Depends on where you live and your situation. You either limit your personal CO2 or the society's CO2 or even both. Most of my suggestions will make or save you money over time.

For personal you could do these, most of these will pay themselves back within 10 years in savings.

• Swap gas stove for induction stove
• Swap a gas boiler to heat pump + electric boiler
• Buy solar panels for the roof and/or battery
• Heat pump for domestic heating for colder regions.
• Home insulation such as triple glass windows
• For hot regions getting an awning for the windows facing the sun goes a long way.
• Selling car to buy EV (CO2 neutral at 1 year, less CO2 after that)
• Buying an E-bike if you have short trips and would like to bike more (CO2 negative almost instantly if you prevent car trips)

Otherwise if you don't feel like any of those investing in solar companies or battery production companies will make it easier for them to finance expansions to their operations and maybe even make you some money along the way.

If you live in the UK or applicable countries getting in on Octopus energy co-op energy production is a good way to invest the money and reduce CO2 at the same time.

Don't forget that an easy way to limit your carbon footprint is free. Notably plastics, aluminum, steel, other metals, concrete and beef.

To limit society's footprint you can show up to city Council meetings and advocate for bike paths and public transport which really goes a long way. Showing up with a couple of buddies, making them talk and buying beer for them after in one of the most cost effective ways to stop climate change. Often city council members just need some people to back them up when proposing the CO2 negative urban planning improvements.

Stopping climate change is all about taking small steps towards the solution, asking this question on lemmy is a great start.

Climate change is tied to capitalism. Use it to run for office.

Pay to have someone shoot EM.

Use it to free your own time to plant trees or contribute in another way. Spending 10k isn't gonna reduce climate change, but being able to work on the problem yourself will.

Considering we live in a conflicted world where capitalism has ruined everything, I'd say donate a few thousand of it around, but also save it and just make the right choices on what you buy:

• buy zero waste, local and bio
• buy fair and repairable phones
• buy fair and ecological clothing
• etc..

So many people don't realize that every time they buy something in a store, they are casting a little capitalistic vote. We have to speak the language of what these evil sons of bitches speak, money. So I think for individuals, it mostly starts with us.

As I havent seen a single actually effective answer:

Donate it to organisations fighting climate change. For example FCA (researching climate friendly ways of producing cement, steel, fuels), gfi (researching food alternatives), CATF (tries to influence political changes)

Buy the cheapest viable land you can and build an Earthship home out of tires, cans, bottles, and compressed Earth. Take yourself off the grid as much as possible.

I'd also suggest a career in or adjacent to alternative energy.

10k will not do much good on the grand scale of things. Once you start involving other people directly, the costs start skyrocketing. Be it if you want to bribe politicians, fund a revolution, invest into sustainable tech or just creating a bottle cap recycling programme, 10k just isnt gonna get you far enough. So focus on your own climate impact. I think the absolute best you could do for the most positive net good is to take inventory of your own carbon emissions and replace or upgrade whatever you need to lower them. Lower your heating usage by getting a heat pump instead of burning coal for example. This will depend on how low your carbon output currently is though.

Fund journalism and media against fossil fuel

The only ways you can fight climate change in any meaningful way with 10k also involve going to prison

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_pipelines

https://www.militarynewbie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/TM-21-210-Improvised-Munitions-Handbook-1969-Department-of-the-Army.pdf

solar panels or something? No one is stopping climate change with $10K, I don't even think $10B would make a substantial dent.

Enjoy the money and tell yourself its not your fault.

Or alternatively, become an eco-terrorist.

Think of:

• Pipelines - buy explosives

• Certain individuals pertaining to the oil industry - buy a firearms

• Certain politicians - buy firearms

I am not a lawyer, this comment is for entertainment pur-

Hmm, why is there loud knocking on my door?

You're not personally responsible or able to prevent climate change. This is a societal issue that requires societal changes. Don't feel obligated to put yourself in financial trouble since the impact to your life is potentially devastating and your impact to solving climate change would be negligible. It fucking sucks but we live in a brutal capitalist system and you need to make sure you can care for yourself.

I might suggest seeing if there are local advocacy groups where you can contribute your time and, if you truly have excess wealth, help with direct financial support as needed, small contributions to things like mailing campaigns or buying a booth at a faire will help much more than blanket contributions - but, IMO, the bigger need is in effort and time.