Since no one is to do it,we could add a monetary incentive for people to collect garbage and trash off the environment

I like this idea and am very curious how you would implement such an idea. I know it is very expensive to recycle which is counter to how it should be, so giving people an incentive through recycling or collecting trash is a good idea. You could even allow a reward for those that are unhoused to collect trash and bring it to a location so they can recieve some sort of monetary reward.

That inspired me to want to tell my city council about this because not only will this help the cities look great it would get the people going because who doesn't like money, most people do so this is a great idea.

I really like the idea of cleaning up our world. Whenever I see a piece of trash I pick it up and put it away in the trash or wherever it belongs. If we all do this, this will lead to a nicer and just better world.

It has become a shock to me how much the effects of having pesticides used on your lawn care can negatively affect the environment around you. Especially, if your home or business is near a body of water because the pesticides used on your lot will eventually end up in that water which can cause a huge problem like algae or other environmental issues. The website I have provided in this post can give you excellent information of the dangers and pros of pesticides on your lawn care.

https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/law … den#safely

It shocked me as well, we need to find better ways to take care of our lawns that do not affect the environment in such harmful ways. We really need to start being more cautious especially when it comes to our water sources since our Earth is mainly made up of water.

Thanks for this info i never really thought about how lawn care products can affect the local environment I will think about what we use in our yards next time

In densely populated urban areas, waste reduction and recycling are crucial for managing environmental impact and improving public health. Cities with large populations generate vast amounts of waste, putting immense pressure on landfills and waste disposal systems. By implementing robust recycling programs and encouraging waste reduction, urban centers can significantly decrease the volume of waste sent to landfills, conserving valuable space and reducing methane emissions. This not only lowers the environmental footprint but also creates economic opportunities through the recycling industry, providing jobs and promoting a circular economy. In high-density cities, reducing single-use plastics, expanding composting initiatives, and incentivizing businesses to adopt sustainable packaging can help mitigate waste. Moreover, with a large population to educate and engage, city-wide efforts can cultivate a culture of sustainability, inspiring residents to adopt long-term habits that reduce consumption and waste.
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics

Environmental pollution is a very negative thing that affects the entire planet sooner or later, for example animals, humans, landscapes, forests.
If we do not end them in the future we would not be able to live on our planet due to so much pollution.

I agree with you, but I think that there are more details that you can bring to the surface. Humans are the main cause of environmental pollution. Our everyday tasks and everyday routines pollute the environment. Some examples of this are, bonfires, eating not organic meats, phone usage, and clothes that we wear that are produced in factories. But, we can do better with these things in the future. Some things that we can do to reduce environmental pollution are eating more vegetation foods, turning off lights when we don't need them on, trying our best to conserve energy, and not buying things from huge industries. Those are only some of the things we can do to make environmental justice, save animals, landscapes, and forests from what we are doing to ourselves.

I agree. If we don't stop polluting, there will be no future or a future with little to no resources for us humans to depend on. Yet, there are still many factories, vehicles, and whatever else is causing pollution that is still causing pollution. I think people should take action and think about what we can do to lower our pollution rates.

I agree with you! Firstly, it directly impacts our health. Air pollution, for instance, can lead to respiratory issues, heart disease, and even cancer. When we’re inhaling toxic chemicals or toxic matter, it’s like we’re inviting a host of health issues into our lives. Pollution disrupts natural habitats and endangers wildlife. When species struggle to survive, it throws off entire ecosystems.Healthy ecosystems provide essential services, like clean air and water, pollination of crops, and climate regulation.

Did you know that progress in women’s political participation remains slow. According to my research on the UN Sustainable Development goals... In local governments, the participation was higher at 35.5% as of 1 January 2023. While global employment sees nearly 40% representation from women, they only held 27.5% of management positions in 2022, a notable decrease from 28.5% in 2021.

Ever since I was little it would always amaze me how careless people could be; throwing their junk into the ocean. Don't they know there are living creatures living there? But let's be honest we have all made mistakes before this however cannot be an excuse to keep on repeating the same ones. We as of right now must stand up for our oceans. Turtles suffocating on plastic bags and sharks getting trapped in old fishing nets are just not right. Why do we have to be so cruel when they did nothing wrong? Hope is still not lost, we can change. But all it takes is a step, a step that everyone can make, a step that can be so powerful it can change millions of lives underwater. So please next time you feel an urge to throw your trash on the ground, remember the animals you will be hurting, the ecosystem that is slowly declining.

yes i agree with your opinion because when i go surfing i can see a lot of trash and it didn't make me feel good. I can't understand why can't people make an effort to throw trash in the trashcan. I thought that with the new technology we would have better lives in 2023.

