Extraordinary times call for extraordinary action, so I am asking you to join me in taking the climate action challenge. Every action counts!
If you are following the news from COP28, you know Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, of the United Arab Emirates is conference president. He is also the chief executive of Adnoc, UAE’s national oil company. Would you say that’s a conflict of interest? Multiple documents obtained from his meetings with oil producers showed plans for increased exploration and production of fossil fuels. He is also calling for a phase down instead of a phase out of fossil fuels. That would ensure the acceleration of climate crisis. What can we do about this? Stop using fossil fuels!
The single most important action you can take to help stop climate disruption is to drastically reduce your use of fossil fuels. Reducing fossil fuel usage will also reduce methane gas, which is 28-30% more potent than CO2. Dirty energy (oil, gas, coal) fuels climate crisis, harms our health, damages the environment, and pollutes air, land and water. Clean energy is a win-win. It gives us cleaner air, land and water, energy security, lower energy bills, better health, and new jobs.
How do you ditch fossil fuels? Trade in your gas guzzler for a hybrid or electric car. Switch to an all-electric house by retiring your gas water heater, gas or oil furnace, and old gas stove for energy star electric ones. Geothermal heating and cooling are also an option. Add solar panels to your roof to power your exciting new electric house. If your house is not suitable for solar, purchase electricity from a wind/solar company like Green Mountain Energy or The Energy Co-op. On the fence about switching? Read about Skip Shuda’s experience with affordable clean energy.
Next on the action list to reduce fossil fuel use is insulating your house from attic to basement, including the walls. Install energy efficient windows. When your roof needs to be replaced, choose an energy efficient roof. All of these choices translate into lower energy bills.
I know what you’re thinking—how much will all this cost? Certainly much less than the astronomical cost of recovering from unrelenting climate crisis disasters. So do as much as you can NOW.
Here are some easier actions: eat less meat and dairy, don’t waste food, and use a compost bin. Here’s why those actions are important: Cows, food waste, and fossil fuels (especially “natural” gas) all produce methane gas. Reducing methane is one of the quickest ways to reduce global temperature.
How you will benefit from taking these actions.
- You will avoid spending so much time in heavy traffic by driving less.
- Energy bills will be much lower or nonexistent in the long run.
- Much less pollution—cleaner air, water, land—means better health.
- Walking and biking will improve your health.
- You will be making an important contribution to reversing climate crisis!
Want to learn how to make your home more energy efficient? Check out Cool Block. If there’s not one near you, start one so you and your neighbors can learn together. We are social creatures, so group support can be very helpful. Bonus: you will be developing community.
If you have any other ideas, please leave a comment. I’m all ears.
The fastest thing that can be done is energy efficiency to reduce the need to produce more power. PECO has incentives that may cover the full cost of going to LED lights vs the many T 12 and 5’s out there. The charter schools in Chester got both the labor and materials covered under grants and City of Chester got the equipment covered.