Climate change has become the worst environmental problem in the world. The climate change problem is real and caused by humans, and combating it has proved daunting. There are several prerequisites that have contributed to these problems.
Pollution is one of the main reasons why our planet is experiencing these environmental issues, such as climate change and biodiversity. All of the seven key forms of pollution – air, water, soil, noise, radioactive, light and even thermal – are impacting our environment. All kinds of pollution and environmental problems are interlinked and affect one another.
The second issue is biodiversity. It is the most complicated and crucial aspect of our planet. It involves every living element and ecosystem that comprises the environment. From the tallest giraffe to the tiniest microorganism, almost everything plays a significant role in the preservation of our world.
Water pollution is a massive problem for us and our environment. Not only is polluted water a substantial monetary strain, but it is also harming both mankind and marine life. With oil spills, a large quantity of plastic waste and hazardous chemicals getting into our waterways, we’re destroying the most valuable resource our world has to offer.
Without some major and unprecedented changes in our activities and habits, our planet will endure tremendous global warming within twelve years. Greenhouse gases are the principal cause of climate change, capturing in the sun’s heat and heating the surface of the earth.
There are some things we can all start doing right now:
First, use recyclable bags - plastic grocery-type bags that get thrown out end up in landfills or other parts of the environment. These can suffocate animals who get stuck in them or may mistake them for food. Also, it takes a while for the bags to decompose. Recycling is simple, but so many people don’t do it. Recycle everything you can and if it’s not possible, try to buy eco-friendly products, so you can recycle those when the time comes.
Print as little as necessary. Using an excessive amount of paper is detrimental to the environment. What can you do? Bring a laptop or an e-reader instead so that you can read your materials from there. If not, print on both sides of the page to reduce the amount of paper used.
Save electricity. Use energy-efficient light bulbs instead of regular bulbs. They last longer, which will save you a bit of money.
Go solar - install solar panels if you live in a sunny area. Turn off lights, TV, and other appliances when you’re not using them. Lower your air conditioning or heat when it’s not necessary.
Save water. Water is wasted more frequently than we notice. Turn off the faucet as you’re brushing your teeth. Don’t turn your shower on until you’re ready to get in. Limit your water usage as you wash dishes.
Carpool as much as possible instead of using a car just for yourself. Other options include: taking public transportation, walking, or riding a bike can help the environment and your budget, as well as getting some exercise!
Some more habits we could incorporate into our lives:
- Use the same water bottle or an eco-friendly mug. Whether you drink coffee, tea, water or something else, you can grab the same mug and refill it with your favorite drink.
- Save the forests. Nowadays we’re lucky if we remember how to write with pen and paper. But when we do purchase paper products, it’s best to look for labels that indicate an item has been made using sustainable methods, meaning it protects against global warming and the destruction of wildlife. The same thing goes for the purchase of wood products (like furniture)—make sure it’s been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council—and less obvious paper goods, like tissues and toilet paper.
- Get into gardening. If starting your own windowsill herb garden seems intimidating, find a community garden, where everyone works together to cultivate fresh produce and keep the neighborhood green.
Let’s imagine if we stop caring, recycling and using sustainable products. What will happen? Plastic products, for example, can take thousands of years to degrade. And non-renewable energy sources, like petroleum, are typically what is used to produce them. When we think about the entire life-cycle of products that we buy, it can help motivate us to get in the habit of reducing and reusing. On average, each person generates 4.38 pounds of waste per day. If all that waste goes to the trash – multiply it by 7.125 billion people on earth – that’s 31.2 billion pounds of waste in landfills every single day. The impact of not recycling for one day will be most noticeable on the planet as a whole because our natural resources are finite.
Another problem is global warming. Based on the overwhelming scientific evidence collected, ever since carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide were first confirmed by laboratory experiment to trap infrared radiation and thus contribute to the greenhouse effect, over 120 years ago, the billions of tons of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere each year due to the burning of coal, oil, and gas, is the primary driver of the warming we have seen already. This increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere not only traps heat on its own, but the rise in temperature that results also increases the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, and water vapor is a much more powerful (if shorter-lived) greenhouse gas. The only truly meaningful debate about climate change, itself, is just how bad the impacts will be. So, since the warming will continue as long as we continue to burn fossil fuels, the only way we can stop this problem is to stop burning fossil fuels. We need to change the way we get our energy, and we need to do it now.
It’s all about mindset. If you start caring and thinking about all the consequences and negative impact on our planet, it’ll urge you to start living eco-friendly and use sustainable products.