http : / / billmoyers . com / 2014 / 05 / 16 / how - to - save - the - planet / PERSPECTIVESTen Ideas For How We Can Save the PlanetUpdated July 31 , 20141 KWhitelee Windfarm on the outskirts of Glasgow ( Photo : Danny Lawson / PA Wire ) Report after report tells us our planet is in trouble . Most recently , two teams of researchers concluded that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet ’ s gradual collapse due to global warming has become unstoppable ; as a result , sea levels will rise by feet , not inches , in the centuries to come . This is just one of the many frightening effects of climate change . Yet Americans remain unfazed . only 40 percent of us are concerned , a Gallup poll recently found . Twenty - five percent remain global warming skeptics . Legislative attempts at climate action are inevitably derailed , and political hopefuls increasingly play the science denial card to win support . So what can we do ? We reached out to a handful of scientists , policy experts , writers and activists to ask : “ If you could require America to do just one thing — any one thing — to combat climate change in 2014 , what would it be ? ” Here ’ s what they said : Change How We EatDr . Jane GoodallConservationistI want Americans — and others — to eat less meat . As more and more people worldwide eat more and more meat , vast areas of forest are cleared to grow grain to feed livestock . Ever - growing herds of cattle and goats destroy more areas of forest . Destruction of forests releases CO 2 from trees and forest soils — and leaves fewer forests worldwide to absorb atmospheric CO 2 . Large amounts of methane are released ( especially by cows in the form of farts and belches ) . Gallons of fossil fuels are used to transport and prepare feed , to transport livestock from factory farms to slaughter and meat to the market . Remember the Space RaceDavid SuzukiScientist and broadcasterFaced with the magnitude and seriousness of global warming , and the tremendous opportunities in addressing it , we need the kind of leadership America is known for . We need an all - out effort as great as or greater than the determination to pull ahead of the Soviet Union in the Space Race . The America that set me on my path would never deny the reality of a scientifically proven problem , or claim nothing can be done about it or that meeting the challenge will destroy the economy . By committing to seek solutions , we will reap benefits — expected and unexpected . It ’ s time to revive the American know - how and gung - ho enthusiasm that has long characterized this great nation . Do What You Uniquely Can DoWilliam D . NordhausSterling professor of economics , Cowles Foundation , Yale UniversityPeople ask , what can I do ? My answer is that people should address the threat of climate change in ways that best fit their personal interests and capabilities . Students can learn , and teachers can teach . Citizens can inform themselves . Engineers can develop low - carbon technologies . Politicians can confront the realities and speak the truth . Media can avoid meaningless balancing of good and bad arguments . As an economist , I can explain why carbon pricing ( such as through carbon taxes ) is the most effective mechanism to reduce emissions . There is much to do , for everyone . Take Action in Your CommunitiesAnnie LeonardExecutive director , Greenpeace USA ; creator , The Story of StuffIf I could require Americans to do one thing , it is to get active ! Already millions know and are concerned about climate change , now we need to move that passive concern into action . That action could take many forms depending on each person ’ s skills and interests : shut down coal - fired power plants , get your university to divest from fossil fuels and invest in a clean energy economy , encourage companies and state and local governments to switch to renewable energy , demand leadership from our elected officials . It doesn ’ t matter so much which thing we do , as long as we all do something . Pass a Carbon Tax to Fund Next - Gen ResearchKerry EmanuelProfessor of atmospheric science , Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyIf I could be a czar for a day ( or a few days ! ) I would direct substantial federal resources toward research and development in a ) next generation passively safe , modular nuclear fission reactors , and b ) carbon capture and sequestration technology . I would implement a carbon tax to fund these ventures and otherwise encourage migration away from fossil fuels . At the same , I would force all industries to pay for their externalities ; for example , the coal industry would be required pay for the health problems and premature mortality that arise from dumping waste into the atmosphere and waterways . I would provide strong incentives for producing more energy - efficient vehicles and buildings and for developing more efficient and effective renewable energy sources . Finally , I would start a movement to amend the Constitution to make it illegal to influence ( whether by voting or through money ) elections outside one ’ s own district . Follow in the Footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr . Kumi NaidooExecutive director , Greenpeace InternationalThroughout history , when people have faced the greatest injustices , from apartheid to slavery , positive social change has happened as the result of peaceful civil disobedience . We are at the point in the struggle to save the climate where we must put our lives on the line . I would encourage Americans to follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr . and take peaceful action to stop the burning of fossil fuels and the collusion of our governments with industry interests , joining in the great worldwide tradition of civil disobedience . When we stand up together we can make the greatest change . Bill McKibbenAuthor , founder of 350 . orgTreat It Like It ’ s World War IIII ’ d put a serious price on carbon , and send the proceeds back to every American every month ; and I ’ d push for renewable energy as if it was the start of World War II and we needed tanks and fighter jets . But these obvious steps won ’ t happen until we break the power of the fossil fuel industry , so what I ’ d really do is ask everyone to come join us in the streets of New York on September 20 . Vandana ShivaPhysicist , philosopher and environmental activistStop Letting Corporations RuleThis is the one thing I would ask of the USA : Stop promoting corporate rule and corporate greed . Stop giving corporations personhood . Ban FrackingSandra SteingraberAuthor , biologist , distinguished scholar in residence , Ithaca CollegeThanks to the heat - trapping gases already stashed in our atmosphere from two centuries of fossil fuel dependency , we are rapidly approaching the last - straw - breaks - the - camel ’ s - back moment in the story of climate change . To stabilize the situation , we need to control methane . The best science shows us that methane is more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat over the short term — the only timeframe now left to us . Thus , to sidestep disaster , my single act would be to declare a ban on fracking and redirect toward renewable energy projects all the capital investment now invested in blowing up our nation ’ s bedrock to extract the vaporous , inherently leaky , climate - killing fossil fuel called natural gas — which is the leading source of methane emissions in the United States . Cement well casings leak , crack , age , shrink and crumble over time . Each gas well is a methane chimney that can never be completely turned off . Stop drilling , baby . Clean up Polluting Power PlantsNikki SilvestriExecutive director , Green For AllClimate change is already taking a toll on human health and safety . And the most vulnerable among us — poor folks , people of color and kids — are hit first and worst . We have a chance right now to make a huge dent in the pollution that causes climate change . The Environmental Protection Agency is considering safeguards that would , for the first time , set limits on how much carbon power companies can spew into our shared air . Outdated , dirty power plants would be required to use technology to cut their pollution — or switch to cleaner , more modern forms of energy . Oil and coal companies have gotten away with poisoning our air and water for too long . They ’ ve been raking in billions in profit , leaving the rest of us to shoulder the costs — from asthma treatments and hospital visits to disaster response . It ’ s time for them to take responsibility for the harm they ’ re causing our communities . It ’ s a simple choice : We can protect polluter profits , or the health and safety of our kids and grandkids .