All things green and planet saving.
Climate change is a naturally occurring event. Many of the gasses we categorize as emissions are released naturally through a number of events and this has been the case since the beginning of time. The climate crisis however is something completely man made and ice tells us how long we’ve been spitting out emissions.
Environmental discussions can be extremely polarizing but one thing that nearly everyone can agree on is that air pollution is a problem that should be taken seriously. In fact, it’s more of a problem than previously thought. A new study revealed that air pollution may shorten life expectancy of almost three years globally.
It’s hard to really notice how much difference our efforts make towards a cleaner and more sustainable planet. This is especially true if they happen over a long time. It’s easy to forget what things were like when they were “bad”. Still, there are little reminders how of how much the work of environmentalism is making things better, like in this lovely tale of sighting an osprey.
Even if you’re not too outdoors-y, you’ve probably heard of Roundup, the popular herbicide. It’s used by many farmers to protect their crops from weeds but spraying the chemical releases glyphosate over more than just the fields, it’s get everywhere and effects everything, especially in the water. This is causing loss of biodiviersity which may mean less chance for many species survival as the climate changes.
Sustainable living is an important factor when thinking about the climate crisis and how to move against it. It does not make sense to start using a metal straw for occasional drinks that need it when you are still bringing home a ton of plastic from the grocery store. Sonam Wangchuk gives a more opened ended perspective in this fabulous interview.
Recycling in the US is often times a nice idea in theory but in practice, is more trouble than some counties are finding it’s worth which has led to many places ending their recycling pick up. To keep this from happening, some think that the onus for the bill should be on the producers of the plastic.
Having items delivered is so nice. It saves you time and stress of going to a store and who doesn’t like getting packages at home? But online deliveries cause a lot of CO2 emissions. Good news though, if you get delivery from local shops, the amount of emissions goes down.
Oceans are beautiful and full of life. There are so many different types of organisms that live beneath the waves. There’s so much diversity it’s staggering! And about a quarter of it needs serious conservation.
We talk about planting trees a lot to help in the climate crisis but those aren’t the only green life that can help. In South Africa there’s an unlikely hero in the fight against climate change. The spekboom, a type of succulent shrub that shows promise in turning things around for the area.
The wildfire in Australia was very, very bad. More than a fifth of the forests in the country were burned. The fires started after a very long period of drought that was caused by the climate crisis. The bad news is that with the crisis ongoing, there will be more incidents like this in the future.
The climate crisis is really hard on birds. Our feathered friends are going through a lot of, not so great, changes as the climate changes giving us a real life example of how this is effecting the world at large. Changes in migration patterns, size, and just disappearance is painting a bleak picture for the future.
What are we going to do without plastic? How will we survive without single use items? Well, for some where that is already a reality, the answer is leaves. Which is something that was used before single use plastic and is making a return.
Everyone needs water. This is a resource that will be scarcer the more the climate crisis builds. Dry areas will be hit hard but innovation in this area is bringing a new water source to the forefront: Fog. Fog catchers are supplying dry areas with water that can be used for agriculture and even drinking with netting.
Climate change and the climate crisis are pretty abstract terms to most people. We still have seasons that come and go. Still cold in the winter, hot in summer. If you don’t live somewhere that is seeing the early effects of the issue it’s easy to believe that these problems are made up or blown out of proportion. Check out this slideshow to see how the planet is really changing.
Lots of people don’t like insects. We spend a lot of time getting rid of them but we need to change that. Our lives and the lives of insects are locked together and although massive die offs might sound nice, it’s a real problem that we need to help solve.
