Ten solutions to climate change that will actually make a difference

There are a lot of differing opinions on how to address climate change — or whether it’s even possible to end the climate crisis. Is recycling really useless? Does it really matter what straws we use or is that a diversion from the larger structural and policy changes that need to happen? Or does saying that let us off the hook to ignore our individual carbon footprints? 

The answer to all of the above is both yes and no. (Sorry.) 

Rather than argue over who is responsible for solving the climate crisis, let’s take a look at ten solutions to climate change that will actually make a difference — and what you can do to help make them all a reality.

1. Shift to renewable energy sources in all key sectors

The upshot:

• Individual action: Switch to energy-efficient power sources for our homes where possible.
• Bigger action: The industrial sector needs to make and follow through on its commitments to clean and renewable energy transitions.

The United Nations has identified a six-sector solution to climate change, focusing on actions that can be taken by the energy, industry, agriculture, and transportation sectors, along with nature-based solutions, and urban planning interventions. 

If all of these actions are completed, the UN Environment Program estimates we could reduce global carbon emissions by 31 to 35 gigatons, thereby limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5º C. 

One key element of this plan is shifting to renewable energy sources, both at home and at work. “We have the necessary technology to make this reduction by shifting to renewable energy and using less energy,” the UNEP writes of our personal energy consumption. (Generally, fossil fuels power our homes, including keeping the lights on, our rooms warm, and Netflix streaming.) 

But the energy usage of the industrial sector also plays a key role: Addressing issues like methane leaks and switching at large scale to passive or renewable energy-based heating and cooling systems could reduce industrial carbon emissions by 8 gigatons every year.

2. Reduce food loss and waste and shift to more sustainable diets

The upshot:

• Individual action: Buy more sustainable groceries, eat the food we buy, and compost what we aren’t able to use.
• Bigger action: Agricultural producers need to switch to fertilizers that contribute fewer greenhouse gas emissions and use other sustainable farming practices.

Whether it’s kale or Kobe beef, producing food accounts for some measure of greenhouse gasses. In 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization estimated we consumed more meat than ever before. By 2050 this will, by some estimates, increase greenhouse gas emissions from food production by 60%. Likewise, many farmers use nitrous-based fertilizers to grow more crops, more quickly to meet demand. 

It’s important to reduce food waste at every step of the food system. For us as consumers, we can commit to eating what we buy and composting what we don’t get to in time. We can also switch our focus to plant-based and other sustainable diets, supporting farms that use organic fertilizers and making beef and other meat products the exception rather than the rule at the dinner table.

3. Halt deforestation and commit to rebuilding damaged ecosystems

The upshot:

• Individual action: Reduce paper waste and go paperless where possible.
• Bigger action: World leaders need to commit to halting illegal logging operations and make good on other commitments to reforestation.

The rapid deforestation of the Earth, especially over the last 60 years, has contributed to climate change, creating “heat islands” out of land that would normally be protected by trees and other flora from overheating. Simply put, this has to stop. There are actions each of us can take as individuals to help halt this—going paperless and buying recycled paper products, planting trees or supporting organizations that do this (like Concern), and recycling. 

But change has to happen at a larger scale here. Illegal logging happens both in the United States and abroad. Last year, world leaders committed to halting this and other harmful practices by 2030 as part of COP26. You can help by holding your own elected leaders to account.

4. Embrace electric vehicles, public transport, and other non-motorized options for getting around

The upshot:

• Individual action: Prioritize mass/public transportation for getting around.
• Bigger action: Policymakers should find ways to incentivize sustainable energy sources for auto-centric industries and create more walkable cities and towns.

The carbon savings on junking your current car in favor of an electric model are basically nullified if you aren’t seriously in the market for a new vehicle. However, mass adoption of electric vehicles and mass/public transportation is key to cutting the greenhouse gas emissions from fuel-based motor vehicles. 

You can call on your representatives to support these switchovers for delivery vehicles, cab and taxi fleets, ambulances, and other auto-centric services. Or, if your city or town lacks decent public transportation or enough bike lanes or sidewalks to make those alternatives to driving, lobby for those. 

5. Subsidize low-carbon alternatives for urban planning

The upshot:

• Individual action: Lobby your representatives to commit to greenhouse-friendly public projects.
• Bigger action: Urban planners and policymakers must prioritize and incentivize low-carbon alternatives and make these the norm in new public developments.

In tandem with low-carbon alternatives for public transportation, governments need to commit to similar measures with our growing cities. 

New buildings mean a new opportunity to reward green design methods that help to decrease the strain on urban resources, whether they’re apartments or entertainment venues. In cities like New York, we’ve seen the toll that excessive power use can take through rolling blackouts and brown-outs, especially in the summer months. Changes to public infrastructure that reduce our reliance on the power grid will help to keep the system from becoming untenably overloaded. 

