What can we do about climate change?

This post was written by Pip Roddis, Policy Officer in RSPB's Sustainable Development Team. 

This was the question I found myself being asked the most at the climate change stand at last weekend's annual RSPB Members' Weekend in York. 

It's a good question. Faced with such an all-encompassing and frightening problem, it's very easy to feel overwhelmed and like there is nothing we can do to help. But I was heartened by how many RSPB members came to the stand, genuinely interested in what we can all do to help tackle this complex issue.

Luckily, we had prepared some handy tips in advance! Covering things to do in your garden, your home, your community and 'the big stuff' (such as talking to your political representatives), we've come up with 12 practical suggestions of what you can do to about climate change:

Of all of these, I personally think that number 10 is probably the most important. We all need to be involved in the conversation about climate change, and we can change how others think and act by sharing what we know.

On the Sunday morning of Members' Weekend, we had just this kind of conversation with RSPB members who came along to our workshop: 'Is it me, or is it getting hot in here?' We talked about how climate change affects the different areas of the RSPB's work, what the RSPB is doing about it (such as our recently erected wind turbine at our headquarters at The Lodge), and what members can do to help.

One of the key topics of conversation was the impact that climate change is having on some of our most treasured bird species, such as kittiwakes, puffins and bitterns. Our latest report on climate change shows that impacts on birds and other wildlife in the UK are already starting to occur, and research involving RSPB scientists published last week shows that similar impacts are affecting species in the United States and across Europe. While there may be some benefits to UK wildlife in the short term, and exciting new species such as black-winged stilts and great white egrets are starting to arrive in the UK, in the long term climate change will have serious negative impacts, meaning that we need to act now to limit impacts on nature and people alike.

Another key topic of the workshop was energy. Changing our energy systems is crucial to solving the problem of climate change, and later this year we will be publishing a report on how the UK can transition to renewable energy and meet its 2050 climate targets in harmony with nature. This is a big challenge, but one that we think can be achieved. Look out for more on this soon.

By talking about the problems that climate change presents, we can start moving towards solutions. So speak to friends, family, partners, colleagues – anyone who'll listen – about what they can do to be part of the fight. It's one that it's vital that we win.