Contact Call | Volume 11 Number 3 | September 2022
Do you sometimes feel helpless when it comes to climate change? And don’t know what you can do? Here are some things you could do right now to reduce carbon emissions and live a more planet friendly lifestyle.
Eat for a sustainable planet (eat more plant-based meals, buy organic and local whenever possible, don’t waste food and/or grow your own).
Reduce your energy use (unplug appliances when no one is currently using, invest in low energy use appliances and light bulbs, use appliances only when you need to). It will reduce your bills too!
Leave the car at home (consider sharing a car/using public transport, or ride a bike, or walk, or get a more energy efficient vehicle).
Cut back on flying and/or offset your emissions.
Respect and protect green spaces. Get involved with the Green Space Our Place Program (see Cairns Regional Council website for details) to improve Cairns community green spaces.
Invest your money responsibly.
Consume less, waste less, recycle and reuse, and enjoy life in the outdoors.
You can also become more politically active and urge the government to be bold and ambitious on climate action.
The Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) have a climate action campaign that allows locals to do something positive to make real change. Go to https://cafnec.org.au/climate/ to find out more.
David Suzuki suggests helping raise climate ambition by painting your town with climate art https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/top-10-ways-can-stop-climate-change/
Finally, it is worth noting that the Australian Psychological Society states ‘Sometimes climate change seems too big a problem for any one person to tackle. This is one of the big psychological barriers that hinders action on climate change. But in fact we all can do something, and these contributions all add up’.
See their climate action guide for more ideas about what you can do. It’s called 101 Things you can do to help address climate change. The guide also acknowledges that climate change can cause painful feelings such as anger, fear, and despair and provides good advice on how to look after yourself. Check out the guide. It’s excellent.
If this article upsets you or you need to talk to someone about anxiety or depression related to climate change or anything else, don’t hesitate to call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or check out their website for other ways to reach out and communicate https://www.beyondblue.org.au. Alternatively call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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