Take personal action
It’s up to all of us to act now to fight global warming. The decisions you make now and in the future will have an impact on climate change. The choices you make and the things you buy make a real difference. More than 40% of all the UK’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the direct result of actions taken by individuals.
The Energy Savings Trust offers more information on energy conservation and advice on how you and your family can be more energy efficient in your home.
Here are some simple things you can do now:
Use energy saving light bulbs
They use 5 times less energy and can last up to 12 times longer. Do you still have old inefficient incandescent light bulbs in your home? If everyone in the UK switched we could cut emissions of CO2 by over 5 million tonnes.
Switch off your TV and gadgets.
Your generation uses 30% more electricity than the last generation. It’s time to switch off! Never leave your TV, computer or games console on standby, it wastes electricity. When you leave a room, switch off the light.
Computer monitors can use as much as 50% of the total energy needed to run your PC, so remember to switch yours off when you are not using it. Power wasted by TVs and gadgets left on standby are currently responsible for about 3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in the UK.
Unplug your mobile phone charger
About 85% of teenagers waste energy and money by leaving their phone charger plugged in all the time. Unplug it. Mobile phone chargers left plugged waste more than £60 million of electricity in the UK every year! This goes for iPods and games consoles as well. You could even buy a portable solar-powered charger to power your mobile and MP3 player.
Shop sustainably
Food miles add millions of tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere. Don’t buy food that has been transported half way around the world. Buy local produce and learn how to eat seasonally. Use a cloth shopping bag instead of plastic bags. Buy what you need and throw away less food.
Buy organic and Fair Trade
Organic farming aims to work with natural processes and minimise the use of non-renewable natural resources. It has an important contribution to make to protecting and enhancing our rural environment.
Organic farming methods are typically associated with biodiversity, pollution control, energy efficiency and soil protection benefits. They also have to meet specific requirements for animal health and welfare.
By buying Fair Trade products, you can help farmers and workers in developing countries.
Avoid over-packaging
Try to avoid convenience foods that have lots of packaging. Buy loose fruit and vegetables, rather than pre-packed. Tell retailers if you think a product is over-packaged.
Taps not bottles
Bottled water can cost twice as much as petrol, three times as much as milk and 10,000 times as much as tap water. The plastic used to make water bottles takes years to biodegrade. Tap water's a healthy alternative, and you can keep a jug in the fridge if you like it chilled.
Buy refills
Many bathroom and cleaning products are available as refills, which cuts down on packaging.
Turn down the heating
Turning the thermostat down by a few degrees will reduce the energy you use and help cut your fuel bills. Turn down your hot water setting too. Talk to your parents and relatives about switching to a green energy tariff.
Use your hot water economically - take a short shower instead of a bath. By taking showers instead of baths, we could save enough water each week for 1000 cups of tea.
Wash your clothes at 30ºC.
Choosing the 30ºC wash cycle cuts 40% off the electricity used at higher temperatures. Don’t forget to dry your clothes on a washing line. If you buy quality clothes they’ll last longer and reduce your carbon footprint.
Recycle and reuse
Don’t always throw things in the bin when you have finished with them or no longer want them. Every day in Scotland we throw out enough waste to fill Hampden Park football stadium. You can recycle cans, plastic, glass, paper and cardboard.
Start a compost heap - almost one-third of the average household bin contains materials that could be composted.
Don’t chuck out things you’re finished with - give them to charity shops. Buy products made from recycled materials.
Recycling can also save energy and have other benefits. Recycling one glass jar can save enough energy to light a 15 watt energy efficient light bulb for 24 hours and recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours.
Each tonne of paper recycled saves 15 average-sized trees, as well as their surrounding habitat and wildlife.
Reuse your old carrier bags
Instead of picking up a free carrier bag every time you go shopping, try and remember to reuse your old carriers or use a 'bag for life' or cloth bags.
Recycle when you shop
Don't forget, your local supermarket probably has a recycling point so you can recycle when you shop.
Walk, cycle or use public transport
Reducing your car use reduces your CO2 emissions. If you can, walk or use a bicycle, or take the bus, subway or train. Talk to your parents and relatives about reducing their car use.
Reduce your carbon footprint
Work out what your own and your family’s carbon footprint is and act together to reduce it. Get your parents to talk to their friends, relatives and employers about acting on climate change.
The Schools' Global Footprint resource has been developed by Learning and Teaching Scotland in collaboration with the WWF to help you to understand the environmental effect you have on the planet and how you can reduce this impact.
You can use the Global Footprint Calculator to measure your own carbon footprint.
Tell people about climate change.
Start with your family and friends. Tell them what you are doing and tell them how they can make a difference too.
Photo credit: Scotland's Climate Change Programme (SCCP)
Images are freely available for educational use in Scotland.