Global Warming Facts release top tips to fight climate change

• Apr. 26 by Joseph Chapman (0)

Environmental website Global Warming Facts have published the top 50 tips that should be followed on everyday to help fight global warming.

The list is supposed to show that anyone can make a difference at little or no cost initially, and can actually save not only your own money but also the future of the planet.

The Birmingham public’s reaction to this list has been not wholly positive, with a reluctance to follow the tips, stating that they are not as simple as they are made out to be. On being asked, some have said that the “little cost and effort” is not so little.

Here are the top ten tips from the list:

1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
   CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
2. Install a programmable thermostat
   Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save £55 a year on your energy bill.
3. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
   Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.
4. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
   Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
   Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most energy efficient products available.
6. Do not leave appliances on standby
   Use the “on/off” function on the machine itself. A TV set that’s switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.
7. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
   You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.
8. Move your fridge and freezer
   Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.
9. Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly
   Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.
10. Don’t let heat escape from your house over a long period
    When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.

The list, supported by renowned environmental journalist  Stephen Leahy, has been released after NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies revealed that Average temperatures have climbed 0.8 degree celsius around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades.

On asking residents of Edgbaston their reactions to these tips, there was mostly confusion over conflicting advice and scepticism over the easiness of the task.

Sophie Bold, 20, said, “I never turn off my television completely, I didn’t realise how much energy it actually uses, when I can just turn it off as I walk past.”

Lisa Meller, 22, said, “I’m always fiddling with the thermostat. Whatever the season, I’ve got it on so that its toasty in my room. I don’t think I would bother turning it down though, to be honest. If I’m paying for my heating, I want to be warm. Plus the inconvenience of defrosting my freezer constantly and upgrading my appliances is really annoying.”

Oliver Baker, 21, said, “I don’t see the point in these lists. Most of us know what we need to do, but the advice just keeps changing. It still seems pretty expensive to me, having to buy a new thermostat and change all the bulbs. I think the transition is going to take a long time. It’s going to be hard to get used to, no matter how easy they make it sound.”

The full list can be found here, with further reactions to the list available here and here.