Experts at the University of Toronto are giving advice on how the average person can help slow down climate change.
More than 15,000 people rallied through downtown Toronto Friday as part of a global march against climate change.
To help keep the momentum going, two professors from the University of Toronto are offering advice to people wondering how they can continue to help.
Professors Bill Gough and Matthew Hoffmann, both experts in environmental sciences, shared their tips on the university’s website.
Here’s what they had to say:
Bill Gough (left) and Matthew Hoffmann are both professors at the University of Toronto. (Supplied by Ken Jones)
Voting
The most important thing a person can do is to make sure everything they are doing around climate change is socially visible, Hoffmann said.
So actions like voting or putting up signs on your yard that prove your support for renewable energy are important, he said.
“If you’re going to not fly, tell people,” he said in the online post. “Individual actions that are not visible don’t contribute to the social momentum around climate action.”
Carbon footprint
Everybody has a carbon footprint, but not too many people pay attention to it.
Gough said it’s very important that people pay more attention to how they use greenhouse gases in their lives.
People need to think about the way they use transit, the way they fly and the way they cool and heat their homes and buildings, he said.
Adapting
Hoffman said adapting is key to slowing down climate change.
“Adapting to it means not just adapting to the impacts of climate change, it means adapting to what it takes to generate a low-carbon future,” he said.
It’s really about taking the problem seriously, he said, and making an effort to make cities more livable.
Every person needs to think about the importance of walking and biking to school and work more often, he said, and getting involved in community planning.