I also think that we have to help save our planet through not polluting our precious oceans. We have to live together with our animals and not against them. We can do this through using our trash cans to the best of our abilities. If we do not see any trash cans around, we have to hold onto the trash until we can get rid of it wisely. Another way we can help our oceans is by helping to pick up trash around them. There are many organizations that are focused around helping to clean the ocean and pick up as much trash as possible in a day. One of these organizations is The Ocean Cleanup. This organization is a non-profit that has the main goal of cleaning up to 90% of the oceans floating plastic pollution.

This statement is something I can definitely agree with. I feel for sea life because they receive a lot of harm to their ecosystems. People dump lots of trash either not knowing or not caring about how much they're dumping into the ocean. Also, another harmful thing to sea life is oil. there are lots of reports about how oil is damaging sea ecosystems.

I think we should start taking care of our planet by not throwing our trash on the floor and start recycling for a healthier environment.

Sustainability is a principle in life that helps me to be more responsible with natural resources and to keep the living environment as healthy as possible!?✨??

It is preferable to recycle all plastic bottles to store detergents or soaps

Yes,It's a very good idea!In my country there are special containers for recycling cans

Hey!?
I will try to save natural resources like turn off the lights that I don't need,turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth,and more else.
I'm also going to start a journal,where I will be responsible about the natural resources!??
What about you?

I’m trying to recycle to stop polluting with thousands of plastic cans

Keep the environment clean for a healthy life!

Don't leave the water running while you are brushing your teeth,just turn it off and use it when you really need it.

Today I had to do an assignment in class and it was about reducing carbon footprint. All day I have been thinking what to do, that's when I thought of it. Do you know how much plastic is being used and thrown away each and every day due to school lunch trays. For this fact I think we should start using reusable lunch trays. The reusable lunch trays will basically just be a materials we can use over and over again for lunch hints the name reusable lunch tray.

Today I had to do an assignment in class and it was about reducing carbon footprint. All day I have been thinking what to do, that's when I thought of it. Do you know how much plastic is being used and thrown away each and every day due to school lunch trays. For this fact I think we should start using reusable lunch trays. The reusable lunch trays will basically just be a material we can use over and over again for lunch hints the name reusable lunch tray. According to cafeteriaculture.org which did an estimation of New York's schools. They found out that NYC public schools throw away 850,000 styrofoam trays a day. All together about 80 trays per foot adding up to a whomping 2 miles high, if stacked on top of each other. They found out that this is 8.5 times the height of the empire state building. It is important to know that this is all just in one day in just one city. Now just imagine how much more this problem would be weekly. Around 4,250,000 styrofoam trays a school week. Now if you take this and use 80 trays per foot, you get 10 miles of styrofoam trays a week that get thrown away. If your worried people won't be interested in helping, a lot of people will be willing to partake in using reusable lunch trays. “We created giant NO-STYRO data PUPPETS, each made of 500 used and washed lunch trays. We took the puppets all over NYC and to City Hall. People laughed first, then heard our story of toxic and polluting styrene foam and were inspired to take action!” STYROFOAM OUT OF SCHOOLS. By reducing the amount of styrofoam thrown away it can help bring justice for the environment by eliminating the amount of trash around the world. Styrofoam also when broken down can be easily mistaken as food for smaller marine animals. This will help the environment in the long term along with other ideas that the new younger generation has, which can help keep the earth going for a long time. https://www.cafeteriaculture.org/foam-t … hools.html

I have seen some videos of 'school lunches around the world' and I noticed that some of them had metal lunch trays. I wonder how easy that would be to integrate into US schools. It seems like it might be expensive to make and install a way to clean them. Is that what you meant by reusable lunch trays?

In my school we are still using throw aways cardboard trays. However i think it would be much more efficient if they used metal or plastic trays. This will lower carbon foot print and save money for other things in the school that provide for students. It may cost a bit to clean but i feel like they could make profit not after a long time.

many people still use plastic bags for their lunches. we should only be using things we can wash and use again for lunches,

I strongly agree because if we use reusable it costs less money and it also helps use less waste for one use trays and it helps the enviornment because there will be way less waste environment

In our school, we have paper trays that get recycled, as in our old school we had reusable ones. The thing with the reusable ones was the staff washes them, but there is still things on it which can be concerning.

At my old school in 5th and 4th grade we switch to metal trays/reusable and we had way less trash!

