We guess the Earth would chuckle when people shout “Save the Earth”!
Drawing from the words of George Carlin, a comedian who once quoted that millions of years before mankind even existed, the Earth had endured earthquakes, volcano eruptions, explosions from the Sun, unceasing meteorite and comet collision, ice age, flood, conflagration and such disasters far more worse than those we are facing today. A couple of plastic bags or some metallic objects doesn't faze her. 🌏💤
Whether or not people all over the world dump ten times more trash, start nuclear wars, or allow more garbage than the fish in the sea, the planet named 'Earth' would still exist as a rock circling around the Sun. 🌞
🛑 But deep down, who is the one that needs saving? Who is the one suffering from today’s climate change❓
It's us, humans, and other species living on the Earth. 🐾
The strange thing is that so called intelligent homo sapiens are the main culprit of these environmental issues, digging their own grave.
So, who has the responsibility for all these causes❓ What are the environmental challenges that creatures are facing at the present❓ What can we do individually❓ This week, Study Diary will be sharing this post to help you get awareness about the climate crisis. So tap on each photo to read more about it.
Special thanks to translator @Blonded
Graphics by @Glory
Fact checked by @Lewis
What are the environmental problems that we are facing today?
1. Climate Change 🌡📈
Climate change refers to the long-term alterations in global weather patterns and temperature. Normally, climate change is a natural process. However, shortly after the Industrial Revolution, it began changing faster than it's supposed to. Let's take an example of Earth surface temperature to illustrate.
☀️ ️ When sun rays hit the Earth, some of the heat energy is absorbed by the atmosphere to the surface, and some released back into space. The greenhouse gases trap those released heat energy waves back to the Earth surface and maintain the temperature we need. That is called the Greenhouse Effect.
🏭 Vehicles, factories, burning fossil fuels for energy, deforestation and other similar factors release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Then, more heat energy is trapped in the air and leads to global warming. Starting from 1850, Earth's surface temperature increased by 2°F.
Here's the question, what is gonna change with just 2°F ? Hundred thousands of years before, the surface temperature remained relatively stable and when this temperature rose by 2°F within a decade, the ecosystem was interrupted and extreme climate conditions like droughts, flood and wildfire appeared. As glaciers melted and sea level rose, coastal areas were demolished and freshwater resources were mixed with salt water. Not only that, rainforests, which play critical flood prevention and are also home for some species, have been devastated. Global Warming won’t stop at this point and will become more powerful each year.
🌊❄️ This is just a part of Climate Change. As the weather patterns are unstabilized, rain, the amount of snowfall, sea waves and other systems that depend on each other like "One for all and all for one" will be destroyed.
2. Biodiversity loss 🌳
As the population grows rapidly, there is a need to develop agriculture and clean areas for farming, mineral mining and expansion of industries, burning the field and removing trees including teak and other trees, leading up to the destruction of 24 million acres of forest every year. Such sorts of human actions have had the damage to plants and animals, resulting in imbalances in the ecosystem and negative impacts on biodiversity.
3. Plastic pollution 🚯
We use plastics everyday, morning to night.
Non-biodegradable plastics commonly take at least 400 years to decompose in the soil. 😵
Plus, 91% of plastics produced globally are not being recycled, and end up waste in the water and subsoil. Yearly, 8 million metric tons of plastic are being discarded into the sea.
If this rate continues, there will be more plastic in oceans than fish in 2050.
4. Water Scarcity 💧🚫
Despite the fact that 70% of Earth's surface is covered by water, only 2.5% of it can be found as freshwater. Out of this 2.5%, merely 0.5% is accessible for human consumption and other breeds. The rest remains locked in icebergs and underground.
🍶 At this moment, 2 billion people are unable to access purified water and 46% of the global population can’t have a chance to use freshwater. If this rate keeps up, UN Water predicted that, in 2050, 5 billion people will experience water scarcity.
5. Air Pollution 🌫
In this March, you would probably remember that Chin Mai, a city in our neighbouring country Thailand, has been ranked as the most polluted city in the world. Not only that, even our city Yangon, once recorded as the second most air polluted city. Rapid growth of population, industrialization and vehicle usage, has worsened the air pollution year after year. According to WHO, 7 million people die annually because of air pollution. Out of that 7 million, 4 million are children and are impacted especially in southeast asia and west pacific regions.
