Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report that asserts the 2020s are “ground zero” in the battle to save our planet from widespread devastation. In short, the report says that humanity faces global food shortages, the flooding of coastal cities, climate-related poverty, and a refugee crisis if we do not take unprecedented measures in the next 12 years to make extreme changes to land use and technology. We would need to reduce carbon pollution by 45 percent by 2030 and come down to zero by 2050 in order to avert a severe climate crisis, scientists say.

The report addresses best-case — but frightening — scenarios for what the world might look like by the end of the 21st century if the planet warms by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius). Rapid, large-scale changes to industry, transportation, and individual consumption of energy and products will be necessary in order to keep us from more realistic scenarios, which are terrifying to even think about.

In Florida, impacts of climate change are already being seen: our already hot state is getting hotter, with more days of extreme heat; warmer waters fueling more powerful storms; and, of course, the Sunshine State is ground zero for sea-level rise.

For those who question the reality of climate change, it is important to recognize that working on the IPCC report were 91 leading scientists from 40 countries who, together, examined more than 6,000 scientific studies.

Large-scale strategies to address climate change include:

• Pricing carbon emissions (as more than 40 countries already have);

• Subsidizing clean energy;

• Ending subsidies for dirty energy;

• Increasing energy efficiency (upgrading lighting, insulating buildings, electrifying everything formerly powered by fossil fuels, etc.);

• Ending deforestation while planting new forests;

• Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, once we have the technology to do so.

Also, our methods of transportation must change: late last year, the transportation sector in the U.S. surpassed power as the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

You may ask, “What can I do about any of this?” At the risk of sounding highly self-promotional, I’m going to assert that installing a solar energy system will have — by far — the most dramatic impact on your household’s carbon footprint. You can also eat less (or no) meat, use only energy efficient appliances, change all of your light bulbs from incandescent to energy-efficient LEDs, unplug devices when they’re not in use, purchase clothing and other items second-hand (while donating your own unwanted items), eliminate single-use plastics from your life, line-dry your clothing, and — if you can afford one — use an electric powered vehicle.

We got to where we are today because of the individual choices every single person on the planet has made since the Industrial Revolution kicked into high gear over 100 years ago. Every time we turn on a light, start a car, fly on an airplane, or drink from a single-use bottle or cup, we contribute to the problem. And the U.S., in particular, is the worst per capita in terms of carbon footprint.

Beyond the other strategies I’ve mentioned to be a foot soldier in our battle against climate change, you can vote. Vote for people who share your environmental values. Vote for people who make decisions guided by scientific fact. Vote for people who indicate they’re willing to invest in innovation that will help humankind to “weather” this climate crisis.

We can fix this — and we must — for the sake of our kids and future generations, but only if we learn, discuss, work, and change together. Please consider starting today.

Bill Johnson is the president of local solar contractor, Brilliant Harvest.