How to do something about Climate Change this Earth Day

“We can read the unbroken record of the Earth’s atmosphere that extends back over the last 800,000 years. In all that time, the amount of CO2 in the air never rose above 300th’s of 1%. That is, until the turn of the 20th century. It’s been going up steadily and rapidly ever since.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.

According to scientists, year after year, the world is adding 30 billion tonnes of CO2 to the Earths atmosphere. What does this mean for our home? Melting ice caps, rising sea levels, severe heatwaves, unpredictable weather, mass extinctions and reduced crop yields.

Since the 1800’s, experts and scientists have been warning us about the devastating implications of rising CO2 levels, yet, two centuries later, we’ve only multiplied the problem. Economic giants and the international community continue to profit from environmental destruction and thanks to them, the pace of global climate change has accelerated — we’re quite literally smothering our home.

If we continue as we are, the Earth’s temperature will rise to two or three degrees in the next 50 years. The consequences of this would be catastrophic. A rise of just one degree would mean we can say goodbye to Maldives, the Amazon Rainforest and to almost half of today’s species. The ice sheets will melt leading to increased sea levels forcing residents and farmers reliant on water banks to move inland. Competition for water resources will increase and water supply will decrease due to soaring temperatures which means important economic activities like energy power plants, raising livestock, agriculture will be impacted.

Nature was born to evolve and the chances are, she will survive. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the human species which is why sitting back is no longer an option. Making a change today is the only hope of creating a better tomorrow.

Most of us don’t know where to start — partly due to lack of understanding and awareness. Below I offer a brief insight on the causes of climate change and small ways you can make a difference.

Fashion

• The billion dollar fashion industry is the second most polluting industry after oil. The biggest contributors are fast fashion providers who are the moving force behind today’s throwaway culture which creates demand for more disposable clothing. The processing of raw materials requires large amounts of energy and 2,700 litres per single t-shirt, using petrochemicals, polyester and nylon which are all non-biodegradable — unsustainable by design. During manufacturing, nylon emits a large amount of nitrous oxide and the impact of one pound of nitrous oxide on global warming is almost 300 times that of the same amount of carbon dioxide.
• Sadly, fast fashion is a topic often left out of key climate change conversations.
• The True Cost is a must watch for those wanting to understand this issue better — “The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing?”
• Here are 35 fair trade and ethical clothing brands fighting against fast fashion

Endangered species

• Climate change is altering key habitat elements that are critical to wildlife’s survival and putting natural resources in jeopardy.
• High temperatures will cause population declines for species reliant on cold water for survival.
• “Rising ocean temperatures have already caused massive coral bleaching, leading to the collapse of these ecosystems which sustain huge numbers of fish.”
• Severe droughts deprive wildlife of water and food sources.
• Tip: Purchase vegan products and avoid products made from palm oil to protect the habitats of animals.

Plastic

• An international study has revealed that the world has made 5 billion tonnes of plastic, enough to cover the entire world in clingfilm.
• As plastic is a non biodegradable, it can last for hundreds of years in landfills or the oceans, which means living organisms can be affected by ingestion of plastic waste, entanglement or through exposure to chemicals within plastics that cause interruptions in biological functions.
• Humans consuming sea food or meat are ingesting the same plastic.
• Support the Seabin Project — a dock-based automated rubbish bin that catches floating plastic, oil and fuels. Removing around half a tonne per year from the 250,000 tonnes the oceans are believed to hold.

Agriculture

• Crops need specific conditions to thrive, including the right temperature and ample water supply. Any changes in either of these conditions would mean a bleak future for certain types of agriculture.
• The global livestock industry is responsible for 16–18% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than all modes of transportation combined. Animal agriculture also contributes to climate change through deforestation — farmers need more land to maintain thriving farming businesses.
• “Ruminant animals like cattle produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas about 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The livestock sector is responsible for about 37% of human-caused methane emissions, and about 65% of human nitrous oxide emissions” — Skeptical Science.
• Tip: Go vegan (this is something I’ve been struggling with for a while but I hope 2017 will be my year).

Deforestation

• Forests are a vital component of the carbon cycle on our planet. Through deforestation, we’re killing our natural atmospheric sponge — trees, which means carbon absorption decreases and carbon stored in trees releases into the atmosphere.
• “Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, but swaths half the size of England are lost each year.” — National Geographic.
• Forests are home to millions of species. The need to accommodate more land to shelter the growing human population means we’re taking away homes that have sheltered species for billions of years.
• Buy beautiful greeting cards from Little Difference — 1 tree planted for every single greeting card sold. 17,500 trees planted already.

Energy

• Burning coal or oil combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2 and the burning of fossil fuels contributes to about 60% of human greenhouse gas emissions.
• Invest in renewable energy and products like the Soular Backpack — one backpack allows children in rural areas to leverage the power of the sun on their long walks to and from school every day. For every fashion-forward backpack sold, a free soular backpack is given to a child from a rural area.

Transportation

• Vehicles, such as cars, transit buses, and trucks; transit and railcars; ships and barges; and aircraft contribute to almost 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Tip: Walk or cycle where possible or invest in electric cars.

Throughout most of my life, I failed to take action on climate change. I chose to prioritise myself above our beautiful home, mostly because I felt the actions of a single person would have no impact on this monumental calamity. I was wrong. As a Muslim and as a human, it is my moral responsibility to protect our incredible home that has given me an abundance of food, water, love and beauty. Climate change is an emerging humanitarian crisis and we can no longer sit back and do nothing if we want humans to survive.

Every year, I look forward to #EarthDay because it’s an opportunity for me to renew my promise with the soil of this Earth. But raising awareness and taking action should not be confined to a single day. Today should be day two of a new lifestyle; one that enforces a binding contract between us and our home. A lifestyle which prioritises purchasing ethical, fair trade and eco-friendly products and eliminating our consumption of products releasing toxins in our waters and atmospheres. A lifestyle which prioritises the protection of our forests, oceans, wildlife and landfills.

Fortunately, in the last decade, we’ve seen a surge of conscious brands — it’s now easier than ever to put our Earth first. There will be days where we will fall short, but the important part is taking action in small steady steps. It will take time before we’re able to reverse the negative actions of our civilisation, but if we work collectively, we will be able to achieve significant results in the race to save our planet.