«What can I do personally

          to reduce global warming?»

Preparing for the Future

Because carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have been building up in the atmosphere, climate change is already happening, and more changes are in store that will affect people and the environment in many ways. While it's important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, changes to the climate have already begun, and more changes will happen in the future.

That's why it's so important for people to plan for both the immediate and future impacts of climate change. Planning now will help keep societies healthy and strong by making it easier for people to successfully adapt to the changes that lie ahead.

The Signs of Climate Change

The average temperature of the Earth is rising, but that's not the only way we can tell the climate is changing. In fact, the signs are all around us! Observations and measurements from all over the world provide strong evidence that the climate has already started to change.

Effects on People and the Environment

How will climate change affect you? Your community? The environment around you?

Global climate change will affect people and the environment in many ways. Some of these impacts, like stronger hurricanes and severe heat waves, could be life threatening. Others, like spreading weeds, will be less serious. And some effects, like longer growing seasons for crops, might even be good! However, as the Earth keeps getting warmer, the negative effects are expected to outweigh the positive ones.

The more we learn about how climate change will affect people and the environment, the more we can see why people need to take action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. We can also take steps to prepare for the changes we know are coming.

Be Part of the Solution!

Do something today to reduce greenhouse gas emissions!

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the key to solving global climate change. A major way these gases get into the atmosphere is when people burn coal, oil, and natural gas for energy. Everyone uses energy, and everyone can be part of the solution!

But don't forget that climate change is already happening. We're seeing some of the impacts now, and we'll experience more in the future. So we need to prepare and plan for the changes we know are coming.

What Are Renewable Resources?

Renewable energy resources include sunshine, wind, and flowing water. These resources are renewable because they won't run out or they can be replaced within a few years or decades.

Putting solar panels on your house could actually make money for your family if they generate more electricity than you need!

What  I Can Do?

Can one person help stop global climate change? Yes! Especially when the simple steps you, your friends, and your family take are multiplied by millions of people all over the world.

1. Switch to Clean Energy
2. Use Less Energy
3. Travel Green
4. Watch Your Water Use
5. Reduce Waste
6. More Ways to Make a Difference

Switch to Clean Energy

When we get electricity from renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, we avoid the carbon dioxide emissions that would have come from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, or natural gas.

1. Choose green power. Talk with your family and school about switching to renewable energy. Explore your options at the Green Power Network's website.
2. Generate your own power. Can your school or home generate its own renewable energy? Talk with your family and school about the possibility of installing solar panels, a solar water heater, or even a wind turbine.

Use Less Energy

Most of the energy you use at home and at school comes from burning fossil fuels. Using less energy means burning fewer fossil fuels and putting less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

1. Power down. Did you know that some appliances and electronics plugged into an outlet still use power, even when they're turned off? Unplug energy vampires like video game consoles, cell phone chargers, and MP3 players whenever you can. Or consider buying a “smart” power strip, which automatically cuts off power when you turn off an appliance. Visit the ENERGY STAR website for kids to learn more.
2. Do the math. An energy audit can help you calculate how much energy your family uses at home and identify ways to reduce your energy use. Learn more.
3. Look for the label. Energy–efficient appliances and electronics typically use between 10 and 50 percent less energy than regular models. If you're shopping for a TV, computer, DVD player, or other electronic device or appliance, look for products that display the ENERGY STAR label. Visit the ENERGY STAR Qualified Products page to learn more.
4. Be energy–wise at school. Schools can partner with EPA's ENERGY STAR program to reduce their energy use. Talk with your school about what ENERGY STAR schools are doing to save energy, and find out how your school can join.

Travel Green

Cars, trucks, airplanes, and other kinds of vehicles are responsible for about one–third of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Smart transportation choices can make a big impact on reducing emissions.

1. Walk, bike, skateboard, rollerblade, or take a bus to school. Just make sure to stay safe. Ask your school to get involved in the Safe Routes to School program.This program has lots of tips for students and their families, like forming “walking school buses” led by one or two adults.
2. Give the car a break. Encourage your family to make one big trip to run all their errands at once, instead of making lots of small trips. Consider sharing rides with others, and use public transportation like buses or trains whenever you can.
3. Use your buying power. When it's time to buy a new car, help your family choose one that's fuel–efficient or electric. You'll use less gas, reduce emissions, and save money. Learn more.
4. Clean up the bus. Through EPA's Clean School Bus USA program, schools can replace or upgrade older buses so they are more fuel–efficient or run on cleaner fuels.
5. Don't be idle. Your school bus idles when the engine is running but the bus isn't moving—for example, when your bus driver is waiting to pick you up after school. Running the engine burns fuel, which not only wastes gasoline, but also produces greenhouse gases and other kinds of air pollution. Learn more.

Watch Your Water Use

Saving water saves energy, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It takes a lot of energy to treat the water you use every day to make it safe to drink and to deliver it to your house. It takes even more energy to turn it into hot water. Did you know that letting your faucet run warm water for five minutes uses about as much energy as leaving a 60–watt light bulb on for 14 hours?

1. Be water–wise. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth, and try taking shorter showers. Learn more ways you can save water, then test your water sense.
2. Fix that faucet. A faucet that leaks at a rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water in a year.
3. Look for leaks. If your toilet has a leak, you could be wasting 200 gallons of water a day. Try putting a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak!
4. Keep it cool. Wash only full loads of laundry, and use cold water instead of hot. About 90 percent of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water.

Go low–flow. Talk with your family about installing water–efficient appliances and plumbing fixtures like low-flow showerheads. 

Reduce Waste

Most people don't realize that reducing, reusing, and recycling can help slow climate change. How? To begin with, every product has a life cycle, and every step—from manufacturing to disposal—leads to greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing, reusing, and recycling means you buy (and throw away) less stuff, and that helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we're adding to the atmosphere. Learn more about product life cycles.

You can reduce greenhouse gas emissions if you:

1. Reduce. Reduce the amount of new stuff you buy. To reduce waste, buy things that have less packaging.
2. Reuse. Try to borrow or rent things you'll only need for a short amount of time, and reuse the things you already have. When you have things you no longer need, give them to others who can use them. Use reusable bags when you go shopping.
3. Recycle. Remember to recycle whatever materials you can, like bottles, cans, and paper, so they can be collected and remade into new products.
4. Buy recycled. Choose products made from recycled materials whenever you can.
5. Teach your school the three R's. Schools can save energy, preserve natural resources, and prevent greenhouse gas emissions by reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Learn more about ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle at school.

More Ways to Make a Difference

You can take many other actions to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change. For example:

1. Plant a tree. Trees help to slow climate change because they absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Trees also provide shade, which helps keep streets and houses cooler in the summertime and reduces the need for air conditioning.
2. Consider buying locally grown food. The further your food travels, the more greenhouse gas emissions are produced in transporting the food from the farm to your plate. You can find locally grown food at a farmers market and even at some grocery stores.
3. Reduce your carbon footprint. Find out how big your own carbon footprint is, and explore ways you can reduce it.
4. Spread the word. Give a presentation to your family, school, or community group that explains how their actions can cause or reduce climate change. You can use EPA's “Create a New Climate for Action” presentation (full–screen slides (PDF) (50 pp, 4.44MB, About PDF); presenter notes (PDF) (50 pp, 4.22MB)) or develop your own. Get creative, and think of more ways to help others make a difference! Learn how schools can work together to make a difference.