By: Kaelin Jumaa
Facts About Earth Week
As many tree-huggers know, Earth’s global temperature is increasing like never before, more than doubling the annual average global temperature and reaching for a whopping 1.5◦ C by the end of 2030.
This year marks the 52nd Earth Day, which originated from the American Senator, Gaylord Nelson, after realizing that we needed to start treating our planet better in 1970.
Earth Day became an international event in 1990, allowing people form all nations to partake in an annual clean up of the planet.
Without a rapid solution to climate change, we may experience a global increase in temperature of 2.4◦ C by 2050, causing intense weather storms, poor air quality, and loss of land and animal species just to name a few.
Tips on How to Help
Upcycling and thrifting your clothing; fast fashion is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second biggest contributor after fossil fuel production!
Organizing your fridge properly to reduce food waste, which is attributed to 6% of global greenhouse as emissions. The proper method is as follows: the top shelf is dedicated to the food that will expire first (ex., leftovers and berries). The middle portion of the fridge should be used for dairy products, while the bottom shelf should be used for meat and seafood.
Reduce your plastic consumption (ex. using cloth grocery bags and reusable water bottles), 3.4% of greenhouse gas emissions is due to plastic consumption!
Limiting your meat consumption to the essential intake; the meat industry is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Use eco-friendlier modes of transport (such as cycling or public transit) to reduce your consumption of fossil fuels, the major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Worldwide Progress in Battling Climate Change
Thanks to our ongoing research into the field, we have improved our technologies to better track incoming weather storms since 1970.
We have reduced our overfishing and have enlarged our protected aquatic ecosystems to ensure the safety and survival of marine organisms vital to one of our planet’s biomes.
We have discovered several ways of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, helping us to rid the air of pollutants and possible carcinogens.
We have developed renewable clean energy sources that are efficient and safer than fossil fuels (ex. solar power, hydroelectricity, and algae farming).
Powerful international organizations have recognized the need to switch to greener practices, one of which includes the United Nations and their six proposed actions intended to reduce our affect on climate change and global warming.
The public has expressed a growing concern for a cleaner Earth, making it one of the most discussed topics of our generation. This is a huge step in fighting the problem, as the entire human population is aware of and strives to resolve the catastrophic problem.
Industries’ (such as the clothing industry and primary industries) awareness of their carbon footprint has increased significantly over the years, forcing them to consider eco-friendlier methods of production of goods.
References
“5 Climate Change Facts to Scare You into Action This Halloween.” Earth Day21 Oct. 2021, https://www.earthday.org/5-terrifying-climate-change-facts-
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organization-reduce-food-waste-live-more-sustainably/.
“Can Fashion Ever Be Sustainable?” BBC Future, BBC,
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200310-sustainable-fashion-how-to-
buy-clothes-good-for-the-climate.
“Climate Change - United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations,
United Nations, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/.
“Food and Climate Change.” David Suzuki Foundation, 20 Apr. 2022,
https://davidsuzuki.org/living-green/food-climate-change/.
Greenhalgh, Emily. “Five Successes to Celebrate This Earth Day.” Five Successes
to Celebrate This Earth Day | NOAA Climate.gov,
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/features/five-successes-celebrate-
earth-day.
“How Cutting Your Food Waste Can Help the Climate.” BBC Future, BBC,
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200224-how-cutting-your-food-waste-
can-help-the-climate.
Michael Grose Climate projections scientist, et al. “IPCC Says Earth Will Reach
Temperature Rise of about 1.5°C in around a Decade. but Limiting Any
Global Warming Is What Matters Most.” The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2022,
https://theconversation.com/ipcc-says-earth-will-reach-temperature-rise-of-
about-1-5-in-around-a-decade-but-limiting-any-global-warming-is-what-
matters-most-165397.
Plastic Pollution Is Growing Relentlessly as Waste Management and Recycling
Fall Short, Says OECD, https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-
is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm.
Ritchie, Hannah. “Food Waste Is Responsible for 6% of Global Greenhouse Gas
Emissions.” Our World in Data, 18 Mar. 2020,
https://ourworldindata.org/food-waste-emissions.
Rebecca Lindsey AND LuAnn Dahlman. “Climate Change: Global
Temperature.” Climate Change: Global Temperature | NOAA Climate.gov,
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-
change-global-temperature.
“Top 10 Facts about Earth Day!” Fun Kids - the UK's Children's Radio Station,
https://www.funkidslive.com/learn/top-10-facts/top-10-facts-about-earth-day/.
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