COP26 in Glasgow recently saw nations across the globe agree that we all need to do more to stop climate change, with many nations deciding to meet again this year to submit their 2030 emission reduction targets to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C.
Whichever way you may look at it, urgent action is needed when it comes to global warming, and time is of the essence. To protect our planet, not only do our leaders and governments need to make official pledges in press conferences, but all global citizens as individuals must do their bit to reduce their carbon footprint and live more sustainably. To find out more, read our piece on ways you can be greener in 2022.
Use Public Transport More Frequently
Large urban areas with lots of traffic congestion contribute a great deal to climate change. People in urban areas of the UK need to change their ways before it’s too late and our beautiful planet with all its quirky natural wonders are ruined forever. An ideal solution is opting to use public transport more frequently. Take public transport to work, visit friends, take shopping trips, and let it become part of your daily life and something you do almost without thinking about it.
Car-sharing
Car-sharing is another sustainable activity you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Find yourself feeling lonely as you sit there stuck in endless traffic on your drive into work? Car-sharing can be a sociable way for you to get to know people a bit better. Do you find that you don’t really know your colleagues very well and want to know them better? Car-sharing with your colleagues for your commute into the workplace is a great idea and means you can all work as a team to reduce your carbon footprint by not driving your vehicles separately.
Switch to Driving an Electric Car
Electric cars do not emit CO2 emissions and contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Private transport and people driving regular petrol and diesel passenger cars are one of the world’s primary sources of greenhouse gases. When it comes to sustainable transport, electric cars are the future. They could help us drastically limit global warming and its various damaging impacts on the environment, which is a race against the clock.
Saying you support sustainable living and yet deciding to drive around all day in a gas-guzzling 4×4 vehicle that pollutes the earth’s atmosphere is not sufficient. Take the plunge and commit to switching to a sustainable electric car. They are slick and easy to drive, the motor is virtually silent, and you will barely notice the difference. There’s also the advantage that you can get a charging unit installed at home with some help from a government grant, meaning you don’t even have to go out to a petrol station to charge up your car. Want to learn more about electric cars and why switching to an electric car could be a great choice that you won’t regret? Check out ElectriX powered LV= General Insurance, a reliable insurance provider for electric cars and part of the sustainable revolution.
Recycle at Home
Recycling protects the planet by providing us with new raw materials, saving energy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Do your bit to try and recycle as much as you can at home. Progress is being made, and 46.2% of UK households in 2019 recycled their domestic waste. However, we still need to do more and more people need to recycle as an everyday habit.
Educate Others About the Importance of Sustainable Activities
Promote sustainability by explaining the facts on climate change to people you know and informing them about things they can do in 2022 to protect the planet. Perhaps you find that people in your office at work don’t practice sustainable practices such as recycling waste? Have a conversation with your boss and try your best to help create a culture of sustainability at your work. Your employer may even already have sustainability as one of their core company values. Just try and stay positive and encourage everyone to chip in to help save the planet.
Pressure Local and National Government Bodies Not Doing Enough
If you feel not enough is being done to conserve and protect natural environments in your local area, contact your local councillor or constituency MP to discuss your concerns and ideas on what needs to be done with them. Letters, written petitions, e-petitions, street demonstrations, pressure groups, and meetings with local community leaders are all ways you can encourage representatives to follow sustainable policies and do more to protect the UK’s natural beauty. There’s no point in staying silent on the destruction of our wonderful planet.
So, there are many easy ways you can be greener in 2022. Try and make sure you make an effort to do your bit to protect the planet from global warming.
