How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Fight Climate Change

Abstract

Instructor’s Name As evidenced in the Film, every decision has an environmental impact. What Changes will you make in your day-to-day life to reduce your Carbon footprint? How will you keep yourself accountable? The aspect of climate change is intriguing yet the decisions must be made on a global scale. However, our actions in our day-to-day life immensely influence the environment. The levels of carbon footprint increase because of traveling by bus, car, train, or plane, waste material, burning of coal and wood, and household energy. Embracing sustainability in these sectors at home reduces carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Reducing carbon footprint is a choice of sustainability and one can keep accountability by calculating the value of the energy they have used in their day-to-day activities for instance in food, car travel, electrical appliances, and water usage. In ‘Before the Flood’, we saw countless ways our consumption is ruining the environment. What outcomes were most shocking to you? What solutions provided you with the most optimism for the future? Human consumption deliberately influences the environment and the most shocking outcomes disputed in the film are extraction of natural resources, burning of fossil fuels, and deforestation. The shocking malice of these activities is the levels of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide emissions that are scattered in the atmosphere that are dangerous for our health. Carbon dioxide contributes to the warming of the atmosphere resulting in global warming which contributes to ozone layer depletion contributing to elevated temperatures and health outcomes such as skin and cancer. The solutions related to planting more trees to absorb carbon dioxide reducing the consumption of non-renewable energy and devoting to the use of solar and wind energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Every November, we have a chance to elect representatives with our best interests in mind, whether that is locally or in Washington, D.C. If you were elected to office, what actions would you take to ensure a sustainable future for future generations? Some leaders are in denial of the existence of climate change and are disseminating information criticizing climate change's existence. As an elected official, I will stand up to advocate for environmental sustainability advocating for the use of clean energy, recycling, and use of renewable energy. I would form lobby programs that educate my community on climate change and environmental change. I would also push bills that align with climate change solutions. The debate on climate change has been labeled as a misinformation campaign. What arguments have you heard on either side of the debate have been most impactful in creating your views? Have any of these ideas been changed because of the film? The film addresses climate change as a huge catastrophe that mankind is facing now and ought to extend to the future. Climate change deniers believe that climate change is normal and natural and there is no consensus that scientists have made on the existence of climate change. Scientists have pointed out the melting of ice which is likely to contribute to the rise in sea and ocean levels in the near future. Global warming is a threat and the earth's temperatures have increased and the atmosphere and the ocean are depicting the influences of climate change. Those who argue for climate change rely on science to prove their assertions. The notion that climate change is evident is factual and after hearing the film, I have realized that science has proven climate change existence by studying global warming, melting of ice sheets, precipitation, and ocean and sea levels. Are you pessimistic or optimistic about the future of our planet? Why? After watching the movie, I feel pessimistic about the future of our planet. The planet faces unprecedented challenges to climate change including flooding, drought, rise in sea levels, extraction of natural resources, and destruction of ecosystems. The debate on climate change is ongoing and there is no amicable agreement on the existence of climate change around the globe. The future is expected to depict a warmer atmosphere, changes in precipitation patterns, and higher sea levels due to greenhouse gas emissions. The idea of climate change requires a strong foundation of reality which is still a massive task today. There are no adequate mitigation strategies to curb climate change which proves a threat to the...