Gardening or buying vegetables from local farms is healthy for you and the planet.

Scientists and global political leaders will gather this week for the United Nations’ COP29 conference in Azerbaijan, where they will discuss how much money to give developing countries to deal with the effects of climate change. It’s a daunting task even for the most powerful governments on earth.

The fight to mitigate catastrophic natural disasters and stem biodiversity loss need not rest on governments alone — there are steps we can take on our own to live more sustainably and lower our carbon footprints.

COP29 will also examine ways AI can slow global warming and how global and local policies can future-proof infrastructure and make tourism more sustainable while encouraging governments to further invest in their renewable energy industries.

All of these efforts aim to strengthen the 2016 Paris Agreement. Now, more than eight years later, it’s clear that the best ways to reduce the effects of climate change include systematic and personal commitments to climate solutions.

Your carbon footprint is a measure of the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by a person, organization, product or service. The nonprofit Nature Conservancy offers a free carbon footprint calculator, as does the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Once you know your impact, you can begin to help.

Forbes energy contributor Anna Broughel, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, suggests that buying an electric vehicle is one way to........

© Forbes