Recycle
A big problem on our planet is how much junk is created and eventually thrown away. Recycling solves over half this problem because instead of throwing away certain items, they could be recycled and turned into something new without the need to produce more material. This both saves on material costs and it also saves the environment.
How is recycling related to helping reverse climate change?
When new products are made, manufacturers use raw materials to make the product. This process requires lots of energy and for the most part, is powered by a form of non-renewable energy. As you may already know, the use of non-renewable energy is bad because it creates tons of harmful greenhouse gases. If the manufacturer were to use recycled material, they could reduce their energy usage by 95%.
What happens to the plastics that I didn’t recycle? They eventually will end up in the ocean. The ocean seems to be the best place to store such materials since they are away from human life. This is not the way! Plastic does not belong in our oceans! It not only is bad for sea life, but it is also bad for our climate. Plastics floating on the surface of the ocean block sunlight from organisms that produce oxygen. These organisms produce most of Earth’s oxygen supply at a percentage of 50-80%. The sun and ocean also break down the plastic and release harmful gases such as methane and ethylene. This is a feedback loop.
How can I help?
For starters, you can easily start recycling materials that can be recycled. Doing so guarantees that materials from your house won’t end up in the ocean. Something else that you can do that is super easy to do is to avoid using plastics. The more plastics that you use, the more manufactures have to use to produce. And the plastics that you are using are now in the hands of a human. Humans have a bad track record (on average) on not recycling. More plastic collection from the ocean would be great to see. I would love to see an international agency with a sole purpose to collect plastics and trash from our environment. Be that 1% and recycle.
Sources:
https://deq.nc.gov/conservation/recycling/recycling-climate-change
https://www.epa.gov/warm/documentation-waste-reduction-model-warm
https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/02/20/plastic-production-climate-change/
https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/plastic-waste-and-climate-change-whats-the-connection