At my old elementary school we partnered with a company that helps schools get metal lunch trays and utensils. Sadly, I cannot remember the name of the company. The lunch trays were really cool, and made of metal so we could wash them. After you were done with lunch you would put the tray and utensils in a bin and the school would take them to a company that cleans the utensils and trays for schools. I highly recommend talking to your principal about this. With some hard work and lots of determination this can become a reality.

my school uses paper trays at my house we use only glass but my school only uses paper every day their are thousands of paper trays cause they use more trays for the food so they have double trays for each person if you ask me that's a lot of paper used in one day alone

Environmental justice is a critical movement that seeks to address the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on marginalized communities. Often, low-income neighborhoods and communities of color bear the brunt of pollution, hazardous waste, and climate change effects, while lacking adequate resources to combat these issues. This inequity stems from historical injustices and systemic racism, where decision-making processes often exclude the voices of those most affected. Advocating for environmental justice involves promoting equitable access to clean air, water, and green spaces, as well as empowering communities to participate in environmental policymaking. By addressing these disparities, we can foster healthier environments and create a more just and sustainable future for all, ensuring that every individual has the right to live in a safe and thriving ecosystem.

People should stop littering and throwing their junk such as plastic bags on the ground whenever they are done with the snack they just ate. They should rather stop being lazy and throw their waste in the trashbin. Saving the community from pollution by doing a simple act of consideration should not be too much of a hassle.

I think we can all agree that littering is bad and I don't think anyone would disagree with out on that. I think that there a multiple causes of littering and pollution, but while the are related, they are kind of two different things. I think of littering as something like dropping a wrapper on the ground, and I think of pollution as a more serious and company controlled issue. So, I do agree with you, but I think that pollution is a little bit different.

I agree with you conner however I think it needs to be treated the same in order to truly stop it

I completely agree that littering is a significant issue that can be easily addressed through simple actions. It’s frustrating to see people carelessly discard plastic bags and other waste, especially when taking a moment to throw it in a trash bin makes such a big difference. Littering not only harms our communities but also impacts the environment in numerous ways. Each small act of consideration can contribute to a cleaner and healthier space for everyone. Encouraging a culture of responsibility around waste disposal is crucial. We all have a role to play in keeping our surroundings clean, and it really shouldn’t be too much to ask.

More people need to be educated on Climate Change. The fact that so many people still doesn't believe it is real is insane.

One major habitat that is hugely impacted by an increase in temperatures is the coral reef. These groups of reefs serve as home to many incredibly diverse species. However, as the ocean temperatures rise due to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the corals go through a process called "bleaching." Corals have a symbiotic relationship with a kind of single-celled dinoflagellate called zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae live inside the corals, giving them their vibrant colors and energy through photosynthesis while the corals protect the organisms. As the temperature of the ocean rises, the corals experience stress due to the shift in their environment, leading them to release the zooxanthellae. This rids them of their beautiful colors (hence the "bleaching" part) and their main source of food. So, as these corals starve and eventually die, all of the organisms that rely on the reefs as a habitat are also affected, effectively destroying an entire ecosystem. When such an important ecosystem is impacted so strongly, the rest of the world will be affected in some way, so it is vital that coral bleaching is stopped and measures are put in place to protect the reefs and other environments affected by climate change.

I agree, coral bleaching is a very serious problem impacting our oceans, and there needs to be action to fight the massive disruptions to coral reef ecosystems. For example, many species are getting pushed out of coral reef ecosystems or having to adapt to their changing habitats. Invasive species, like lionfish, are also becoming a problem in these habitats. Research by NOAA outlines the effects of invasive lionfish on coral reefs and how they add to the stress of coral reefs.

There is clearly a correlation between the two situations. in 1980 NOAA recorded an average ocean surface temperature of 0.25 degrees celsius. In 2022 the recorded an average of around 0.7 degrees celsius. Below is an image comparing images from the Great Barrier Reef from 1980 to 2020.
[img]file:///C:/Users/Findley/Downloads/338_2021_2144_Fig1_HTML.pdf[/img]

I agree save the ocean we need to stop coral bleaching and protect are ecosystem

Hi my name is Henry today i would like to discuss why oil is bad for our environment. Oil was first discover around the 600BC by the Chinese at first it was mainly use to transport bamboo as time changed the first car invented around the second world war that was when oil was start being use for automobile. Till today oil is one of the main fuel use for cars, but even though its a great fuel for cars but did you know that oil can actually damage the environment based on a article written by the World Wildlife Fund organization they state that Oil and gas operations could release many tons of harmful pollutants into the air and discharge dangerous chemicals into the water, thereby degrading the clean air and water. Not only that it will damage the environment but the toxic effects of inhaling vapors and ingesting oil when grooming or feeding can cause animals sick therefore i believe that using oil is damaging our environment.

