Rapid climate action: What we can do now

Rapid climate action: What we can do now

Changes in the global climate arise from natural and man-made factors. However, human activities contribute significantly due to greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to accelerating climate change. The global scientific consensus is clear: climate change is real and is continuing to progress. The impacts are already being seen in the form of rising global average temperatures, melting glaciers, rising sea levels and the occurrence of extreme weather events.

In view of such signs, many people are looking for ways in which they can make their contribution to climate protection. This article presents actions we can take now to combat climate change. This involves measures on an individual, organizational and societal level.

Individual measures

1. Reducing carbon footprint

Reducing your personal carbon footprint is an effective climate protection measure. This can be achieved, for example, by adapting our transport behavior, our diet and our energy consumption in residential buildings. When it comes to transport, the switch to low-emission or zero-emission vehicles and public transport plays a particularly important role. When it comes to nutrition, eliminating food waste and reducing meat and dairy consumption can lead to significant savings in greenhouse gas emissions. In residential buildings, energy consumption can be reduced by improving energy efficiency, for example by improving insulation, switching to renewable energy or using modern, energy-efficient heating and cooling system technology.

2. Conscious consumption

Conscious consumption can also help reduce the production of goods that have a high greenhouse gas footprint. This applies, for example, to products that are imported from distant countries and therefore have a high "transport footprint", or those that use a particularly large amount of energy to produce. By purchasing locally produced or used products you can reduce your personal contribution to climate change.

Organizational measures

1. Energy efficiency in companies

There are a number of options for companies to improve energy efficiency, such as switching to renewable energy or installing energy-efficient technologies. These can include measures such as replacing outdated lighting systems, optimizing heating and cooling systems, reducing standby power consumption of devices or improving the insulation of buildings. Such measures can also have a positive impact on energy costs and a company's competitive advantage.

2. Improve process efficiency

Another possibility is to improve process efficiency, especially in manufacturing companies. This can be done, for example, by optimizing material use, reducing waste, switching to more environmentally friendly materials or using more efficient production technologies.

Social and political measures

1. Climate-neutral energy supply

The switch to a climate-neutral energy supply is one of the most important political measures to combat climate change. The promotion of renewable energies, such as wind and solar energy, plays a key role. At the same time, it is important to reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency and to cover storage requirements by using energy storage technologies.

2. Abatement of emissions

Compliance with greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved through various measures, including market-based approaches such as emissions trading, government regulations and standards for emissions and energy efficiency, subsidies and incentives for low-emission technologies, and the promotion of research and development in this area.

In summary, there are a variety of ways to make our contribution to climate protection. The measures we propose require the commitment of individuals, companies and politicians. Now is the time to act to limit the effects of climate change.