recycling Cleanup campaigns and recycling projects
Last year, in 2024, humans pumped out 10.2 Gigatonnes of co2 into the atmosphere. We exceeded the average temperature with 2024 being confirmed as the hottest year on record, pushing the pre-industrial average by 1.55°C. 8-10 million tonnes of plastic waste was pumped into the ocean, and estimated 1 million tonnes of raw sewage was pumped into the ocean by a pumping station in the North Sea. These numbers are startling, but around the world, young activists are rising to take these numbers down and trying to relieve the planet from climate change stress.
What’s the problem?
Climate change is a huge problem sitting in many aspects of the environment. While millions of tons of waste were dumped into the ocean, only 78477 pounds of waste were recovered, leaving seven million and nine hundred and 21 thousand pounds still left. This was for one cleanup. If this is the result of one cleanup, who knows what the ocean is destined for. While we can help by turning off lights and recycling bottles, this barely scratches the surface of climate change. Organisations like The Ocean Cleanup and Climate Council are trying to stop it by doing big things like removing trash from the ocean.
Who’s Brave Enough to Take a Stand?
At the forefront of this new wave of environmentalism are movements like Fridays for Future, sparked by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, which has inspired millions of students across the globe to strike from school to demand climate action. These young voices are not asking for more recycling bins—they are demanding bold policy shifts, such as divestment from fossil fuels, climate justice legislation, and stronger international commitments to carbon reduction. Their protests are often accompanied by articulate policy demands, legal action, and fierce criticism of the political and corporate leaders who have long prioritized profit over the planet.
What is Fast Fashion, And How Can We Stop It?
Fast Fashion is a problem that has amassed over the past few decades. Fast Fashion is the trend of using clothes a few times and throwing them out, then buying more and the cycle starts again. These cottons and silks can often be very hard to dispose of and may sit in landfill for thousands of years. Garment Workers also come from very poor countries and suffer overtime and money disputes in order to make them. Fast Fashion can be solved though, and we can start buying second-hand and fishing through thrift stores to get good clothes for less. Also buying long-lasting, high-quality clothes that will last you for a long time.
What is Habitat Loss and Can We Stop It?
Habitat loss, apart from others, affects animals and birds, because of human work and disruption. Habitat loss is when animals are forced to migrate or leave their homes because of the work of another species. This could involve deforestation, wildfires or any other events that don’t occur normally. Sometimes this isn’t humans; it can be nature like tsunamis or hurricanes, or t could be out of this world, like an asteroid. Habitat loss can be removed from this list if only humans stopped trying to conquer all over the Earth.
Climate Change: A Global Crisis
One of the most significant environmental challenges today is climate change, driven by the increased concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, causing the Earth’s temperature to rise. Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes have greatly accelerated the accumulation of these gases. The results of climate change are already visible, with more frequent and severe weather events such as heatwaves, hurricanes, droughts, and flooding.
Air and Water Pollution: Contaminating Our Resources
Pollution, in various forms, continues to wreak havoc on the environment. Air pollution, primarily caused by vehicle emissions, industrial activity, and the burning of fossil fuels, affects both human health and the planet. Toxic gases such as Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter pollute the air, causing respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems, and exacerbating existing health conditions. In many cities around the world, poor air quality is a constant issue, leading to a significant loss of life. Similarly, water pollution is a growing concern. Industrial runoff, agricultural waste, and untreated sewage contaminate rivers, lakes, and oceans. This not only makes water unsafe for consumption but also harms aquatic life. Chemical pollutants, plastics, and other waste materials have a detrimental effect on marine ecosystems, with devastating consequences for fish populations, coral reefs, and the overall health of oceans. The accumulation of plastic in the oceans is particularly troubling, as it poses a threat to marine species and enters the food chain, affecting humans as well.
Loss of Biodiversity: The Silent Extinction Crisis
The loss of biodiversity is another major environmental problem that often goes unnoticed but is crucial to the functioning of ecosystems. Species extinction rates are higher than ever before due to human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. The rapid decline in biodiversity has serious implications for ecosystem stability. Each species plays a role in its ecosystem, whether as a predator, prey, or pollinator, and the loss of even a single species can have a ripple effect on others.
For instance, the extinction of pollinators like bees threatens food crops and natural vegetation. The destruction of marine ecosystems through overfishing and pollution also threatens the survival of numerous species. The global loss of biodiversity reduces nature’s resilience to environmental changes, making ecosystems more vulnerable to disasters like floods, droughts, and wildfires.
Overpopulation and Overconsumption: Straining Resources
The growing global population and the increasing demand for resources exacerbate environmental problems. Overpopulation places immense pressure on the Earth’s resources, leading to deforestation, depletion of water supplies, and overexploitation of minerals and fossil fuels. As the global population surpasses 8 billion, the demand for food, water, shelter, and energy continues to rise, pushing ecosystems to their limits. The world can only support so many people, and we are pushing it up too far. India has approximately 492 people per square kilometre, while Australia has 3.5 people per square kilometre.
While the Earth has many detriments, out of all those drawbacks comes beauty. And if we don’t maintain that beauty, the Earth could be destined to get more frequent severe weather events. If we stop climate change now and let the Earth heal, the world will become much cleaner and less extreme weather events will occur.
By: Bhavik Doranala
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