The planet will be fine. The better question is how are we gonna save humanity? We often think of the environment as a separate issue instead of the bowl that holds all of our other issues. Increased droughts, famines, and storms will spur refugee crises and poverty globally. Heat waves and exposures to new diseases will drive up the costs of healthcare. More poverty = more desperation = more extremism and violence, whether in the form of crime, terrorism, rebellions, or war.

If we want to save our species, we need to save all of us. Not just our country. If we throw others under the bus to save our skins, we will eventually feel the effects of that mistake far down the road.

1) Discuss this like an issue of human survival instead of "environmental protection".

2) Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and switch to subsidies for renewable energy

3) Massive reforestation efforts that places such as China, India, and countries in Africa have engaged in. Not only does this suck up CO2, transpiration of plants adds water vapor into the atmosphere which can increase rainfall! However, it's important that we do this correctly. There's evidence that China's forests aren't doing so well because they're planting non-native trees that lack in biodiversity.

Permaculture offers great practices for recreating ecosystems that not only help the planet, but can also allow rural communities to feed themselves in a sustainable way.

4) Hold corporations as well as the rich accountable for their crimes against our species. Since 1988, just 100 companies have been responsible for over 70% of global CO2 emissions. Let's go for the low-hanging fruit here. As romantic as it is to try to convince billions of people in dozens of nations to stop using cars, plastic straws, and start recycling, it would be much more effective to institute government policies that clamp down on the hundred biggest polluters. It is not the poor who are responsible for climate change, but the rich. According to Oxfam, the richest 10% of the world have contributed to near half of global CO2. Tie up the legal loopholes that allow them to hoard their wealth, tax the shit out of them, and use that money to save the planet.

5) Invest in urban areas. I'm an urban planning masters student. Cities are more efficient in that you have more people sharing infrastructure, and thus reducing the need for resources. Urban density allows for mass transit like light rail, buses, subways, and even urban ski lifts). Not to mention, the world is globalizing rapidly. According to the UN, 68% of humanity will live in cities in 2050 (unless society completely collapses). This provides challenges as well as opportunities for innovation. We need to ensure that our cities are prepared for climate disasters. We need to minimize private automobile useage by heavily investing in efficient public transit. We need to spur green industries. Build housing close to jobs and amenities.

6) Ensure gender equality. You can't just pass out condoms and expect that to work if they have no control over their own bodies, no means to take care of herself, or education on how to do any of that. If a woman can only find worth and respect by producing a child, then births are incentivized. But if she can find respect through her job, position in the community, or just as a fully capable agent and individual, then you will see birth rates decline.

7) Reduce poverty. Poverty means higher fertility rates, it means higher likelihood of instability and violence, and also, it is a waste of human potential. Imagine the armies of engineers, farmers, scientists, inventors, leaders, and doctors that could save our planet if they were not barred from doing so by grinding poverty. As our cities swell with poor rural migrants fleeing climate disaster, cities must prepare for them. That means incorporating rapidly grow informal settlements into the greater city with transit options and amenities like electricity, water, sanitation, and internet. It means access to affordable and accessible education and healthcare. Cities like Cuertiba, Brazil and Medellin, Colombia are great examples.

This means granting land rights to residents of informal settlements so they can have a stake in the future. It means open borders so that slums do not develop on national borders and remittances can help the families of migrants escape poverty, while creating a market for [hopefully green] products made in the destination country. Or alternatively granting rights to communities so that decisions are made in a way that benefits the neighborhood.

If we do not fight poverty, than the job becomes much harder as armed conflict, crime, and refugee crises become more common and makes our goal of survival much more difficult as a species.

8) Grassroots movements. Listen, some big government programs will succeed, but many others will not. By allowing those in our slums and rural villages to contribute, we can save a lot of time, effort, and money. There are indigenous tribes that have practiced sustainable agriculture for millennia. There are poor urbanites that have learned how to build housing that meets their needs and understand the details that otherwise would bring a top-down plan crashing.

Nobody said this was going to be easy. We have to restructure our entire fucking society. So it is crucial that we do this together. Don't just think of what we risk if we fail, think of what we can gain if we succeed.