What You Need to Know About Climate Change
How it s already affecting your health, home and safety and what you can do about it
by David Hochman, Sari Harrar, Laura Petrecca and Brian Barth, AARP, June 1, 2021 |
Comments:
David McNew/Sean Rayford/Getty Images; Greg Ruffing/Redux; Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times
L to R: Springs Fire In Southern California, 2013; South Carolina flooding caused by Hurricane Florence in 2018; aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, 2005; and ice and snow in Texas, 2021.
Remember the Great Texas Freeze this past February? Never-before-seen ice storms crashed trees onto power lines and froze the wind turbines Texans turn depend on for heat and light. Record-breaking temperatures gave way in some places to snowfalls not seen since the Truman administration. Then the pipelines that supply natural gas to power plants froze up. Families huddled for warmth in the dark for days, and the nation watched their misery on TV.
However, with a little effort, each of us can do our part in reducing climate change.
So, what could you do to protect the environment, and help with climate change prevention, on an individual level?
1. Say no to plastic
No doubt plastics are harmful, not only for the health of humans but also for biodiversity. By reducing the amount of plastic you use (especially that you dispose of), will go a long way to helping out.
Considering the abundance of plastic in our lives, the task seems enormous. But, some small steps can considerably decrease the amount of plastic that we use every day.