Fighting climate change might seem like a big problem that is for governments to solve.
However, Dr Peter Newman of the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute in Perth said that ordinary people play a crucial role especially by reducing their power consumption and using of motor vehicles which are oil-based. He told reporters in a briefing ahead of the release in Incheon yesterday (8 Oct) of the United Nations climate panel’s special report on limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius.
He gave the example of rooftop solar installations expanding rapidly in many countries, including Australia. In Perth, about 30% of homes have rooftop solar panels.
Added by Dr Newman one of the UN report’s lead authors, schools are also playing a role by encouraging children to cut down in carbon usage. The report found that education, information and community approaches could accelerate large-scale behaviour changes needed to limit warming to 1.5 degree Celsius.
Other choices include the type of car, air-conditioner or refrigerator consumers buy based on government-backed rating schemes.
Eating less beef and switching to chicken and fish and more locally grown vegetables are other simple steps.
Community approaches, where change is initiated from the bottom up, can promote steps to adapt to climate change and cut emissions, especially when community ties are strong.
Implementation of government policies is also key, the report said. Acceptability is higher when people expect more positive and less negative effects of policy and system changes.
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Source: The Straits Times, 9 October 2018