There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than ever recorded in history. Currently, the leading cause of climate change is human activity. Though there are many contributing factors to climate change, transportation and electricity are the primary causes of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the process in which gases in the earth’s atmosphere trap the sun’s heat. Recently, COP26, or the United Nations climate change conference, was held to discuss solutions to slow Earth’s warming as well as cut greenhouse gas emissions.

As climate change quickly progresses, action must be taken. Personally, if I were to attend the recent climate change summit I would suggest a transition to solar or renewable energy. Energy use accounts for almost a third of current greenhouse gas emissions. Every day, we unconsciously harm the Earth by using things such as electricity and heat. With renew- able energy, we can produce energy as we normally would, except we are lessening our own carbon footprint.

Another leading cause of climate change is transportation. According to Yale University, “In 2018, there were 281.3 million vehicles registered in the U.S… Americans collectively drove more than three trillion miles in 2017.” It is obvious that we all use some form of transportation. I propose that we make a transition into using electric cars. It has been proven that electric cars are better for the environment by emitting lower greenhouse gas and reducing air pollution in comparison to typical gas vehicles by 62 percent.

Still, electric cars are not always realistic or even accessible to everyone. Electric cars could make a significant difference, but there are still many ways to significantly reduce your carbon footprint by being more conscious of how much you drive and the amount of fuel you burn. There are so many little changes we can make to our daily lives that could make a change, but if we can come together, we can make a difference.