Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, and health professionals worldwide are already responding to the health harms caused by this unfolding crisis.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that to avert catastrophic health impacts and prevent millions of climate change-related deaths, the world must limit temperature rise to 1.5°C. Past emissions have already made a certain level of global temperature rise and other changes to the climate inevitable. Global heating of even 1.5°C is not considered safe, however; every additional tenth of a degree of warming will take a serious toll on people’s lives and health.

The aim is to cut down the amount of carbon dioxide released in the environment. If you even recycle half of the waste produced at home, you can save up to 2000 pounds of CO₂ every year.

Air pollution is one of the major factors that lead to an increase in greenhouse gases. Minimise the use of cars and make use of public transportation. Try walking, biking or carpooling whenever possible. If you reduce the driving hours, you will end up saving one pound of CO₂ for every mile.

Deforestation plays an important role in global warming and climatic changes. Planting trees is helpful as they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and regulate the climate. Hence, there is a dire need to plant more trees because a single tree can absorb one ton of CO₂ in its lifetime.

One of the most effective ways to prevent global warming is to start using renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal, wind and biomass, and stop using fossil fuels. Use renewable energy resources to supply power to your home.

By investing in energy-efficient devices such as bulbs, LED lights or solar-powered shower system, you can reduce the energy consumption and help in the production of clean energy. It is not only the cheapest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but it also reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere.

Do you know you can save 500 pounds of CO₂ per year if you switch to cold showers and stop using hot water to wash clothes? Try installing energy-efficient geysers that consume less energy.

Ensure turning off your electronic devices such as television, computer, stereo, music player when not in use. This can help in saving fuel that is used to generate electricity which in turn can reduce thousand tons of carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere.

Speak up about global warming, its consequences, causes and what steps we can take to prevent global warming with your friends, family and colleagues. Use the power of social media to voice out your concerns about climate change.

Make sure to turn off taps while brushing, go for shorter showers and do not waster water by cleaning your cars or bikes.

By following these easy tips, all of us can play a significant role in reducing carbon dioxide emission and preventing global warming, thus, preserving the planet for future generations.

As earlier mentioned in the overview, agricultural activities are one of the significant factors affecting deforestation. According to the FAO, agriculture leads to around 80% of deforestation.

Due to the overgrowing demand for food products, a huge amount of trees are felled to grow crops, and 33% of agriculture-caused deforestation is because of subsistence agriculture.

2. Livestock Ranching

Livestock is believed to be responsible for about 14% of global deforestation. Farmers often clear the land by cutting down trees and burning them to raise livestock and grow food. They continue to use the property until the soil is completely degraded and repeat the same process on new woodland. 
3. Illegal Logging

Apart from this, wood-based industries like paper, match-sticks, furniture, etc. also need a substantial amount of wood supply. Wood is used as fuel, both directly and indirectly.

Therefore trees are chopped for meeting the demand for supplies. Firewood and charcoal are examples of wood being used as fuel. Some of these industries thrive on illegal wood cutting and felling of trees.
4. Urbanization

Further, to gain access to these forests, the construction of roads is undertaken; here again, trees are chopped to build roads. Overpopulation too directly affects forest covers, as with the expansion of cities, more land is needed to establish housing and settlements. Therefore forest land is reclaimed.

5. Desertification of Land

Some of the other factors that lead to deforestation are also partly natural and partly anthropogenic, like desertification of land. It occurs due to land abuse, making it unfit for the growth of trees. Many industries in petrochemicals release their waste into rivers, which results in soil erosion and make it unfit to grow plants and trees.
6. Mining

Oil and coal mining requires a considerable amount of forest land. Apart from this, roads and highways have to be built to make way for trucks and other equipment. The waste that comes out from mining pollutes the environment and affects the nearby species.