Q&A for How to Take Action to Reduce Global Warming

Do your best to gather as much information as you can about climate change and its impacts. The more educated you are on the topic, the better you will be able to help others understand why it's important. Sometimes it can help to talk to people about climate change on a scale they can understand. For example, if someone lives in a coastal community, you can explain that climate change is causing sea levels to rise, which has already impacted many coastal communities and the severity of this impact will only increase as time goes on.

Coordinate with the person or group of people who manage the initiative. Ask them how you can contribute and expand their reach. It could be as simple as starting an initiative in your own household or community.

Well, cow farts (and burps!) are made of methane gas, and methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Methane is the second biggest contributor to global warming (after CO2), so it's a pretty big problem. Cows aren't the only producers of methane out there, of course, but they're responsible for more than you think. Scientists estimate that a single cow burps and farts between 160 to 320 liters of methane on a daily basis!

All you can do is continue the fight. Every little bit counts, so don't give up!

Grow more plants by starting a community garden. Take short showers. Don't litter, recycle and throw away. Read widely on caring for the Earth and the impact of human activities on the Earth -- it is a complex subject that cannot be answered simply through a few one-line answers. You need to think deeply and widely about the things you do and the consequences of your actions.

Showers help the environment more because they save a lot of water. If you take too long in the shower and you are wasting a lot of water, consider getting a shower timer.

Turn off your lights when not in use, don't waste water, unplug appliances when not in use, and in the summer turn off your heater.

These are days declared by your local government to warn residents about potentially dangerous environmental conditions.

Follow the instructions listed in the article above.

Step 3 is important. Recycle and reuse what you can like paper, cans, plastic or even make something new.

Perhaps they are uneducated about this. Educate them, and maybe they will not do it again.

Educating others about climate change (as it's not just warming effects but a whole range of climatic changes like increased rain in some areas, drought in others, warming ocean, etc.) is an important way to cut through the denial and misinformation that is out there. Talk to your teacher or the principal and ask if you can create a club about it. In the club you could plant trees, do bike-to-school days, and help plan other activities you can do as a group that will show, rather than tell what people can do to make a big difference. Sometimes the biggest impacts come from helping people see what they can do rather than constantly being told without real life examples.

We don't have a lot of time. The sea level will rise around 8 feet from now to 2034. By 2050, Amsterdam may be lost. The Arctic region is thawing rapidly and is likely to be ice free as early as 2044. By 2070, Darwin Australia will have 270 days over 35ºC every year, which is a massive change from the 4 to 5 days a year of such temperatures it experienced a century ago. Remember, it is called climate change rather than just global warming because even though there is clear warming going on, the localized climatic changes will include more snow and rain in some areas, more intense storms wherever storms already occur and there will be more flooding, fires, hailstorms and the like across the planet than human beings have ever known before. Most concerning is that the scientists have been conservative with their estimates; changes are speeding up and happening faster than their predictions even.

Climate change is a global issue. Taking action within your own country will also reduce climate change in other countries; climate change cannot be prevented unless all countries take action towards it. As far as affecting the actions of other countries goes, all you can do (unless you are a high-ranking politician - in which case, consult a policy analyst rather than WikiHow!) is raise awareness, and encourage people online to take action in their own countries and contact their own governments.

The Global Volcanism Program, an international research team studying volcanoes, have found no evidence that volcanic activity is on the rise. Rather, they have found that increased reportage of volcanic activity is the result of population increases, modern media, and the fact that humanity was distracted by two World Wars in the first half of the 1900s; other, more scientifically accurate ways of measuring volcanic activity show no increase. Additionally, while increased volcanic activity would cause climate change, the climate has changed many times faster since 1800 than volcanic activity alone could account for.