2024 is another record breakingly hot year. On the 22nd July 2024, the Earth experienced it’s hottest day on record with an average temperature of 17.16°C.
15 new record temperatures have been set in locations across the world, including 52°C in Mexico and 50.9°C in Egypt.

It can be hard to imagine the record breaking heat and extreme weather raging elsewhere in the world. But as we saw in 2022, 40°C+ summer days can happen here too, and could quickly become the norm as our planet warms.

Instead of burying our heads in the sand, or letting feelings of hopelessness overwhelm us – the best thing we can all do is to take action. If you’re asking, ‘How can I fight climate change?’, here are some ideas.

Save electricity & gas at home

Eco friendly living

We don’t just need more of our energy to come from renewable sources, we need to use less of it in the first place. View our articles and advice about simple ways to start making savings – from insulating your home, to using less energy at peak times to getting a smart meter.

Switching to 100% renewable electricity is a great way to cut the carbon from the energy you continue to use.

Get involved in local environmental initiatives

Look up your local council’s climate action plan. Support measures that will help people be more sustainable, such as affordable, accessible public transport and safe walking and cycling routes. 

If you want to be more directly involved, find local climate groups to volunteer with, or join things like community gardens and wildlife projects.

Travel in a greener way

Think about how often you take flights, and for what reasons. If they’re for work meetings or conferences, can any be held digitally instead?

Can you swap international city breaks for exploring in the UK, or by rail? With the wealthiest 10% of the world’s population being responsible for more than 50% of all carbon emissions since 1990, we need to make sure we appreciate the resources we use – and use them wisely.

Cycling to work

Likewise for journeys closer to home – could you go by foot, bike or bus? If you need a car, can you car share on your commute? Are you able to switch to an electric car?

Eat a planet friendly diet

The answer isn’t quite as simple as ‘everyone should go vegan’. Lots of factors affect how sustainable a diet is for you and the planet, including farming practices, the availability and affordability of fresh fruit and vegetables, how far produce needs to travel to get to your plate, and the suitability of land for different uses.

But generally, people in countries like the UK need to reduce how much meat and dairy they eat to cut their diet-related carbon emissions.

Make your workplace more sustainable

Good Energy Office Globe

You could join (or set up) an employee climate action group to share ideas with likeminded people. If you have any influence over workplace policies, think about what you could do to make things more sustainable in your workplace.

Take at look at Good Energy’s sustainability page to see some of the changes we’ve made to cut our own carbon emissions.

Support organisations standing up for the planet

We can make a bigger difference when we work together. Recently, Friends of the Earth took Rishi Sunak’s government to court over its inadequate climate action plan – and won. This meant the government was legally required to re-write their plan to reduce carbon emissions.

Friends of the Earth could not have achieved this without the fundraising and support from their community, which shows that supporting causes you believe in really can make a difference.

Generate renewable electricity

One way to directly reduce how much electricity you need to draw from the national grid is to install your own generation technology at home.

Getting solar panels will make your home more self-sufficient and reduce your bills in the short and the long term.

Find out how much you could save in one year from going solar.

Explore greener job options

This isn’t a quick fix, but think about the impact your place of work has on the world. If you’re not satisfied and you’re fortunate to be able to look for new work, explore roles at companies that match your values.

We all have the power to make a difference. If you want to receive more climate news stories and articles about green energy and climate solutions, please sign up to our monthly newsletter.

Coping with climate anxiety

News about extreme weather events can prompt stronger feelings of eco anxiety for many people. Hear from psychotherapist Caroline Hickman on the impact climate change is having on mental health and how to build your own resilience.