Science of Everything: What Can an Individual Do About Climate Change?

It’s February in Chicago, but today you ditch your winter coat and grab your shorts. Climate change has made unseasonably warm days like this common. While it is a pleasant surprise after a harsh winter, “climate change influences the probability and intensity of certain weather events” says Aaron Dernbaugh, the Director of the Office of Sustainability at Loyola University. These events include heat waves, droughts, hurricanes, strong winds, heavy rainfall, floods, and wildfires. Imagine dropping a rock in Lake Michigan and observing how far the ripples travel. The same idea applies to climate change — drought in California leads to wildfires and the smoke affects our air quality in Chicago.  

With most news outlets showing how much of a problem climate change is, it’s normal to think that climate change is inevitable. While climate change increases the probability of adverse weather events, each action that we take to combat climate change reduces the chance of these events.“You don’t need to do all of these or do them perfectly to make a difference.” says Aaron “Do what you can with the resources you have.” Here are some of Aaron’s suggestions for combating climate change:

1. Learn about climate change policy and research. Some of Aaron’s favorite resources are the Natural Resource Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Katharine Hayhoe
2. Reduce the energy you use. “That energy takes resources and creates air and water pollution,” says Aaron
   • Turn devices off when they’re not in use
   • Reduce the stuff you buy, especially spontaneous purchases
   • Select water and energy-efficient appliances
   • Reduce your meat consumption and replace beef with chicken and fish when possible
   • Reduce air travel
3. When you can, use public transportation, bike, carpool, or walk.
   • Plan your schedule ahead of time and run errands in the same trip
   • Consider purchasing an electric vehicle
4. Recycle and compost as much as you can. “The Recycle by City website is a great resource for finding solutions on how to recycle anything”, says Aaron. Other local Chicagoans have also found places to recycle their fabric and clothing, craft supplies, books, and started a local composting service.
5. Prioritize using solar and wind energy which do not create the harmful pollutants that other energy sources do. Illinois provides incentives for installing solar panels on your home, but you can still benefit from solar energy without this home renovation.

In addition to the changes you make in your personal life, you can also help combat climate change by engaging in community advocacy:

1. Help educate your friends and family on climate change. You can inspire someone else to make changes in their life.
2. During elections, vote for candidates who want to combat climate change. Two of Aaron’s favorite climate policy resources are the League of Conservation Voters and  the Illinois Environmental Council.
3. Talk to your local officials (water and sewer district, Alderman, Mayor, County Commissioner) about how important combating climate change is.  “All these folks make important decisions, but they won’t know that their voters are concerned about climate change if no one tells them,” explains Aaron.

 While you can estimate how much gas you avoided using by switching to an electric vehicle or how much food you diverted from the landfill by composting, it’s not always easy to measure how much one person’s actions are helping to combat climate change. Instead, measure your success by the amount of personal value you gain such as saving you money, encouraging a healthier lifestyle, or peace of mind. “Doing my part may not prevent a heavy rainstorm,” explains Aaron, “but it can be the difference between someone’s house flooding or not. That is meaningful to me.”

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9013542/
2. https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/evidence/