PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day, a perfect time for global inhabitants to explore the single best thing each person can do for the planet, according to Brown University Associate Provost for Sustainability Stephen Porder.

Porder, a professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology and environment and society, acknowledged some effects of climate change are irreversible — but not all.

“There are some things that we’ve done that will have effects for the next decades and centuries that we really can’t stop; for example, sea level rise between now and the middle of the century is pretty much locked in,” Porder said. “The good news is that, in terms of the temperature of the air, [soon after] we stop emitting fossil fuels, the temperature of the air will stabilize.”

Given that burning fossil fuels to power society accounts for three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions, Porder said replacing one’s next car with an electric vehicle and replacing air conditioners with efficient heat pumps that can both heat and cool are two of the biggest steps people can take to reduce their own climate impact. Porder also suggested smaller adjustments like cutting down on meat and dairy consumption.

“If we are smart about what we do, we could actually enter a period of reversing climate change by the second half of the century,” Porder said. “Every ton of CO2 that we keep out the air is a good ton — if it’s 100 tons, that’s good, if it’s 1,000 tons, that’s better… Our planet will be that much cooler as a result.

“We should never give up.”