By Henry
Heres a video from youtube about this discussing i will post down here

Hi Henry, I hope that companies could stop using oil but unfortunately for this time, it is like a fantasy story being told to small children. Big companies would die not to stop oil production since you would get lots and lots of money. But what happens if there is no Earth to earn that money? Do companies think that far into the future? Adults now only think about their life now, not about our life as Gen Z or Gen Alpha. They will life a life with luxury and air to breathe but for us, dirt and air hard to breathe. Adults only created Covid, not us as children. They are the reason why the only home we have is at risk. But, adults are hard to control, especially since the “Golden Rule” says respect your “eLdErS”.

I completely agree with this statement. Companies using oil is causing tons of pollution to our Earth. Companies nowadays are thinking about saving money, making profit, and thinking about current times. Thankfully many companies are starting to turn from gas cars to electric cars. Many companies are thinking making their cost cheaper and making high profit, using gas now are more efficient and cost saving for many tools. But it is pretty hard to get companies to start going to electric

I agree that oil is bad for the environment.

Hi Henry, I agree what you said. Although oil is a conventional source, it still caused a lot of damage to our world. People should start taking this seriously and take actions too. Like, understand how it impacts out world and know what you can help.

Every year, people throughout the world commemorate Earth Day to show support for environmental conservation. Earth Day inspires people to come together and take action in favor of a healthier world and a better future by serving as a global reminder of the importance of environmental sustainability and conservation. How can you support our house in any way? Here are a few easy ways we can all do our part to improve the planet. We have the option to take part in beach clean-ups and donate to companies who recycle plastic to make bags, chairs, and even tables (Enviro Tech Winder recycling)! Even the simplest actions can have the greatest impact on our world such as bringing your bags when you go shopping and using reusable water bottles instead of buying plastic ones in the supermarket. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, about 5 trillion plastic bags are used by Americans each year. This ends up with about over one trillion plastic bags in the ocean. Imagine all the animals suffering and ending up dead because they're thinking that the plastic bags are jellyfish due to the way they move. Earth Day is just a friendly reminder that the earth is polluted with tons of trash and that it is our responsibility to take care of it and help clean it up.

YES YES YES! All schools these days should 100 percent get a compost bin for the cafeteria, cause just think of all the uneaten food and where it's going out into the world.

I totally agree. Compost bin in cafeteria is one way that students can participating in helping the environment. Here are some advantages that I found online. To begin with, approximately 84% of food waste from restaurants is disposed of in the garbage, according to a research on restaurant food waste done by the Business for Social Responsibility. Composting not only stops this percentage from rising, but it also has positive effects on the environment. The absence of synthetic chemical fertilizers in compost is the largest advantage for the environment. We consume these chemicals when they are employed in the soil to cultivate fruits and vegetables. Additionally, when it rains, synthetic fertilizers wash away and harm local species. Composting produces healthier produce and has less of an adverse impact on the environment than chemical fertilizers.

I Agree with you. I know someone who works as a school lunch server and they have told me about how much food is wasted because all they do with the excess food is throw it in the trash. I believe schools, restaurants, and other places with lots of food shouldn't throw away unused food but give it away to people in need. They could do many things like give it to charities or serve it to the homeless, or even put it in to a compost bin. In conclusion people in general should try their best to avoid wasting food and if they can give some to people in need.

I totally agree with you. I like the idea of having compost bin for the cafeteria. In my last school we had compost in the school yard. I think that every school (and all the places that produce a lot of food) should have it because a lot of food goes to waste. Composting also has a positive impact on the environment.

Students who live in an urban center know less about composting. Examples of good practice could be integrated into their everyday life.
The coordination of specific activities would contribute to the integration of these behaviors that will have a finality in a more or less near future. EDUCATION makes the difference

I totally agree with you. I think that is a great idea because lots of food gets thrown away. Compost bin in cafeterias can have positive impact on the environment.

Compost bins are one of the great options for buildings and companies to take a bit of climate initiative. One of the big issues in schools though is that children don’t sort their waste properly. To combat this we can educate them earlier on little ways they can make change, and push for compostable utensils and plates.

Very true, I think composting is a great way to reuse the food we don’t eat. Also home gardens could be a great way to implement compost and get fresh food out to everyone.

I think that in order to make our energy more clean that we need to advocate for more solar panels and other clean energy sources like wind turbines.

Cons of cattle farming-

Contributes about 11%–17% of global greenhouse gas emissions
.methane and nitrous oxide released from digestion
.land use and conversion and desertification
.vast amount of food and resources being consumed
.1,800 gallons of water per pound of beef produced.

The costs of the cattle industry greatly outweigh any benefits in my opinion. It takes up massive plots of land while producing minimal meat. There are a lot more climate friendly options, like Guinea pigs that take up a lot less space and resources. Alternatively, you can pick a vegetarian or vegan diet.