6. Threat of Plants and Animals extinction 🐾🍂
The Earth had faced “Mass Extinction” five times throughout history. All of these events occurred naturally without human influence. But In the contemporary world, scientists believe we are experiencing the sixth Extinction caused by human activities. Now, about one thousand of plant and animal species are endangered. If we can’t create effective maintenance, in 20 years, even the tigers will be extinct.
In Myanmar, due to the electrofishing and plastic, only 2 digit numbers of Ayeyarwady Dolphins are left right now.
Plants and animals play vital roles in the ecosystem and extinction of even a single species would have great consequences on other lives.
Looking for the source of the problem
Don’t need to go so far to see the root cause of environmental problems. Clearly it’s PEOPLE.
But the question, of course, is who has the responsibility for Carbon Emission? Using energy resources for money without sustainable practice and producing waste disposals and carbon footprint from the companies in big countries like American and China, Shein and Apple❓ Or is it just us who buy their products to keep running their corporations❓
When we say environmental protection, we only focus on reducing plastic usage and adopting proper waste disposal. We tend to blame that one person who carelessly throws trash on the street and don’t seem to question the main culprits of creating the Climate Crisis. Their propaganda is designed to make us feel guilty, permeating our conversation about the conservation of the environment.
So who is responsible? 🤔
🔶 Although there are main culprits, everyone living on this planet Earth shares responsibility for all the changes occuring. You can’t irresponsibly brush it off like, “It’s because of China and America, deleting an email is not gonna do anything.” or planting a single tree and buying numerous clothes from Shein.
⛓ Corporations and state-level issues can’t be solved by one person. But even the rain drops can create oceans, if every single person holds the basic knowledge of environmental changes, it can generate a powerful force for positive transformation. Though we can’t make it in our generation, it is important to spread knowledge to our next generations who will become policy makers and country leaders.
So, in the next slide, we will present what each of us can contribute individually for our environment.
♻️ Things you can do by yourself for a healthy planet.
One man’s job can’t change the world but it will change for one person. So here are some things you can do to create a long-term world for humans and other species:
🟢 Educate yourself
Only if you are wealthy with the knowledge, you will know what to skip and what to choose. And you will be able to share environmental knowledge with others. Thus, you should live updated by paying attention to the news and continually educating yourself on environmental subjects.
🟢 Stop being an over consumer 💸
Avoid buying things impulsively.
When it comes to food, try to rely on more vegetables and plant-based foods rather than meat.
🟢 Waste Management 🗑
Try to manage your personal waste materials. If possible, the waste should be separated into recyclables which can be reused and non-recyclables which cannot be used.
🟢 Plant Trees 🌱
The most effective way for rearranging the environment is planting trees. Even if you don't have time and place to do this intentionally, you can gift a plant to your friend on their birthday or plant a tree together as a memory instead of buying clothes.
🟢 Save Energy 🔌
Saving energy doesn't mean no work and sleep. In this context, energy refers to electric energy which can be conserved. Unplug your charger when you sleep at night, remember to turn off the lights when you leave the room, switch off the bathroom lights at night, choose household items which are energy-efficient and delete unnecessary emails.
🟢 Reduce Paper Usage 🗞
Avoid buying paper products when you don't have to. Instead, use recycled papers.
🟢 Choose sustainable transportation 🚲
To reduce your carbon footprint, take a walk when you go here and there, if possible. Ride a bicycle and use public transportation such as buses.
🟢 Minimise water usage 🚿
Turn off your tap while brushing your teeth. Don't take a shower too long. Repair any leaks in taps and pipes.
🟢 Eco-friendly shopping 🛍
Adapt habits like packing away the plastic bags after using it like your mum or your grandma usually do, for reusing it later when you go out shopping. Using shopping bags instead of plastic ones, carrying a stainless steel food container when you buy hot foods like Monhinga, choosing brands which have sustainable practice, and avoiding single-use bags and styrofoam takeaway boxes as much as possible.
🟢 Spread Awareness 🗣
Doesn't mean to preach to people in need who are struggling for regular meals, to be eco-friendly. We meant to give an explanation about the impacts to the handful people around you, like friends or family, or participating in climate change movements in your community.
🌻 After reading today's article, we suppose you got some of the knowledges about the environmental issues. Also next week, Study Diary will tell you about a vital skill which can contribute to your life. If you have any questions so far, feel free to ask in the comment section
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