Fly less? Go vegan? How people can take climate action

While the most important 'shift' you can make is to adopt a plant-based diet, becoming a vegetarian or even vegan would have less of an emissions impact than cutting out one long-haul flight a year. Photo: AFP

Individuals along with economy-wide efficiencies can make a major difference in the drive to avert the worst of global warming, UN climate experts say, estimating that sharp cuts to demand for energy-guzzling services could slash emissions up to 70% by 2050.

Avoiding airplanes, eating less meat, insulating your home could all make a dent, particularly when broad swathes of societies embrace change, says the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.