping since 2005.

Add your weight

Support organisations that are trying to make a difference:

  • Those that campaign against climate change and pollution and protect landscapes and species
  • Businesses whose products support good causes and services, like energy, that reduce our impact

Stand up and be counted

  • Vote for candidates who are committed to improving biodiversity, reducing pollution, addressing climate change, investing in clean energy...
  • Sign petitions and support campaigns – it works.

Think for yourself

  • There are loads of lists telling you how you can make a difference – do your research, check your facts and share what you learn.
  • Understand what sustains you: explore your natural world, including the invisible. You are part of this vast interconnected web – and what you do to the web you do to yourself.  

Why bother doing all this?

Climate

Climate = average weather patterns over 30 years.

  • Our climate is changing – way too fast
  • Today’s climate change is down to us. We’re putting too much greenhouse gas (e.g. CO2) into the air. This acts like a duvet trapping in heat.
  • Global temperatures are around 1OC above average*

*People are already experiencing the impacts: extreme weather events (drought, flooding, wildfires), ocean warming, loss of life…

We need a stable climate to survive.

Act now to fight climate change

  • Put less greenhouse gas into the air
  • Lock it down: Remove some of what’s up there already
  • Fight biodiversity loss – it's linked to climate
  • Support organisations and campaigns working for change

Our actions are helping. Reducing food waste to landfill and offshore wind farms have already made a huge difference.  

Biodiversity

Biodiversity = life in all its variety.

  • Species are becoming extinct at an unprecedented rate
  • Animal populations have declined over 50% in 50 years
  • It’s largely our fault

Together plants, microbes and animals form an interconnected web and a life support system that provides us with clean air, fresh water, fertile soil, nutritious food, a stable climate and a phenomenal recycling system. The stronger the web the better the system. 

We need plentiful biodiversity to survive.

Act now to fight biodiversity loss

  • Reduce pollution
  • Restore habitats
  • Fight climate change – it's linked to biodiversity
  • Support organisations and campaigns working for change

We can do this. Some species have already been saved from extinction.

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