You Can Control Climate Change!

Article By:Joan Bradshaw
Director of the University of Florida /IFAS Citrus County Extension

There has been a lot of talk about "climate change" but what does it all mean and what can we do about it. Quite simply, climate change is any long-term significant change in the expected patterns of average weather. Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to climate change by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide accumulate in the atmosphere and trap heat that normally would exit into outer space. Expected long range effects are already be observed by climate scientists. Rising sea levels, glacier retreat, Arctic shrinkage, and altered patterns of agriculture are cited as direct consequences of human activities.

Think climate change is too big of a problem to solve? Think again. The good news is that small changes in our everyday lives can make a big difference. Each person can make a difference because one small positive act multiplied millions of times produces immense benefits.

Easy Things You Can Do To Help Our Climate:

• Travel light: When ever possible walk or bike instead of driving a car. Cars and trucks run on fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In the United States, automobiles produce over 20 percent of total carbon emissions. Walk or bike and you’ll save one pound of carbon for every mile you travel.
• Teleconference instead of flying: For office meetings telephone or video conference instead of flying or driving. You will save time, money, and carbon emissions. Airplanes pump carbon emissions high into the atmosphere, producing 12 percent of transportation sector emissions.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs: These energy-efficient bulbs help fight climate change because they reduce the amount of fossil fuels that utilities burn. You will save 100 pounds of carbon for each incandescent bulb that you replace with a compact fluorescent, over the life of the bulb.
• Recycle and use recycled products: Products made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic reduce carbon emissions because they use less energy to manufacture than products made from completely new materials. For instance, you’ll save two pounds of carbon for every 20 glass bottles that you recycle. Recycling paper also saves trees and lets them continue to reduce climate change naturally as they remain in the forest, where they remove carbon from the atmosphere.
• Inflate your tires: If you own a car, it will get better gas mileage when the tires are fully inflated, so it will burn less gas and emit less carbon. Check your automobile monthly to ensure that the tires are fully inflated. Follow this tip and save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide for every 10,000 miles you drive.
• Plant drought tolerant trees: Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and use it as their energy source, producing oxygen for us to breathe. A tree in the temperate zone — found between the tropics and the polar circles—can remove and store 700 to 7,000 pounds of carbon over its lifetime. A tree that shades a house can reduce the energy required to run the air conditioner and save an additional 200 to 2,000 pounds of carbon over its lifetime.
• Adjust the temperature in your home and office: Heating and air conditioning draw more than half of the energy that a home uses in the United States. Turn down the heat or air conditioning when you leave the house or go to bed. You can easily install a programmable thermostat that can save money and carbon.
• Act globally, eat locally: If you shop at a supermarket, the food you buy may travel in a plane from the other side of the world, burning fossil fuels the entire trip. Shop at a local farmers market where you will find fresh and healthy food while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
  

Citrus County Extension links the public with the University of Florida/IFAS’s knowledge, research, and resources to address youth, family, community, and agricultural needs. Programs and activities offered by the Extension Service are available to all persons without regard to race, color, handicap, sex, religion, or national origin. Citrus County – Providing Solutions for Your Life.

For persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations, please contact our office at least five working days prior to the program so that proper consideration may be given to the request. For hearing impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Center at 1-800-955-8770 (voice) or 1-800 –955-8771 (TDD).

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