Apr
22
We need more than Earth day to save it.
April 22, 2022 | 2 Comments
Sorry, no musical highlight today, this is a Mayhem post
Today is my favorite day of the year, its Earth Day! Today we recognize the planet we call home and appreciate all the things it provides for us. I love that our planet gets a day of highlight but a side of me doesn’t like Earth Day. I don’t enjoy earth day because we shouldn’t just care about this plant one day a year, it should be considered 365 days of the year. This is the day of the year where politicians like to pretend that they care about the environment. For example, the Biden administration is signing an executive order aimed at protecting Americas forests today. That’s great news for our forests, they need protecting, but why now? Why not months ago? We need proactive plans to combat the climate crisis not reactive. We most certainly can’t wait for one day a year to pass environmental laws. Also, Earth day tends to do this thing where it puts the pressure on everyday people. All you ever see on earth day is what an individual can do to help lower their carbon footprint. Yes, that is important for people to think about and do but will that solve the problem? I saw a recent study, a fellow classmate also posted about this, that claims that 100 companies are responsible or 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions. So even if every day people did their part to curve emissions that only solves 29% of the problem. That sounds inefficient if you ask me. The main problem is being ignored and all the pressure is put on the people.
Sustainability tips in order of importance
- Eating plant Based
This single habitual change can have a dramatic effect on a person’s carbon footprint. Eating is something a person does multiple times a day every day. This can have quite the impact on the planet depending on what the person is eating. Studies suggest that 51% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to animal agriculture. To me this is the number one problem the world has when it comes to greenhouse gasses. No other emission source is higher than animal agriculture. It’s time to say no to this industry, and to form environmental policy around it. Animal agriculture is the leading force behind deforestation, ocean dead zones and desertification of land. This industry needs to be in discussion when forming climate policy it has the potential to heat the planet at a more accelerated rate than burning fossil fuels. This is because animal agricultures main emission gas is methane. Compared to Carbon dioxide, methane has a warming potential of about 30 times more than carbon dioxide on a 100 year scale. We can curb C02 emissions all we want but if we allow methane to be emitted freely we can do more damage.
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/going-vegan-can-help-reduce-greenhousegas-emissions-49341
- Demand environmental policy from elected officials and Vote!!! Make your voice heard!
- Don’t support environmentally unfriendly companies
- Support environmentally friendly and ethical companies
- Start a Garden
- Carpool, ride bike, public transport, walk
- Use reusable everything no more single use plastic!
- Pick up litter
Comments
2 Comments so far
I thought you brought up a lot of good points regarding Earth Day. Taking care of the planet should definitely be something we think about a lot, not just one day out of the year.
I completely agree. It upsets me so much when the government focuses on bills like the one you mentioned regarding America’s forests, rather than sponsoring bills that are progressive in combating climate change. They sponsor bills about the forests because it’s safe and bipartisan, instead of making bigger moves to make a difference. I was the one who posted about the role of corporations in pollution, and without a massive shift, it’s unfortunately an issue that doesn’t seem to be getting resolved anytime soon. The advice you gave at the bottom is very true though, demand more from your elected officials!