CO2 in the atmosphere just exceeded 415ppm for the first time in human history
This might be off topic but I just don&#x27;t know what else to do. I don&#x27;t understand why we&#x27;re not in full-on panic mode yet. It makes me scared. Really scared. As in I&#x27;ve never been so scared in my life.<p>We knew about climate change for decades. Scientists keep producing report after report after report. Every one grimmer then the preceding. Yet the global GHG emissions just keep going up. Governments and politicians have failed to act. I am tired of waiting for systemic change. I am tired of waiting for technological breakthrough.<p>While we should keep fighting for systemic change, I begin to believe individual action is paramount and a prerequisite for any broader change to take place. The time for signing petitions is over. It&#x27;s time to act. There are no low-hanging fruits here. There will be no silver bullet. There will be lots and lots of tweaks across the board.<p>People don&#x27;t like being told what to do. I get that. But I am not a politician telling you what to do. I am your peer crying for help. Please do something. Please don&#x27;t say &quot;most people&quot; wan&#x27;t sacrifice this or that. I am not talking to most people. I am addressing you, the HN crowd.<p>So what an honorable member of the HN community can do<p>- Stop flying to conferences. Go to a local meetup. It&#x27;s fun. And cheaper. If you really need to get out of town, take a train. Don&#x27;t think about it as not flying for the rest of your life. Rather, can we declare a moratorium on conferences for like three years? Let&#x27;s hope by then Prometheus will give us carbon-neutral jet fuel
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19842240" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19842240</a><p>- Shift your investments from fossil to green. If you can&#x27;t find enough worthy greens, shift it to anything else. Some say it won&#x27;t impact your returns
<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.lse.ac.uk&#x2F;GranthamInstitute&#x2F;news&#x2F;the-mythical-peril-of-divesting-from-fossil-fuels&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.lse.ac.uk&#x2F;GranthamInstitute&#x2F;news&#x2F;the-mythical-per...</a>
Move your deposits and savings to a more sustainable bank. This might be one of the most underappreciated yet simple and powerful tools
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;fairfinanceguide.org" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;fairfinanceguide.org</a><p>- Work less. Work part time, and part of that part time remotely. Reduce your commute. If your boss won&#x27;t let you, find a job that will. In the current job market you can negotiate almost anything, and remote work must be the easiest thing to negotiate. 
<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;cepr.net&#x2F;documents&#x2F;publications&#x2F;climate-change-workshare-2013-02.pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;cepr.net&#x2F;documents&#x2F;publications&#x2F;climate-change-worksh...</a>
A firm lets its employees work four days a week while being paid for five. Everyone is happy, lower electricity bills, fewer cars on the road
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2018&#x2F;07&#x2F;19&#x2F;world&#x2F;asia&#x2F;four-day-workweek-new-zealand.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2018&#x2F;07&#x2F;19&#x2F;world&#x2F;asia&#x2F;four-day-workw...</a><p>- I noticed that this one is quite controversial but I&#x27;ll mention it anyway. Reduce your meat consumption as much as you can. It&#x27;s fine to not go fully vegan, but make meat a special treat, something you are looking forward to, not an everyday snack. They say these new vega burgers are not too bad.
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;interactive&#x2F;2019&#x2F;04&#x2F;30&#x2F;dining&#x2F;climate-change-food-eating-habits.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;interactive&#x2F;2019&#x2F;04&#x2F;30&#x2F;dining&#x2F;climat...</a><p>Apparently it takes 3.5% of the population to take an active stance to cause a change (<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?time_continue=1&amp;v=YJSehRlU34w" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?time_continue=1&amp;v=YJSehRlU34w</a>). I don&#x27;t know how true it is or if it applies in all circumstances. But I want to believe it&#x27;s true. That&#x27;s what makes me tick.