The Finite Must be Fostered Before it Goes Bananas!
According to our democratic foundations, we have the right to life, liberty, land, and the pursuit of happiness; but do these rights come without responsibilities? As citizens, the majority of us try to do our best to vote for the most fitting candidate, refrain from illegal doings, and pay off our debts. Our republic focuses on abiding by laws in order to maintain our democracy, but what about maintaining the Earth we all live on?
What many of us don’t realize is the effect our eating habits have on the environment. The meatpacking industry and global fishing practices are two of the biggest culprits. As the Amazon continues to get cleared to make room for grazing cows that require farmland, and as countless of fish are on the verge of extinction due to overfishing, we must reconsider our sources of protein and the impact they have beyond our taste buds.
Ninety-one percent of cleared land in the Amazon is for the production of the lucrative bovine. And the meatpacking industry continues to use slash and burn methods of agriculture to clear oxygen-rich rainforests of their biodiversity and turn them into barren fields for agriculture, causing desertification. Burning down trees releases all of the carbon dioxide they have absorbed into the air in addition to the carbon produced by the fires. The meatpacking industry is accountable for two times the amount of pollutants (including methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide) than all of American industrial sources.
Still craving a beef patty? Not only does the production of beef result in soil erosion and desertification, but it also affects the air and water. Each one-fourth pound of burger meat requires the destruction of about 165 pounds of living matter and the production of one mere burger requires six square yards of precious jungle and 2,500 gallons of water. According to BBC’s documentary “How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth,” 70% of the planet is comprised of water, of which only one percent is available for human use. A whopping seventy percent of water consumed globally is hoarded for agriculture.
And, our largest water source — the ocean — holds approximately 1.3 billion cubic kilometers of water, while representing more than 99% of the Earth’s biosphere. Although these numerals are incomprehensible in nature, that fact alone is the best indicator for the overwhelming vastness that is our ocean. Its sheer size may lead many to believe that it’s too large to be affected by pollution, absorbing anything we throw into it, making it seemingly immune to the disease we’ve become. But, the truth is that we are killing our ocean, and at an alarming rate. We’ve all heard of the 2010 BP oil spill, which caused 206 million gallons of oil to seep into the Gulf of Mexico, wreaking havoc on the ecosystem and labeling an area of 80 miles as the “kill zone.” But, many of us haven’t been exposed to the destruction of overfishing — a crime often overlooked.
Due to overwhelming demand, (ahem, your weekly sushi fix), we catch more than 600% of the recommended amount of fish that we should be catching in order to recover, and that’s just bluefish. How is a travesty like this being overlooked? Maybe it has something to do with a superpower like Mitsubishi controlling 40% of the bluefish industry. It is predicted that if we remain on this path, continuing our insatiable ways, most seafood will be gone by the year 2048.
Evidently, big businesses have made little effort to grind unsustainability in its tracks. Only two thousand companies worldwide are considered “socially responsible” because they actually attempt to address the insufficient resources for Earth’s growing population. Meagan, a university junior, says, “I actually only buy Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, not only because they have the best flavors ever (Phish Food!), but because I know their practices are super sustainable.”
Ben and Jerry’s mission statement says its goals are “To operate the company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in society by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally and internationally” as well as staying true to “incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment.”
On December 5, 2015, Ben and Jerry’s announced that they have “instituted our own tax of $10 USD (or €10) for every metric ton of our greenhouse gas emissions, from farm to landfill. A carbon tax puts a price on all forms of carbon pollution, driving down the use of fossil fuels while providing revenue to advance efficiency and cleaner, greener technologies.” Inspired by the UN Climate Summit in Paris that took place from November 30 through December 11, 2015, Ben and Jerry’s has clearly taken measures to reduce emissions.
And their efforts don’t stop there. Consumer goods maker Unilever, which also owns Ben and Jerry’s, reported on November 27th, 2015 that it will “switch to using only renewable energy by 2030 and would stop using energy from coal by 2020” (Reuters.com).
Beyond that, the world as a whole has been acknowledging our planet’s rising temperature. The UN Climate Summit conferences, where 196 countries met for the 21st time to discuss climate change and how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally, have just ended, and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to hearing the results as much as looking forward to discovering what will become of Earth’s future.
The first step in beginning to make global changes is to acknowledge that the Earth’s resources are depleting daily. According to BuzzFeed, “The Arctic might see ice-free summers by 2070, and farm output worldwide would be cut by 25% due to warming.” Since the Industrial Revolution, businesses, technology, and the economy overall have accelerated immeasurably; unfortunately, that positive increase has a direct correlation with the increase of Earth’s climate and its decrease in resources. We must be aware of the facts before us in order to take the next initiative — to become socially responsible, which involves acknowledging what we do in our society as well as how it affects other societies, local and global. This includes choosing to buy from sustainable companies, such as Ben and Jerry’s.
In order to implement this citizenship reform, Lilly, a college senior, says, “Government and big businesses must take control in order to influence the masses, and when the masses make changes, that will be the beginning of acknowledging our mistakes and reciprocating for them.”
Surely, if our government and big businesses would redesign the tax system and market so that the cheapest product would be the best product for the company, customer, and the environment, we would have a much more environmentally-friendly society. Lilly also believes, “Our next president should implement taxes on products that reflect costs to the air, water, soil, pollution/waste/toxicity, worker health, and future generations. I get that the taxes we pay go towards maintenance like fixing roads, among other things, but what about repairing the actual planet we live on?”
“Our next president should implement taxes on products that reflect costs to the air, water, soil, pollution/waste/toxicity, worker health, and future generations. I get that the taxes we pay go towards maintenance like fixing roads, among other things, but what about repairing the actual planet we live on?”
As truly active citizens and the voices of the future, we must participate in crimes of dissent by choosing to buy only from sustainable companies, and end overconsumption, so the Earth’s future generations may have a chance at life. We must awaken from our American dream in order to become socially and environmentally conscious citizens as intrinsic visions of a green and healthy environment ideally replace the greed for a lavishly wasteful life.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was the Chairperson of the UN Climate Summit, believes, “We are nearly there. I’m optimistic” (BBC).
