A few days ago, at a professional meeting, I realized that even though global warming is becoming more and more common in our conversations, I was barely able to express its origin or its consequences. As a result, I decided to educate myself.

Albert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain something simply, you don’t understand it very well.” That is my goal today: to share with you, in a nutshell, what I have discovered about the environmental challenges we face. I also propose some easy but effective practices that you can start implementing today… an attempt to recognize the great web of interdependence that connects everyone and everything, and to care for living beings and the world in which we live.

1. What is the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect occurs when certain gases are released into the atmosphere. Like the glass walls of a greenhouse, these gases absorb energy from the sun, allowing light to pass through but retaining their heat near the earth’s surface. Their mass production is the cause of global warming.

The most dangerous and prevalent is carbon dioxide or CO2. The burning of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) has increased its presence in the atmosphere.

Other greenhouse gases include methane — CH4 —, nitrous oxide — N2O — and industrial gases. Methane is responsible for more than 25% of the increase in temperature on our planet and is produced mainly by livestock farming and waste.

2. What are the main consequences of global warming?

▪ The melting of the poles

▪ Rising sea levels

▪ Changes in ecosystems

▪ Mass migrations

▪ The extinction of species

It is expected that, if drastic and immediate reductions are not applied, the changes will be irreversible, generating unprecedented meteorological phenomena such as droughts, catastrophic floods, and fires…

Another consequence of the increase in temperature on our planet affects, above all, biodiversity and ecosystems. The devastation of marine corals due to the warming of the oceans has caused thousands of species to become extinct and others to be forced to migrate.

The forecast is for a reorganization of the ecosystem that will leave millions of refugees homeless. It is estimated that by 2050, one in seven Bangladeshis will be displaced: that is, 13.3 million people. At the same time, droughts will have a devastating effect on the economy, creating an increase in poverty and greater social imbalance.

 In addition, phenomena such as ecological anxiety or feelings of guilt and shame about our way of consumption and its consequences on future generations are beginning to have a profound impact on our mental health.

3. A conscious look at the reality of our planet

Global warming not only threatens the wonderful opportunity that this precious human life offers us to continue developing the Dharma… Its environmental effect plants us a basic concern: how our attachment to excessive consumption is massively destroying the rich ecosystem that we inhabit.

On 12, 2024, world leaders at the United Nations signed the Paris Agreement to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the latest report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), global temperatures are likely to reach record levels in the next five years, exceeding the limit established in the agreement of 1.5˚C.

It is therefore time to reduce these emissions. One of the first steps to take is to become aware of how each of us, through our consumption habits, leaves a carbon footprint — an environmental indicator used to quantify the impact of an individual, organization, community, event, activity, or product on climate change — on the world. This footprint is capable of generating an unprecedented cost in the lives of millions of species, as well as in future generations of human beings.

4. How to take action?

One of the reasons we avoid taking action is because we don’t know what to do. Another is because we delegate responsibility to governments or we don’t believe we can reverse the consequences of climate change. We think it’s too late or that our impact will be minimal.

These thoughts have the potential to create hopelessness in us and prevent us from taking action and developing enthusiasm. However, the reality is that in our daily lives, we can carry out many actions that have a great impact on the ecosystem, actions that can not only reduce our carbon footprint and other greenhouse gases but can also help us improve our self-esteem and discover a conscious way of perceiving and relating to the world around us.

5. 13 easy and responsible practices to reduce your carbon footprint

1) Use sustainable transport. Living without a car can reduce your carbon footprint by up to the equivalent of 2 tonnes of CO2 per year. Walk or cycle whenever you can. For long distances, try to travel by train or carpool instead of by plane.

2) Contribute to the circular economy. Buy fewer things, buy second-hand, repair, and recycle. This contributes to extending the life cycle of products, establishing a model of conscious and responsible consumption, much less polluting and more efficient.

3) Choose a green energy plan. Did you know that you can choose to switch your home’s energy from oil, gas, or coal to renewable sources such as wind or solar energy? Call your energy provider now and support renewable energy.

4) Save energy. Something as simple as using LED light bulbs or energy-efficient appliances can greatly reduce your environmental impact.

5) Save water. You can significantly reduce water consumption by using low-consumption shower heads.

6) Switch to a vegetarian or PLANT-BASED diet. Replacing animal-derived foods with plant-based foods can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35%.

7) Choose local and seasonal produce. This way, you can avoid emissions from transport and refrigerating products in cold storage.

8) Consider whether the purchase is really necessary. If it is, choose products made from renewable and recycled materials, and avoid plastic consumption.

9) Reduce food waste. When food scraps rot in a landfill, bacteria break down the organic matter, producing methane. Planning your weekly menu or storing food properly can help the planet and your wallet, too.

10) Recycle. Do you know how to separate and where to deposit each waste correctly? Glass, paper, cardboard, packaging, organic matter, and even the rest of the waste… recycling them properly is an essential step towards sustainability.

11) Choose where to invest your money. Support companies committed to the responsible use of resources and the reduction of their emissions of gases and waste.

12) Contribute to environmental projects. This can also offset your carbon footprint. Global deforestation has been and is a major factor in increasing global warming. Planting a tree, for example, helps absorb between 150 and 3,500 kilograms of CO2 over its lifetime.

And finally…

13) Share this information with all those people willing to do things differently and collaborate with the environment.