6. Strengthen resilience and climate adaptation methods in MAPA communities

The upshot:

• Individual action: Understand the countries most affected by climate change and what communities within those countries are hit hardest. 
• Bigger action: International governments must increase foreign aid for MAPA communities, both for emergency response and long-term resilience.

So far, we’ve looked at solutions to climate change that can take place within our own homes and communities. However, these only go so far to mitigate the damage that the climate crisis has already inflicted on a large portion of the world. 

The most affected people and areas (MAPAs) are largely located in low-income countries without the resources or infrastructure to respond and adapt to climate disasters, even as they become more frequent and destructive. Countries like the United States and organizations responding to the climate crisis must support MAPA communities in developing and carrying out strategies specific to the context and designed to bolster climate resilience where it’s needed most. 

Often these communities know what needs to be done to mitigate the effects of climate change. They simply need to be supported with access to additional resources, new technologies, and — most importantly — funds.

7. Address poverty and other inequalities that increase vulnerability

The upshot:

• Individual action: Support individuals and organizations who speak on behalf of the “invisible” people and communities facing the climate crisis.
• Bigger action: Governments and NGOs must work together to build equity within national and international communities and address systemic inequalities that leave certain people more vulnerable to climate events.

 

The term MAPA can also apply to individuals within a community. Women, disabled people, children, the elderly, people living in poverty, indigenous peoples, and LGBTQIA+ people are among those who are most likely to be hit harder by climate change because of preexisting societal marginalization. This is why it’s critical that they also have a seat at the decision-making table when it comes to designing climate change solutions.

Eliminating poverty and the other systemic inequalities that give some people greater access to resources than others will help offset some of the greatest threats posed by the climate crisis. 

8. Invest in disaster risk reduction (DRR)

The upshot:

• Individual action: Support organizations working to build DRR within communities hit hard by climate change (like Concern…).
• Bigger action: Governments have to prioritize DRR as part of their responses to the climate crisis, especially for areas that are routinely in the path of natural disasters.

Disaster risk reduction (otherwise known as DRR) protects the lives and livelihoods of communities and individuals who are most vulnerable to disasters or emergencies. Whether the crisis is caused by nature or humans (or a combination of both), DRR limits its negative impact on those who stand to lose the most.

We can’t undo much of climate change’s impact so far, but we can help the communities who are hit hardest by these impacts to prepare for and respond to these emergencies once they strike.

9. Commit to fair financing and climate justice

The upshot:

• Individual action: Understand climate justice and where the US fits in on helping most-affected people and areas.
• Bigger action: The international community must make good on funding commitments designed to assist low- and lower-middle-income countries that face the brunt of the climate crisis while contributing little in the way of greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Of course, DRR strategies and other resilience, adaptation, and mitigation practices cost money. Money that the countries most affected by climate change often lack. As part of a global commitment to climate justice, countries with the highest carbon footprints should be making restitution to those countries with lower footprints, countries that tend to be more vulnerable to global warming. 

Countries like the United States must increase investments in disaster prevention and mitigation strategies. These funds also need to be made rapidly available and flexible so that when emergency strikes, they can be accessed more quickly. This allows first responders to a climate disaster to do more with less.

10. Guarantee these changes in the long-term through policy reform

The upshot:

• Individual action: Understand the environmental policies that are on the table and lobby your representatives to support long-term, sustainable change. 
• Bigger action: Policymakers must commit to stronger regulation, clean energy transition, carbon neutrality, and climate mitigation strategies, prioritizing people over corporations and addressing the intersectional effects of climate change.

 

Few of the solutions listed above are not sustainable without policy reform. You can help by encouraging your elected officials to consider the above points, and to support bills that incorporate one or more of these solutions to climate change, many of which are currently being written and shared at the local and national levels. 

Smart climate policy will prioritize people over corporations, consider the framework of climate justice (including land and water rights of indigenous peoples and rural communities), address the intersectional effects of climate change on hunger, poverty, and gender equality, and enforce regulatory frameworks and standards that commit people and institutions to honoring these new standards. 

Bold and aggressive action must be taken if we’re to reach the goal of not exceeding 1.5º C and mitigating the current effects of climate change by 2030. But it’s not a lost cause yet. It’s on all of us to now support those actions that are needed most.

Climate change: Concern’s response

The UN estimates that 70% of disasters are now climate-related and that, by 2030, climate change could force more than 100 million people into extreme poverty. Concern works to address this with disaster responses tailored to local environments and circumstances, working with communities to build response and resilience plans to offset the threat of future disasters, and advocating for broader climate solutions for the most vulnerable and affected people and communities at the national and international level.

Some of our key programs, including Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), are examples of these solutions in action. We have also adapted other initiatives, like the livelihoods-building Graduation and our standard-setting Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), to align with the realities faced by people in areas affected by climate change.

Nearly every country we work in involves some form of climate response. Last year, we had programs in 16 countries implementing climate resilience, more than doubling reach compared to the previous year. Learn more aobut our country-specific approaches and programs below.

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