6

I think that sustainability can come naturally to those who can't go around tossing money down the drain. I find families with less money tend to use items that would otherwise go in the garbage or find creative solutions that don't involve buying more products. For example: reusing Ziploc bags, using plastic bags as garbage bags, using bread bags to store food in the fridge, keeping plastic takeout cutlery and containers and unused condiment packets. I can't imagine most of the ultra-rich do this as well.

I definitely agree with this, I think being in the upper middle class, I don't tend to see the luxuries of having unlimited supplies of single use practice but having that never ending supply makes reusing it seem not necessary which causes me to use more. I think it hard to get this through the upper classes head, the thought of finding alternate uses for what they see as "garbage" would probably go against their lifestyle which most have been taught their entire lives.

Instead of throwing your plastic away after the very first use, you could reuse it, like plastic water bottles, plastic containers, etc, and when you are done using them, you could recycle them and take them to a local plastic recycling place.

I agree we should reuse plastic and recycle it when we cant anymore. Though I wonder how much of the plastic actually gets reused when we recycle it.

I agree. Also, I recognized as a German that more countries should start separating their trash. Most of people just throw everything together, but we should separate plastic, glass, and paper so we can reuse them.

Plastic recycling is so beneficial to our environment, in more ways than one. Recycling our plastic means we won’t have to keep filling up the landfills with plastic that could be reused and reduced.  Reducing our trash in the landfills also means, we reduce how much of it ends up in the oceans, streets, homes, etc. Being able to reuse the trash helps us with keeping out landfills and the environment even cleaner.
--Triniti Tikoi

I believe that there should be more regulations on recycling certain products in order to have a reason for people to recycle instead of leaving trash and plastic on streets that eventually ends up in the ocean and ultimately killing innocent sea creatures.

I agree that if we are going to use plastic we should reuse it and then recycle it when it can't be used anymore, but it would be better to buy reusable containers/water bottles than plastic.

I agree with you. I recycle trash at home. Plastic is a big problem for our environment. I try to reuse plastic because it takes a long time to dissapear, but I don't use plastic as much as I used to. I try to replace plastic items with cloth or paper ones. I also agree with the idea od buying more reusable containers than plastic.
Recycling is not difficult, it takes a very short time, but it helps the environment in a positive way.

I agree. I think we should recycle and reuse plastic as much as possible. Also, it is important to recycle plastic at home too. We should reduce the use of plastic bags and water bottles by buying the reusable ones instead. That can also have a positive impact on the environment and sea animals.

I totally agree, we need to reduce the amount of plastic in the world and that isn't possible if we are taking in more plastic every day. One of the solutions is recycling, but we could also use some other sources except plastics in every day life, we already have paper bags, we could maybe use glass bottles for milk and refill them, instead of buying new plastic packages of milk every time. Or maybe use paper packages for products that don't need to be wrapped in plastic.

We need to recycle in order to reduce the amount of waste we create and save natural resources like water and energy. By recycling, materials don't need to be produced anew, which means that the need for extracting new raw materials from nature is reduced, thus reducing our negative impact on the environment.

You would have to get rid of most plastic waste it would save money and the environment would be better off. Many people do not know that plastic not only harms animals and the enviroment, but also us humans. Everyone has plastic in their blood.

I agree with this statement. Recycling could be very positive to the earth and its many environments. The start of mass recycling could also help with dying animals such as see turtles. Not only is plastic dangerous but so are the bottle caps on the bottles. We should definitely invest in a recycling bin for our house. Take care of our earth!

I agree that it’s a great idea to reuse plastic water bottles and containers. While recycling is great, depending on your city, not everything you put in the recycling actually gets recycled, in fact, a lot of it ends up in the landfill. So if you can find a way to reuse plastic waste, choose that over recycling.

The destruction of resources and open land is a waste of time for everyone. Why build a giant supercomplex on good farmland when you can build good things, like a farm, or an animal shelter, or a hospital. New buildings that go up these days that are not for good things are all just a waste of space. In further, all of the open spaces that are condemned or not being used for anything should be developed into good things, as mentioned before, like hospitals, animal shelters, and homeless shelters.

You say that the "destruction of resources and open land is a waste" but what exactly are we wasting here? I agree that the destruction of natural habitats are most certainly awful and should be discouraged. But in highly populated urban areas tearing down an old house or other building is not necessarily a waste of space/resources. You mentioned lots of helpful buildings we could build instead of a complex like a hospital or an animal shelter, and don't get my wrong those are wonderful ideas. But if we look more closely at what exactly is needed in developing countries and even fully developed countries that have a poverty/overpopulation issue I feel we could use that space more affectively building affordable housing for struggling families. Or taking it a step further and building eco friendly housing. This is good for the environment and helps with poverty. Saying that what each urban area needs will differ wherever you look; so it could definitely be more useful to build a hospital like you suggested, prime ideas will vary in different communities.

