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Climate Protection: Taking Steps to Ensure a Bright Future


This article summarises the steps that are needed to ensure climate protection and make a contribution to a sustainable future. The article is published in connection to the chat activity that is hosted by Mike Childs from Friends of the Earth.

The world’s climate is changing. Experts around the world agree that it is no longer a question of whether we need to act, but what we should be doing. Climate protection is perhaps the key challenge facing the next generation. This chat, hosted by Mike Childs of Friends of the Earth, will give some ideas on how these changes will affect our lives and what we can do to mitigate their impact.

A change in mindset is needed to change the direction we are taking. A useful trick to help visualise the delicate balance in which we live is to think of the earth’s atmosphere as being the same as the fuzz on the skin of a peach. In relative terms, that fuzz is the same thickness as our planet’s atmosphere.

So, what is the worst case scenario? Extreme weather will become commonplace. Europe has witnessed a series of devastating events in recent years, ranging from heatwaves (with associated problems such as droughts and forest fires) to the opposite extreme of heavy rainfall and floods. A related issue is shortage of natural resources. The changing climate will affect the availability of crops and fresh water against a backdrop where the expanding global population will already be putting a huge strain on energy resources. To put it mildly, the results could be devastating.

Happily, there is a lot we can all do to help prevent this scenario from becoming a reality.

Technology has an important role to play here. For example, consider one of the major sources of carbon dioxide emissions, transport. Manufacturers are investing hugely in making cars and aeroplanes more energy efficient, using modern materials such as plastics to make them more lightweight and thus able to go further on less fuel.

However technology can only take us so far. The most important aspect is to change our behaviour to be as resource and energy efficient as possible.

There are changes everyone can make in their everyday lifestyle that will make a big difference. This can include insulating their homes, selecting lightweight packaging when shopping, or choosing renewable energy sources (such as plastic wind turbines) for their homes.

However actions by individuals are only part of the solution. Governments also need to be prepared to make important decisions to promote resource and energy efficiency. This includes things such as waste management policy, which can help us exploit what we currently throw away as a valuable resource. This means helping people recycle more but also enabling us to use waste that cannot be recycled as an energy source.

In conclusion, the scale of the challenge we face is now being understood. The new challenge we must understand is what we should be doing about it. Little changes in our everyday lives will go a long way, but we must also face up to bigger challenges that require a larger-scale response.

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