The problem of global warming has become more apparent than ever. With massive chunks of Antarctic ice breaking off at an unprecedented rate, one cannot help but think that the global temperature is indeed rising and that it is already affecting our habitat to a grave degree. The urgency to allay – or, to be more specific, halt – the continued rise of the Earth’s temperature has become a pressing concern for everyone in the planet.

As individuals, we may be inclined to think that this is a task best left to decision makers. However, small efforts done in a concerted manner can bring about great positive effects which may help us save the planet from total inhabitability before we realize that it’s already too late.

Here are some initiatives that we can do as regular people to help prevent global warming:

1.    Recycle – Recycling paper ensures that lesser trees are cut. More trees translate to more CO2 absorption which translates to lower levels of greenhouse gases. These gases are the biggest reasons why the Earth is warming up so fast, since these gases prevent the heat from our planet to escape into space. In the office, using less paper or no paper at all can also help in preventing global warming by ensuring that the need to cut trees to produce paper is minimized.

2.    Drive less - Using public transport lessens the vehicle-to-people ratio even more, resulting in less volume of greenhouse gases emitted per person. When doing meetings, try to set it up over an internet or teleconference connection so no one has to drive to the meeting venue

3.    Plant trees – As mentioned earlier, trees absorb CO2. A tree can absorb one ton of CO2 in its lifetime. Additionally, it releases oxygen as a byproduct of this absorption process, which means that more fresh air will be made available to you.

4.    Use energy efficient lighting and appliances – Not only can using incandescent bulbs be too costly for you because of the frequency of replacements, but these old-fashioned lighting systems can contribute as much as 150 lbs. of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year. Replace old CRT computer monitors with LCD screens. Old appliances were designed without any regard for energy efficiency and as such they take too much energy, which creates a bigger power demand, which in turn compels power companies – most of which still run CO2-spewing coal-fired plants – to make more electricity and thus burn more coal.

5.    Increase awareness - One of the major problems in the fight against global warming is people’s ignorance of the problem. Most of them think that this involves only those people who need to make decisions for their respective areas. From simple efforts such as sharing these tips with your friends or conducting community workshops on the subject, helping people realize that there is a real problem will greatly help in making sure that the above suggestions will be carried out by a lot more people.