Six ways to lower your carbon emissions quickly

Transport

Private transport is one of the world’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and in countries like the UK and the US, the transport sector – dominated by cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes – is now responsible for emitting more greenhouse gases than any other. 

If you have a car, simply cutting down on how much you use it can be a great first step to reducing your emissions. In many places, the majority of car journeys are only for relatively short distances, and walking or biking are great alternative which can also help keep you healthy. 

For longer journeys (and where it’s available), public transport tends to be a far lower carbon option than driving. (Read more about how we can cut down the carbon footprint of our daily commute.)

In the home

Some changes to your day-to-day activities at home make more difference than others. Heating homes is one of the main sources of emissions, especially in countries where the predominant source of heating is burning fossil fuels. In the EU, heating accounts for 63% of household energy consumption. In the UK, heating accounts for a third of emissions and in the US around half of homes are heated using gas. That needs to change drastically if we are to limit global warming. 

However, turning down your thermostat by just a degree or so can cut your heating bill by 10%, and reduce emissions. In hot climates, using a little less air conditioning in summer can also help with both costs and carbon. 

Another effective way to reduce your heating emissions is to install a heat pump, which, rather than burning fuel, concentrates heat energy already present in the air, ground or water, and pumps it through pipes. If the electricity is generated using renewables, heat pumps emit no carbon. (Read more about how to cut carbon out of your heating.)

Home cooling is another big contributor to climate change. Rising heat is increasing the demand for air conditioning worldwide and by 2050, the number of AC units is expected to more than triple worldwide. These units contain refrigerants that are potent greenhouse gases and use huge amounts of electricity. But there are more sustainable alternatives. From ancient building design, such as jaali architecture in India, to green roofs, planting trees or in some cases simply closing curtains in hot weather, there are many ways to keep buildings cool without contributing to global warming.  

Other changes like using cold water to wash your clothes and air-drying them rather than using a tumble dryer can also save carbon in your home – nearly 0.5 tonnes CO2e per year. 

Finance

It might not be the most obvious way of reducing your carbon footprint, but how you save, invest and give away your money can make a big difference for climate change. 

Many banks are well-documented financiers of the climate crisis, providing trillions of dollars to fossil fuel extraction. The money you put in the bank doesn’t directly go to this (as typically consumer banking arms of banks are separated from their investment arms) experts and campaigners argue where you put your money can still make a difference to their social licence. There are a rising number of alternative banks marketing themselves as ethical and funders of solutions, while alternatives to banks, such as credit unions or building societies, are also often less likely to be funding fossil fuels due to the way they invest. (Read more about why your banking habits matter for the climate.)