Wealthy countries such as the United States and Canada contribute to climate change much further than poverty-stricken countries do so. This is because of the rapid industrialization, deforestation, and energy overuse that the US and Canada partake in, disrupting the carbon cycle and causing more carbon to be released into the atmosphere. However, although large and wealthy countries's carbon emission are above others, the consequences to their actions have a profound effect on poverty-stricken or poor countries of the world. Countries that are unable to defend themselves against the harsh effects of climate change (unpredictable weather patterns, rising temperatures, loss of wildlife and biodiversity) are the countries that have to pay the price for our privileged negligence. I believe that wealthy countries that evidently put less-fortunate countries in a dangerous situation with the environment should be held accountable, and asked to help people and communities affected by the consequences of their actions.

Wealthy countries such as the United States and Canada contribute to climate change much further than poverty-stricken countries do so. This is because of the rapid industrialization, deforestation, and energy overuse that the US and Canada partake in, disrupting the carbon cycle and causing more carbon to be released into the atmosphere. However, although large and wealthy countries's carbon emission are above others, the consequences to their actions have a profound effect on poverty-stricken or poor countries of the world. Countries that are unable to defend themselves against the harsh effects of climate change (unpredictable weather patterns, rising temperatures, loss of wildlife and biodiversity) are the countries that have to pay the price for our privileged negligence. I believe that wealthy countries that evidently put less-fortunate countries in a dangerous situation with the environment should be held accountable, and asked to help people and communities affected by the consequences of their actions.

I believe that in richer countries (ie. countries that have high GDPs), the wealthy should be held responsible for their impacts on the environment. Where I'm from in the US, the wealthy often live very extravagant lifestyles, flying quite frequently, buying new cars, and using massive amounts of energy with little regard for others, not just in the US but in a larger sense, the world. Despite having the money to purchase more climate-friendly alternatives (which are often quite expensive), they squander their money on trendy brands to help fit in with the other wealthy individuals. I think that because of this the wealthy in richer nations should be taxed an environmental tax to help make up for their large carbon footprints and possibly to make them reflect on their use of resources. They should be assessed by a government official who is sent to their house and notes the appliances they use. The government official should also ask them about their flying habits or how often they leave the lights on, questions that help to create a more accurate reflection of their carbon footprint. They should be placed into tax brackets with those who have higher carbon footprints being taxed more and those who have lower carbon footprints being taxed less. I think that if this were implemented in countries with high GDPs, that the wealthy would start switching their lifestyles to be more eco-friendly to avoid taxing. Additionally, since people often want to emulate the wealthy, if the wealthy began using eco-friendly alternatives to products and trying to reduce their carbon footprints, ordinary people may follow which could cause a large decline in carbon footprints everywhere.

There are many reasons why we should help people in poverty without making the climate crisis worse.  Here are a few:
- Moral obligation: We have a moral obligation to help those who are less fortunate than us, especially those who are living in poverty.  This obligation is even greater when we consider that the climate crisis is largely caused by the actions of wealthy countries, and that people in poverty are disproportionately affected by its impacts.
- Human rights: Everyone has the right to a decent standard of living, and this includes access to food, water, shelter, healthcare, and education.  Climate change is making it more difficult for people in poverty to access these basic necessities.  By helping to reduce poverty and address climate change, we can help to ensure that everyone can enjoy their human rights.
In addition to the above reasons, helping people in poverty without making the climate crisis worse can boost economies.  Investing in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and other sustainable development initiatives can create jobs, boost economic growth, and improve the quality of life for everyone.

Here are some ways to help people in poverty without making the climate crisis worse, according to the World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org

- Invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency.  This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs in the clean energy sector.
- Support sustainable agriculture and forestry practices.  This will help to reduce deforestation and soil erosion, and improve food security for people in poverty.
- Provide access to clean water and sanitation.  This will help to reduce the spread of disease and improve the health of people in poverty.
- Invest in education and healthcare.  This will help people in poverty to develop the skills and knowledge they need to improve their lives and adapt to climate change.
- Promote gender equality and women's empowerment.  Women are often disproportionately affected by poverty and climate change, so it is important to ensure that they have equal access to resources and opportunities.

Let me know if I missed any ideas so far

Unfortunately most of my footprint was caused by my travel because I move around a lot. this was still happening even though I bike to school everyday. I don't know how to lower this, anybody have suggestions?

Ways you can reduce your carbon emissions is recycling, reduce meat and dairy consumption, reduce a/c use, and compost.

