Reuse it or lose it

(Climate change, global warming, plastic pollution and recycling) All these headlines we’ve certainly heard before, but are aware of what’s actually happening?!

*This might be one of the most boring articles for youth but I’ll try to be as abbreviated as possible.

According to the WHO statistics 2019, air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. 9 out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits containing high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures.

Just imagine the numbers. Horrific, right?

To reveal what are the sources of the pollution this might take forever although, I’m going to address some briefly.

plastic

Plastic is a material whose molecules are very large. Natural polymers such as rubber and silk exist in abundance, but nature’s “plastics” have not been implicated in environmental pollution, because they do not persist in the environment.

Today, however, the average consumer comes into daily contact with all kinds of plastic materials that have been developed specifically to defeat natural decay processes. many lightweight single-use plastic products and packaging materials, which account for approximately 50 percent of all plastics produced, are not deposited in containers for subsequent removal to landfills, recycling centres, or incinerators.

Instead, they are improperly disposed of at or near the location where they end their usefulness to the consumer. Dropped on the ground, thrown out of a car window, into a rubbish bin, or inadvertently carried off by the wind, they immediately begin to pollute the environment and be a threat to wildlife.

Now back to the scary numbers, according to the trade association PlasticsEurope:

• world plastic production grew from some 1.5 million tonnes (about 1.7 million tons) per year in 1950 to an estimated 275 million tonnes (303.1 million tons) by 2010
• and 359 million tonnes (nearly 396 million tons) by 2018; between 4.8 million and 12.7 million tonnes (5.3 million and 14 million tons) are discarded into the oceans annually by countries with ocean coastlines.

What can you do to make a change?

(Reduce Reuse Recycle)

Many countries don’t have a recycling system which is a disaster but even though, as an individual, you should have the responsibility to raise awareness in the communities, try to make an investing strategy and make sure to apply it correctly towards the environment.

Watch this amazing video by pressing HERE

The climate is changing. But what does it mean?

The climate is seen as the normal weather in a specific area. For example, the temperatures in the Amazon are always high and it is raining almost every day, while in the Antarctic it is always freezing and almost no rain. When the normal temperature and the amount of rain in a specific area change, there is a transition in the normal weather. This is climate change. Not only in specific areas climate change is observed, all over the world the consequences of climate change are felt.

CAUSE & CONSEQUENCES

We drive our cars, heat our houses when it is cold outside, and use energy to cook. These daily activities cause the emission of greenhouse gasses, such as methane and carbon. These gasses prevent the heat emitted by the earth to escape, causing global warming.

Global warming has various consequences. Heatwaves occur more often, rainfall becomes more intense and the sea level rises. Extreme heat and the lack of rain cause drought, When rain does arrive, the showers are really intense, leaving no time for the water to infiltrate into the soil, causing it to flood to lower areas, washing away the fertile top layer of the soil. causing a decline of vegetation and maintain the land to be dry.

This could lead to food shortages for the local communities. Since they are not assured to have food, the people migrate to other areas, hoping to find fertile soil where they can grow their crops. These people are also called climate refugees. They are forced to flee due to the consequences of climate change.

Now you will say government, factories, companies… We can do nothing. But the answer is yes, we can and it just needs a strong will to change so

what can you do?

Greener Living

Planting is a simple way to minimize climate change, Recent studies show that nature-based solutions can contribute up to 37% of the carbon emission intake required to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.

Vegetation causes the sequestration of carbon, decreasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and subsequently reducing the greenhouse effect, ultimately leading to the reduction of global warming. Vegetation also causes cooling of the soil, decreasing the evaporation of water from the soil leading to increased water availability for plants, animals and humans.

In addition, greening stimulates the water cycle, causing increased rainfall and the retention of water in the soil. This increment of the soil moisture content makes the land available for agriculture again, producing food and income for the local communities.

THE CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU

Thanks a lot for reading