Take Action on the Climate Crisis
The climate crisis is already affecting communities around the world. Rising temperatures, longer heat waves, changing rainfall patterns, wildfires, and stronger storms are putting people and ecosystems under growing pressure. The challenge is significant, but meaningful action is possible—and it works best when individuals, communities, businesses, and governments move forward together.
Start with What You Can Control
Everyday choices can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build healthier communities. Consider walking, biking, carpooling, or taking public transportation when practical. Use less energy at home by improving insulation, choosing efficient appliances, and turning off equipment when it is not in use. When available and affordable, renewable electricity and electric vehicles can further reduce emissions.
Food choices matter, too. Reducing food waste, planning meals, and choosing more plant-based foods can lower the climate impact of what we eat. These changes do not have to happen all at once. Pick one or two actions that fit your life, then build from there.
Make Your Community More Resilient
Climate action is not only about reducing emissions. It also means preparing for the effects that are already underway. Communities can protect residents by expanding shade and green spaces, improving stormwater systems, preparing for extreme heat, and strengthening emergency plans. Supporting local conservation and restoration efforts can help protect forests, wetlands, rivers, and other natural areas that store carbon and support wildlife.
Get involved with neighborhood groups, schools, local nonprofits, or community preparedness programs. Ask what your community is doing to reduce climate risks—and how residents can help shape those plans.
Use Your Voice
Individual habits are valuable, but large-scale progress also depends on decisions made by institutions and elected officials. Contact local, state, and federal representatives to share your priorities. Support policies that reduce pollution, expand clean energy, improve public transportation, protect natural landscapes, and help communities adapt to climate impacts.
You can also encourage your workplace, school, faith community, or other organizations to set clear climate goals and report on their progress. Collective action can influence the systems that shape energy, transportation, housing, and food.
Choose Reliable Information and Keep Going
Climate information can feel overwhelming, and misleading claims can make it harder to know where to start. Look for evidence-based information from trusted scientific and public institutions. Focus on practical solutions, ask questions, and share useful resources with others.
No single person can solve the climate crisis alone. But millions of people taking informed action—and working together—can help accelerate change. Start where you are, support efforts that address the causes and consequences of climate change, and keep showing up. A safer, healthier future is built through steady action today.
8 Practical Ways to Take Action on the Climate Crisis
- Walk, bike, or take public transit when possible.
- Choose renewable electricity for your home.
- Use less energy by adjusting your thermostat.
- Eat more plant-based meals.
- Reduce food waste and compost scraps.
- Buy fewer items and reuse what you have.
- Support climate-smart policies and leaders.
- Talk with friends and neighbors about climate action.
Walk, bike, or take public transit when possible.
When possible, choose walking, biking, or public transit instead of driving alone. These options can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution while supporting healthier, more connected communities. Even replacing a few car trips each week can help—start with routes that are convenient and safe, and choose the option that works best for each trip.
Choose renewable electricity for your home.
Choosing renewable electricity for your home is a practical way to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with everyday energy use. Check whether your utility offers a renewable energy plan, or look into community solar or rooftop solar if those options are available and affordable. Compare rates, contract terms, and the source of the electricity before signing up. Even a small switch can support cleaner energy and help grow demand for renewable power in your community.
Use less energy by adjusting your thermostat.
Adjusting your thermostat is a simple way to use less energy and reduce your home’s climate impact. Set it a little lower in winter and higher in summer, and adjust it when you’re asleep or away. A programmable or smart thermostat can make these changes automatically, helping you save energy without sacrificing comfort.
Eat more plant-based meals.
Eating more plant-based meals is a practical way to reduce your food-related climate impact. Try swapping meat for beans, lentils, tofu, or vegetables in a few meals each week, and choose recipes you genuinely enjoy. Small, sustainable changes can add up—and they can also bring more variety to your plate.
Reduce food waste and compost scraps.
Reducing food waste is a simple way to lower your climate impact. Plan meals, store food properly, and use leftovers before they spoil. When fruit and vegetable scraps or other compostable materials can’t be eaten, compost them at home or through a local program instead of sending them to a landfill, where they can produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Small changes in how you shop, cook, and dispose of food can add up over time.
Buy fewer items and reuse what you have.
Buying fewer items and reusing what you already have can help reduce the energy, raw materials, and transportation emissions associated with making and shipping new products. Before buying something, consider whether you truly need it, and look for durable, repairable, or secondhand options when a purchase is necessary. Care for your belongings, mend them when possible, and share or donate items you no longer use. Small choices like these can cut waste and make everyday consumption more climate-friendly.
Support climate-smart policies and leaders.
Support climate-smart policies and leaders by learning where candidates and elected officials stand on reducing emissions, expanding clean energy, protecting natural areas, and preparing communities for climate impacts. Vote with these priorities in mind, contact representatives to share your views, and take part in local public meetings. You can also support organizations working for practical climate solutions. Consistent community involvement helps encourage policies that protect people and the planet.
Talk with friends and neighbors about climate action.
Talking with friends and neighbors about climate action can turn concern into practical, shared progress. Start with an open conversation about local issues—such as extreme heat, wildfire smoke, or rising energy costs—and listen to what matters to others. Share useful, reliable information and discuss simple steps you can take together, like organizing a neighborhood cleanup, planting shade trees, reducing household energy use, or contacting local officials. Respectful conversations can build connection, inspire action, and help create a stronger, more climate-resilient community.