My carbon footprint was affected most because of the food I ate. As well as the driving my family does for me on a daily basis. The simple way to get around transportation is probably for me to carpool more with others or possibly take the bus to school. Which I plan to do, but next year. Un.org says that eating plant-based foods can help you reduce the greenhouse gas emissions you put in the world. This website also provides a chart that provides evidence for this claim. Another way that you can change your food intake is to eat homegrown food since it takes down the emissions that go into the air when you have to transport the food to your local market or to your house. Other ways to change your carbon footprint is to use a more natural heating and cooling system such as opening the window when you are hot or putting a blanket or more clothes on when you are cold. Also having an electric car helps with transportation as well as many other electric devices. Overall our daily lives can change massively to affect our carbon footprints in an eco-friendly way.

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/sci … ed%20foods.

Lowering your carbon footprint is a great way to reduce emissions. Since there aren't a lot of collective actions being made, individual actions can positively affect the carbon in the air and help reduce it.

I agree, just our daily lives can affect our carbon footprint. Just driving to and back from school is releasing carbon into the air, and increasing the rate of climate change. Being aware of our actions can help to bring down the amount of carbon in the air.

Even the efforts that seem small that you are able to do, play a big role in reducing your emissions into the air. Any effort is actually a huge part into helping climate change.

Environmental equality means larger, wealthy countries need to support smaller countries in the fight against climate change. Wealthy countries such as the United States produce the majority of carbon emissions, but the climate change that this causes disproportionately affects poorer countries. This is obviously extremely unfair, and it needs to change. The United States, and other wealthy countries, need to step up their game.

Wildlife conservation and climate action are often viewed as distinct environmental concerns, but they are intricately interconnected. It is widely recognized that addressing climate change is crucial for preserving global wildlife populations. However, the converse is also true: wildlife conservation plays a vital role in regulating our climate. By safeguarding wildlife, we contribute to the preservation of our planet, including ourselves. At present, Earth is undergoing its sixth mass extinction event, primarily caused by human activities and the subsequent increase in global temperatures. According to the WWF Living Planet Report 2022, within a span of less than 50 years, the world has witnessed a staggering decline of 69% in mammal, fish, bird, reptile, and amphibian populations. The presence of a diverse array of life on our planet is pivotal for its well-being. Biodiversity ensures that all species collaborate within their respective ecosystems, maintaining a delicate equilibrium that sustains life.
www.worldwildlife.org.

Environmental Justice has been growing throughout the past couple years. People have realized the importance of it, and are starting to spread the world and do things to try and make an impact on it. It has gained the attention of important people like presidents or famous people. This had led to presidents passing laws, singers making songs, new movies and documentaries releasing, and many others to gather more awareness to hopefully eliminate a good amount of things hurting out earth. According a-z-animals, approximately 55k to 73k species go extinct every year. There are many other problems regarding the environment, and we have to make a change now in our lifestyles before it is too late.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viimfQi_pUw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvuN_WvF1to
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/how-many-s … -per-year/

There are 6 main reasons that cause climate change.Firstly Burning fossil fuels to provide power and heat accounts for a sizable portion of world emissions. Burning coal, oil, or gas still provides the majority of electricity generation. A little over a quarter of the world's electricity is generated by renewable energy sources including wind, solar, and other natural resources. Secondly, Carbon from manufacturing and industry are mostly the result of burning fossil fuels to create energy for the production of items like clothing, electronics, plastics, cement, iron, and steel. Some products, including plastics, are manufactured from chemicals made from fossil fuels, as are many of the machines used in manufacturing. Thirdly Cutting down forests to make way for ranches, farms, or for other purposes increases pollution because when trees fall down, the stored carbon is released. Around twelve million hectares of forest are burned yearly. A percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions are caused by deforestation, along with farming and other changes in land use. Fourthly Fossil fuels are typically used to power cars, trucks, ships, and airplanes. As a result, releases of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, are greatly affected by transportation. However, pollution from ships and aircraft are still rising. The majority of carbon dioxide pollution related to energy come from transportation.Fifthly In addition to cutting down trees and clearing land for farming and eating by cows and sheep, production and use of manure and fertile soil for growing crops, and the use of energy to run farm machinery or fishing boats, typically with fossil fuels, all impact the production of food, which results in pollution of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases. Due to all of this, food production plays an important part in climate change. Finally, more than half of all electricity is used to power homes and businesses. They continue to produce a significant quantity of greenhouse gases since they use coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and cooling. Energy-related carbon dioxide pollution from buildings have increased over the past few years as a result of rising energy demand for heating and cooling, rising air conditioner ownership, and increased electricity use for lighting and connected devices. 
Resources:
-https://www.epa.gov/climatechange-science/causes-climate-change
-https://climate.ec.europa.eu/climate-change/causes-climate-change_en
-https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/climate-change/causes-of-climate-change

