'Close the tap! Take fewer trips by car! Use less plastic!' These are things we have been told since our early childhood. Yet, the planet does not seem to be getting in better shape. As the impact of climate change kicks in, towns and villages all over the world are devastated by floods, earthquakes hurricanes and landslides. Thousands of people have been made homeless as a result and billions of animals have been burned alive in forest fires so far. This begs the question, is closing the tap enough to save our planet?

Let's start with water, the elixir of life. Every drop of water counts, so closing the tap when not in use is vital. However, this statement is quite contradictory. Every kilo of beef we consume takes 15000 litres of water to produce and it takes 3000 litres to make a cotton shirt. The few litres saved from turning the tap is dwarfed by these numbers. The meat industry is one of the main drivers of climate change. Why? One reason is that this industry causes deforestation. For example, more than 200,000 acres of the amazon rainforest are burned every day to rear cattle or cultivate grains to feed cattle. Imagine the loss of biodiversity at that scale! Agriculture is also a major source of Greenhouse Gases.

Many of us think taking responsibility for protecting the environment is 'bigger than us' or that 'it is a job for the government'. But it is the simplest things we do that have the largest impact on nature. What's the solution to water wastage in clothing factories? Here's some simple actions. Buy fewer clothes and recycle. Give away the clothes you don't need instead of throwing them. Less demand for clothes means that fewer clothes will be produced. How do we tackle deforestation and rising greenhouse gas levels? Eat less meat or stop your consumption altogether.

Let's come to our second point: fossil fuels. The air in which we dump billions of toxic emissions ... also turns out to be the air we breathe. Why do we pollute it? Car pollution accounts for a large proportion of climate change. Let's be honest, public transport is not always pleasant, and personally, I hate it!

Thankfully, technology is evolving. Every year, more efficient versions of electric vehicles are being released. They are also becoming more affordable. Encourage your parents to buy an electric scooter, bicycle or car. You can use 'saving the planet' as an argument. If they refuse, walking does not hurt too!

My friends, you'd be making a mistake thinking that climate change will not affect you. This summer alone, blistering heat waves have killed hundreds of people in the United States and Canada, floods have devastated Germany and China, and wildfires have raged out of control in Siberia, Turkey and Greece. Tomorrow, it might be your house taken away by water. If not, you will be ultimately be affected by rising sea levels or unexpected weather fluctuations.

The points I have raised in the past minutes are just the tip of the iceberg. I invite you all to start getting informed. It is as simple as following an environmental page on Facebook or watching an educative video on youtube. Most importantly, apply the environmental friendly habits you learn and spread the message. Instead of simply telling people to 'Turn off the tap', suggest them to 'Eat less meat! Recycle more! Plant a tree!' As Greta Thunberg put it 'Act like your house was on fire.'