We can do something about climate change.

Learning about climate change can lead to feelings of astonishment, curiosity, concern, and anger, and all of these can motivate us to look for solutions.

 
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There’s no such thing as a free megawatt

All ways of producing energy on a large scale cause environmental harm. But some sources of energy are less harmful than others.

We need energy for electricity, transportation, heating and cooling, and industries. Burning fossil fuels for energy releases lots of greenhouse gases, which are warming our planet and changing the climate. When it comes to climate change, we need to use less energy and move away from burning fossil fuels.

 

Explore this map to see where your electricity comes from.

Does your electricity source emit a lot of CO₂ or a little?

The bigger the circle, the more electricity production or CO₂ emissions. Click on a circle to see data from a specific power plant.


Solutions

 
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Can the actions of one person really make a difference? They might, but that’s not certain. What is certain is that nothing will change unless we act!

U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik

 

Individual actions are important, but we need community and global actions, too.

We already have technologies and processes to make a difference for communities, and we can continue to innovate!

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Every person can take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Your house or apartment is a great place to start. In each room we can make choices that reduce emissions. Some choices have a big impact, some small. Some cost money, but others are absolutely free, and some save money!

Every action that we take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions makes the problem a little bit smaller and a little easier to solve.

 

How big is your impact?

Make a choice for each room below. Your choices add up, and a lower score (lower CO₂ emissions) is better.
(Emissions are expressed in CO₂eq, a measure of the relative warming of various greenhouse gases compared to CO₂.)

Attic: Where does your electricity come from?

Is your electricity generated by burning fossil fuels, or does it come from renewable sources? Initiatives like Community Solar allow anyone to connect to carbon-free electricity, usually at lower cost than conventional electricity.

Electricity is produced in different ways, at different times in different locations. The numbers here are approximations for Central New York.



Laundry: Do you tumble dry or line dry your clothes?

Home appliances that create heat use a lot of energy. Clothes dryers typically produce 3.6 pounds of CO2 per load. How many times do you run your dryer each year? When you line dry your clothes instead of tumble dry, doing your laundry is cheaper and climate-friendly.



Living Room: How is your home heated?

Do you have an oil or gas furnace, or do you use a ground-source heat pump? Ground-source heat pumps both heat and cool using only 25% of the energy of conventional systems.

These numbers assume using electricity produced with fossil fuels to run the heat pump. If you use solar or wind-generated electricity, the emissions go way down.



Bedroom: How do you adjust your thermostat in winter?

Turning up the thermostat just a few degrees can use a lot of energy and money. Turn your thermostat down at night—the lower you go, the more you save.

Heating a home with a high-efficiency gas furnace produces 4.9 tons of CO₂eq per year. Turning down the temperature in winter can reduce this.



Kitchen: What do you eat?

A third of all food emissions in the U.S. come from red meat and dairy products. In contrast, chicken and vegetables have up to ten times less impact per serving. Small diet switches can make a big difference, and veggies are healthy and less expensive than meat.

These numbers are for a household of four people.



Kitchen: Do you recycle your waste?

Aluminum is one of the most energy-intensive materials to manufacture. Recycling aluminum containers and packaging saves 96% of the energy required to make the products from raw materials.



Garage: What kind of vehicle does your family drive?

A car or truck that burns gasoline is much less climate-friendly than an electric vehicle or a hybrid-electric that runs on both gas and battery power. Instead of driving, could you take public transportation? Or does your community have a bike-share program? There are lots of climate-friendly ways to get around.

These numbers assume NY State electricity sources for charging the electric car. Other places will have a different result, depending on how electricity is produced.


Your Impact: 0 tons CO₂eq/year

In comparison, your total would be:

8.65 tons CO₂eq/year if you chose all the lowest values;

23.21 tons CO₂eq/year if you chose all the highest values.


Are your choices closer to lower or higher emissions?
What one thing could you commit to doing differently?


Learn more about taking local climate action on our FAQ page “Where can I find local climate action information and resources?”

 

Dig deeper into climate change and energy on the Learn More page of this exhibit.

Image credits: on Learn More page