This is a beautiful question and I am glad that you asked it. Global warming is a very big problem. Unfortunately, not everyone believes that it is real. For example, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, thinks that there is no global warming. Therefore, the first big action you can take is to spread the word! Make sure people know about the problem. Do your parents know about it. Do your friends in school know about it. Or perhaps you use Facebook. Do your friends on Facebook know about it. When we all know that climate change is a big big problem, then we will all try to find solutions for it.

But what can you do about your lifestyle? As you know, global warming is happening because we produce a lot of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) that goes into the atmosphere. Most CO₂ is produced when we burn oil, gas, and coal.

Airplanes and cars burn a lot of oil, and we burn a lot of coal and oil when making electricity and producing food and things to use.

So, you can think about places in your lifestyle where you can
(1) drive less,
(2) waste less energy, and
(3) buy and waste less “things” (including food).

When your parents drive you somewhere with a car, could you take the bus instead? Or could you drive together with friends? When you leave the house, are all the lights turned off? Is your computer turned off?

Do you often use new bags to go shopping or can you bring a rucksack or linen bag from home that you can use multiple times? Are there times when you leave the water running and you are not using it (for example when you brush your teeth)? A lot of things and a lot of food are thrown away. For example, nearly two out of five pieces of food end up in the dumpster instead of our stomach. Do you throw away a lot of food and a lot of the things without using them?

Think about whether you can make sure you only buy the things you really need. Finally, if you can eat a little bit less meat, that can also make a difference.

For some changes you can make in the household you have to talk to your parents (or you can make them, when you are older). For example, would your parents be willing to buy their electricity from a power plant that makes energy from water, wind, or from the sun? These energies are called renewable energies and they do not use oil and coal. If your parents buy a new car, can they buy a car that uses less fuel? Big trucks often use a lot of fuel and burn a lot of oil but there are cars that save much more energy when driving.

If you are really passionate about climate change, you can meet other’s that are passionate about it and try to make people aware of the problem. There are many organizations out there that work to make politicians more aware of this problem. As I said in the beginning, I think, the biggest issue is that not everyone realizes how big of a problem global warming is.

I am really happy to hear that you are thinking about these issues Sarah! Keep on it and our beautiful planet Earth will thank you!

Eat more plants, vegetables, can fruits, and cut down on meat.

Recycle all the trash you generate each day as efficiently as you can.

Study the science of green energy such as how solar power works, how wind energy/power can be used and how geothermal energy works, and educate your friends and family about that.

Walk instead of taking the CAR when you can.

Be kind to animals and everyone you meet. Most people on the planet are NOT as fortunate as you are!!!