The threats facing our planet remain as serious as ever and the bad news is that we are the cause of it. The fingerprint of human-caused damage of the planet is really clear. And we’re seeing that a lot of these impacts of the damage are outpacing our efforts to deal with them.
From climate change to biodiversity loss, from plastic pollution to poor air quality, the problems are so varied.
The last few years featured some really prominent global climate and weather extremes, which used to be extraordinary and unprecedented. It is no longer extraordinary or unprecedented because it’s happening so often.
Until people take positive steps to change the planet, these damage of the planet and extreme weather events will keep happening.
In a world of about eight billion people, one person’s impact is insignificant, unless it is added to the efforts of numerous other people making the same changes.
Simply changing how we eat can reduce our environmental damage impact as organic food is typically a better choice environmentally. This is because agriculture is responsible for about a quarter of carbon emissions and has been blamed for more than half the world’s biodiversity loss.
Manufacturing companies and shopping outlets can reduce packaging, which is more environmental friendly by enabling people to bring their own containers to shop for items.
Walking or cycling are considered to be the greenest ways to move around because transport has a harmful effect on air quality and it accounts for about one fifth of carbon dioxide emissions which leads to global warming. And for longer trips, electric vehicle is environmentally preferable, especially if the electricity that charges up the battery comes from a renewable source.
Installing solar panels allows us to generate our own electricity instead of relying on a national grid that may distribute power generated using fossil fuels which releases a large amount of carbon dioxide into the air which causes global warming.
We should also be more minimalist by using same things for as long as possible in order to reduce the environmental impact of after we throw them away and when their replacements are produced. The truth is, some things take as long as 200 years to decompose, like polyester.
So from not printing out paper at work, to having reusable water bottles or coffee cups instead of disposable ones, are all small choices we can make to reduce consumption whose growing effects can be devastating and difficult to recover from.
We can use our voices to encourage action at every level and advocate for change in our community and places of work. It’s not just about saving the planet. The planet will still exist long after we’re gone. It is about saving us – our civilization, and many of the other living things that share this planet with us. The truth is, the planet is damaging because of us, and so we are the ones to fix it.