What can we do about the changing climate?

This month, the largest gathering of world leaders met in Paris to address climate change. As this year comes to an end, many of us start to think about fresh starts, changes and new commitments. How many of our choices affect our amazing home, planet Earth?

Typically we all fall under a range of attitudes regarding our relationship with our changing climate. These attitudes span from head-in-the-sand denialists to overzealous tree-huggers. On any given day, I can fall anywhere between this range of attitudes.

What is your attitude?

In 2007, I started giving talks around Las Vegas about climate change. Way back then, it was an extremely touchy topic, and, inevitably, our discussions ended with audiences voicing their frustrations.

Some people felt that they weren't part of the problem, neither the cause nor the recipients of the impact. They either denied the science or refused to believe that driving a gas-guzzler or running their air conditioner at full blast, would affect the climate or other people.

Some people quickly expressed that they compost their food scraps, recycle everything and bike, walk or use public transportation. These people often felt that we need to point out to others what they should' be doing.

The majority of my audiences, however, just felt frustrated that without huge government and business changes, their individual actions were null, even if they drove a fuel-efficient car, changed their lightbulbs and cut down their meat intake.

La, la, la

Do you ever just want to cover your ears and close your eyes to avoid seeing or hearing something? I do this when someone is saying something I don't want to know about. Our climate, however, is definitely not an issue we can afford to ignore.

Each year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases a report of universal evidence regarding climate changes and impacts. Over the past several decades, the language has gotten progressively stronger and unquestionable.

According to the 2014 report, CO2 emissions are 143 percent higher than before the Industrial Revolution. In addition, 2014 marked the 30th year in a row of record high emissions. According to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization, 14 of the 15 hottest years on record have occurred since 2000, with 2015 geared to top that list.

On some days, many of us may want to cover our ears and sing "la, la, la." We might just think it's too inconvenient to make necessary changes to improve our ecological footprint. But to deny the evidence that man-made climate change is a reality is irresponsible. (I am sure I will get some "fan" mail for this statement.)

Southern Nevadans may not have experienced destructive hurricanes and storms, such as Katrina or Sandy. And unlike California, we may not have had more than 300,000 acres destroyed by wildfires this year. This, by the way, is up from their annual average of 100,000 acres.

We also may not, as of yet, have experienced a real food shortage. "Yet" is the key word here. Very little calculation is needed to know that "what happens outside Vegas affects Vegas."

We all collectively share in the recovery burden of any disaster that happens in the United States. California's drought is directly related to our water and food supply. And while we know that worldwide there are nearly 800 million people who don't have enough food to eat, we may not know that there are now also predictions of food shortages here in the United States, as well.

Even the CEO of General Mills, Ken Powell, has asserted, "We believe every company, government and individual has a role to play. Climate change is a shared, global challenge that is best addressed at scale."

Preaching to the choir

Another attitude at the other end of the spectrum belongs to the enthusiasts. You know the type: the one who never forgets the reusable shopping bags, who drives a car run on used vegetable oil and who loves to talk about deforestation, renewable energy and recycling. While this type of person may not intend to be annoying and make people feel bad, it is true that many people run in the opposite direction when feeling judged, criticized and blamed.

I like the saying "attraction rather than promotion." A good habit usually produces good results. People are attracted to good results.

For many years, businesses have been known to consider profits their bottom-line. More and more, companies like Apple, Google, and Uni-lever have employed triple bottom-line reporting, which consists of three P's: profit, people and planet. Individuals would also do well to incorporate a triple bottom-line reporting.

Too big for little ol' me

The last attitude type is the middle of the road. I'm guessing many of us fall into this category as well. We can logically see what is happening. It makes sense that we should make changes. But isn't it the responsibility of governments and businesses to clean up their acts first to make it easier for us?

Yes and no. We definitely need all three entities, governments, businesses and individuals to make drastic changes.

Can we do better?

Yes, we can and many already are. As individuals, we can use our buying power to support businesses that are making ecologically sound changes and stop buying things we don't need and that are produced unsustainably. We can use our voting power and communication strength to elect officials who are intent on creating a secure future our children can live in. And, finally, we can be mindful with just about every decision we make: what we eat, what we use, how we travel, and where we spend our personal energy.

In an incredibly realistic, new documentary, "Time to Choose," many hopeful solutions are presented. It's a must-see movie for everyone on this planet. We all can take a logical, united approach. Now is the perfect time to choose our New Year's resolutions carefully.

"By the middle of this century we will trigger runaway climate change — a process beyond our control. What do you do if you have that information? What do you do?" asks Dr. Steven Chu, former U.S. energy secretary and Nobel Prize winner.

— Mary Beth Horiai has split her adult life between Japan and Southern Nevada. In Las Vegas, Horiai worked for the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council of Nevada. A graduate of UNLV, she was trained as a speaker for The Climate Reality Project. For more information and links to additional resources relating to this column, visit www.driverofchange.net.