Kate Griffin freelance journalism and editing

The current government promised to be the “greenest government ever”, but the UK’s carbon emissions are still too high, risking catastrophic climate change. However, many people don’t realise that 80% of emissions are as a result of local activity. We talk a lot about government action, but it’s time to bring the discussion closer to home.

Climate change is the biggest threat the world has ever faced, but that doesn't mean the individual is powerless. Kate Griffin lists five things you can do today to help slow down climate change.

1. Kick the EasyJet habit. Flying is a quick and cheap way of getting to your destination, but it's also one of the biggest causes of climate change. One flight to Spain produces more greenhouse gases than some people in the Third World will produce in a whole lifetime.

What is the climate anyway?

The Pocket Oxford Dictionary defines climate as the "prevailing weather conditions of an area". Basically, climate is the long-term weather tendencies in any given area - or in the world as a whole. It's not about the weather on any given day, it's about the average weather over a long period of time.

So what's climate change?

An eight-month investigation by Oxfordshire County Council has concluded that a rubbish-burning scheme is the best solution to the county's waste disposal problems, despite concern that this method of waste disposal will allow dioxins (which have been linked to cancer in humans and other animals) to enter the local food chain.