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An Individual’s Responsibility in Mitigation of Climate Change

Climate change is one of the problems that emerged due to human activities in response to advancements in technology and industrialization. Eradication of climate change and preservation of biodiversity has become a creative challenge to the world. Many social and political campaigns are trying their best to control this global phenomenon that is affecting the daily life in a disguised way. No matter what the companies do if indivisible is not responsible in their endeavor, they cannot get positive output. David Suzuki says "in a world of more than seven billion people, each of us is a drop in the bucket. But with enough drops, we can fill any bucket". Therefore, individual responsibility towards climate change can add up to make a change at the global level. There are many strategies that an individual can take to mitigate climate change, but from all of those, the most important thing a person can do at his own level is to make an informed decision as a citizen and as a customer taking into account the concept of sustainability.

Sustainability and ecological principle have made the foundation for meeting human development goals while satisfying the natural environment. If followed on a large and small scale, these principles can help make a great amount of change in society. The sustainability principle sets bases for economic, social, and environmental issues. On the other hand, ecological principles help us understand adaptation, behavior, diversity, energy flow, and growth and development of a society in ecological scenarios. Despite the hard work of countries and social groups, i.e. NGOs and private organizations to create an adaptive environment without changing the natural setting and fulfilling human needs, they are facing difficulty implementing the mitigation strategies.

In the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, the members showed their concern for climate change and said, "Its adverse impacts undermine the ability of all countries to achieve sustainable development." Climate change is not just a challenge for individual countries, but it is a global problem. To counter this problem, mitigation on a global, country-based, local, and individual level is needed. Sustainability is no doubt a global concept, but if its principles are not applied to an indivisible level, they will fail in their mission to create a sustainable environment and this decision is totally in the hands of dwellers of this planet on a personal scale. Small steps towards mitigation of climate change on an individual level can have global effects like planting a tree. Plantation of trees will not only give oxygen but consume carbon dioxide, which are a hazardous gas and a great contributor to climate change.

Citizens should take informed decision about whatever they purchase. Live hood of most of the people is now linked with markets and shops in one way or another. People never notice how their small acts can affect climate, like with every shopping there comes the plastic bags. Plastics are made from fossil fuel in one of the cycles of its life. It is one of the causes of greenhouse emissions. It has discovered its direction basically all over - on roads, in waterways, on the seashore, even in our dress. Furthermore, there's additionally a nearby association between environmental change and our enormous worldwide plastic issue. Despite many alternatives to plastic, the steps are not considered in an effective manner. If a person decides to make a specific nonplastic bag for shopping purposes, only this can reduce the amount of plastic waste that is added every single time a person is shopping. It is not just the case with plastic bags; everything today is somehow contributing to climate change. This strategy can be applied to clothes as well. Instead of buying a lot of cloth and expensive ones one can buy cheap clothes consequently can save money which is the main concept behind sustainable life. And one should involve in sharing culture and economy for a better future. Every time an email is typed, or a message sent, a person is contributing to climate change with their digital footprints. So, taking a wise decision in daily households can be our contribution as an individual to reduce climate change.

A person lives in a community, and one should act as a role model for others to follow. As a person's life is affected by community intervention, so is the growth of the community by actions of an individual participant. Research in California found that the presence of solar panels in a person's house intrigued the neighbours to install them as well (Flannery). Solar panels are a renewable source of energy and less harmful than other energy resources. One should contemplate on their daily habits, whether they are environmentally friendly are not. Small habits, like turning off light when leaving a room, less use of deodorants, and using eco-friendly products, can make a large difference. Every decision small or large should be made with calculations and precision because it's better to be a positive contributor to society than to remain neutral. Besides this, Restriction on the utilization of petroleum derivatives can be another decision on a personal scale that can have large effects, for example, oil, carbon, and flammable gas, and supplanting them with renewable and cleaner wellsprings of energy, all while expanding energy proficiency. Going car-free was the most effective action a person can take as a friend of climate change. Cars emit more greenhouse gases than other means of transport like bicycling and public transport.

On a global scale, the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) and many other organizations are making policies. Co-author of mitigation chapter on IPCC report said, "We should choose more efficient vehicles and, whenever possible, switch directly to electric vehicles". On a global scale mitigation to counter climate change is being taken, and it is the responsibility of citizens of this planet to give their best input they can. Besides being a role model for the community, a person should be active in social events and to make his voice heard. Many people are unaware of the consequence climate change can bring with it. This generation is more equipped with tools like social media where their voice can be heard by a large and global audience. Using the opportunity, one should inform people about the danger our generation, especially the future generation, is going to face. To do so, an individual should participate in political and social events so that his voice is heard by many. In short, a person should act as a role model to his surroundings and at the same time, be socially intact with the people.

This century has turned into a business world where everyone is in a race to sell their product, but it is upon buyers who they choose. The 100 largest companies in the world are responsible for more than seventy percent of the emissions (Riley). It is impossible to stop them as an individual; the customer has the privilege to buy or not buy what they are selling. The consumer can convey their message by encouraging or discouraging their products at an indivisible level. Careful and conscious consumption can give preference to companies that are supportive of environmental problems. It can be found out who is committed to environmental protection policies in the region and are ecofriendly. It is a relief to know that people are taking climate change seriously. An international survey by a grocery brand showed that thirty-three percent of people choose products that they believe were eco-friendly (Mortimer). While shopping at a grocery shop, one can look for a product that has been cultivated by carbon farming. Carbon farming is a type of agricultural farming where atmospheric carbon is sequestered into plants root which helps in the development of plants and their growth. This kind of farming not only reduces the use of fertilizers but reduces carbon content in the atmosphere. Many reports show concern of an individual for climate change a report recommends that the dominant part (73%) of consumers would change their utilization propensities to lessen their effect on the climate, and practically half (46%) would change to earth benevolent items (Prasad). Briefly, it can be said that the customer has the choice to encourage or discourage companies that serve them, so one should take an intelligent decision because it will predict the future of the business world. To the most extent, it is in the hands of individuals to make a real impact.

Compactly it can be said that wise decision-making as a customer about purchasing products and changing daily habits one can contribute as an individual to counter climate change. An individual can take baby steps like turning off lights, using fewer flights to travel, adding eco-friendly products in their diet, going car-free, and purchasing eco-friendly products to contribute to the mitigation of climate change. Besides this, an individual can act as a role model in their community to address the problem at hand and get socially active to influence people by their dedication towards climate change. Wisely deciding about the use of money as a customer is a step that can help discourage the companies that are associated with and intervening in the global phenomena. Without the change in thinking at the individual level, whole community cannot make a significant change in the society. Each individual needs to join their hands together to make our planet better for the generations to come.

Work Cited

Ahmed, Nesar, Shirley Thompson, and Marion Glaser. "Global aquaculture productivity, environmental sustainability, and climate change adaptability." Environmental management 63.2 (2019): 159-172.

Change, IPCC Climate. "Land: An IPCC Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. 2019." The approved Summary for Policymakers (SPM) was presented at a press conference. Vol. 8. 2019.

Flannery, Tim Fridtjof. The weather makers: How man is changing the climate and what it means for life on earth. Grove Press, 2006.

Mortimer, Gary. "Climate explained: are consumers willing to pay more for climate-friendly products?" The Conversation (2020).

Prasad, H. K. "The consumer perception towards Eco-Friendly products."

Riley, Tess. "Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions, study says." The Guardian 10 (2017): 2017.