The most impactful climate actions you can take

Out-of-the-box climate solutions, global temperature hits record high, and the most impactful climate actions you can take

GOOD NEWS

I love innovative and unique climate solutions. Even if they don't make a huge difference emission-wise, highlighting people's creativity and efficiency helps show us how much more is possible if we're willing to think outside the box. Over the last year, I've talked about Finnish sand batteries, South Korean toilets that give students credit for let's call it the "biomass" they generate, mandatory solar panels on French parking lots - and there’s a lot more out there.

In Glasgow, Scotland, for example, there's a concert venue in an old industrial warehouse that since 2022 has been heated and cooled using the stored body heat of the concertgoers. “If you have a thousand people in here, that’s enough to heat 65 homes, and a lot of gas that isn’t being burnt," says geothermal entrepreneur David Townsend, who created the Bodyheat system. Similar approaches are already being used to generate electricity from body heat in public buildings ranging from Stockholm's Central Station to Minnesota's Mall of America.

At Brown University in Rhode Island, they're trying out some new energy-generating equipment that captures the energy from people using treadmills, stair climbers and rowing machines and turns it into electricity. Student Elina Pipa developed the proposal for this project as part of her climate solutions class!

Finally, what if there were a way to harvest the kinetic energy that pedestrians produce by walking? There is! When piezoelectric tiles are compressed by people stepping on them, they create electricity. A pilot study installed piezoelectric tiles in a metro station in Cairo, Egypt that saw more than 57,000 passengers move through it every day. The study found that these tiles generated enough energy to power the entire metro station.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see these technologies become the norm everywhere?

NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS

You may have seen the news last week: the Earth’s average temperature has been more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the past 12 months, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. And each of the last 13 months was the warmest on record.

This does not mean we've passed the threshold the world agreed to in Paris in 2015. For that to happen, the average amount of warming must stay above 1.5C for more than a decade. What this does mean, though, is that we’re closer than ever to that threshold.

What it also means is that this last year represents a preview of what an average year will look like if the world warms by 1.5C: a sampler, if you will, of what is to come. Over the past 12 months, we've seen a lot of major climate disasters - from Storm Daniel, which killed at least 6,000 people in Libya, to wildfires that scorched Maui, Hawaii, to record-breaking heat across South America in winter, Asia this spring, and the United States right now.

The bottom line is clear: if we want a different future, now is the time to act. We need every voice calling for the societal change needed to cut emissions and invest in a cleaner, greener future. The window for us to act is rapidly closing and the science is clear: every bit of warming matters, every action matters and every choice matters.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The number one question about climate change that I’m asked nearly every day is, “What can I do?” And this makes me glad, because this is exactly the question we should be asking and answering!

If you subscribe to this newsletter, you know that each week I share a different suggestion for how we can make a difference. Sometimes it’s a big action, like electrifying our homes or participating in local town halls. Other times, it’s a small step, like mowing lawns less frequently or trying a new plant-based recipe.

With every solution, and even in the title of this newsletter itself, I emphasize the number one thing individuals can do that most of us are still not doing: talk about it! Use your voice to explain why climate change matters and to advocate for climate action.

What else can we do, besides talk about it? After the movie Don’t Look Up came out, I teamed up with over 30 experts to answer this question. Based on the social science of how to catalyze societal change, we developed a list of the most impactful climate actions individuals can take. If you are worried about climate change and want to make a difference:

🎙️ Start a conversation about why climate change matters and what people can do about it

🤲 Join a climate action group to amplify your voice and others

💰 Consider where you keep and how you spend your money (including your bank, credit card, retirement, and purchases)

💡 Spark ideas for change at work, school, church, or any other organization you are part of

🗳️ Hold politicians at every level accountable by voting and by telling them why climate change matters and what you want them to do about it (this includes showing up at town hall meetings!)

🏡 Reduce your personal footprint and make your actions contagious by talking about them with people you know and encouraging them to do the same

I’ve memorized this list now, so whenever someone asks me what individuals can do -- like squid scientist Sarah McAnulty who runs the amazing Skype a Scientist program did the other day -- I’m ready with an answer!

This week, my challenge to you is to do the same. Share this list with someone in person or on social media. Memorize it, so next time you’re asked, you’ll have the answer at the tip of your tongue as well. Together, we can make this information contagious and drive action!