Wildlife conservation and climate action are often considered as separate environmental issues, but the two are utterly intertwined. We know that combatting climate change helps save wildlife populations around the globe, but the reverse is also true: Wildlife conservation plays an essential role in regulating our climate. By saving wildlife, we help save the planet, including ourselves.Today, the earth is experiencing its sixth mass extinction event, driven by human activity and subsequent rising global temperatures. The WWF Living Planet Report 2022 found that, in less than 50 years, the world has lost 69% of all mammal, fish, bird, reptile, and amphibian populations. The presence of an abundant variety of life on earth is critical for the health of our planet. With biodiversity, all species work together within their respective ecosystems to maintain a necessary balance and support life.If we can stop climate change (or soften the blow) we can save the rest of our animal species.
[/url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-wildlife-help-combat-the-climate-crisis]

Wildlife conservation and climate action are often considered as separate environmental issues, but the two are utterly intertwined. We know that combatting climate change helps save wildlife populations around the globe, but the reverse is also true: Wildlife conservation plays an essential role in regulating our climate. By saving wildlife, we help save the planet, including ourselves.Today, the earth is experiencing its sixth mass extinction event, driven by human activity and subsequent rising global temperatures. The WWF Living Planet Report 2022 found that, in less than 50 years, the world has lost 69% of all mammal, fish, bird, reptile, and amphibian populations. The presence of an abundant variety of life on earth is critical for the health of our planet. With biodiversity, all species work together within their respective ecosystems to maintain a necessary balance and support life.If we can stop climate change (or soften the blow) we can save the rest of our animal species.
[/url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-wildlife-help-combat-the-climate-crisis]

Wildlife conservation and climate action are often considered as separate environmental issues, but the two are utterly intertwined. We know that combatting climate change helps save wildlife populations around the globe, but the reverse is also true: Wildlife conservation plays an essential role in regulating our climate. By saving wildlife, we help save the planet, including ourselves.Today, the earth is experiencing its sixth mass extinction event, driven by human activity and subsequent rising global temperatures. The WWF Living Planet Report 2022 found that, in less than 50 years, the world has lost 69% of all mammal, fish, bird, reptile, and amphibian populations. The presence of an abundant variety of life on earth is critical for the health of our planet. With biodiversity, all species work together within their respective ecosystems to maintain a necessary balance and support life.If we can stop climate change (or soften the blow) we can save the rest of our animal species.
[/urlhttps://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-wildlife-help-combat-the-climate-crisis]tag:

Environmental justice refers to the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, in environmental decision-making processes. The concept recognizes that certain communities, often those that are marginalized or disadvantaged, are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards and pollution.

Environmental justice emerged in the United States in the 1980s as a response to the environmental racism that was prevalent in many urban areas. At that time, low-income and minority communities were often located near hazardous waste sites, landfills, and other sources of pollution. They were also more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards such as lead, asbestos, and air pollution.

The environmental justice movement seeks to address these disparities by advocating for policies and practices that prioritize the health and well-being of marginalized communities. This can include strategies such as community-based participatory research, where residents are involved in the research process, and environmental impact assessments that take into account the social and economic impacts of proposed projects.

Environmental justice is important because it recognizes that all people have a right to a healthy environment and that environmental harms should not be borne by some communities more than others. It also acknowledges that environmental issues are often intertwined with social and economic issues, such as poverty and racism, and that solutions to these issues must be multifaceted.

In recent years, the environmental justice movement has gained momentum globally. The United Nations has recognized the importance of environmental justice in achieving sustainable development, and many countries have enacted laws and policies to address environmental disparities. However, much work remains to be done to ensure that all communities are able to live in a healthy and sustainable environment.

In conclusion, environmental justice is an important concept that recognizes the need for fair and equitable treatment of all people in environmental decision-making. By addressing environmental disparities, we can create a more just and sustainable world for all.

I want to add that people with higher incomes have higher carbon footprints so it is upsetting to know that people with lower incomes have to put up with the problems they created. I agree that everyone should make decisions about our environment because they live here too. Also, climate change is an issue that a few people can't just solve it needs everyone to help. We need everyone to agree on what to do and clearly, the decision-making process hasn't been great because CO2 concentration is at the highest it's ever been even dating back to 800,000 years ago. I think that if there wasn't as much exclusion on decisions about our shared Earth we wouldn't be in this place where some damage is irreversible.
Links: https://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu
https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/w … rticle.pdf

First, what exactly is environmental justice? According to the Massachusetts State Government, environmental justice is “based on the principle that all people have a right to be protected from environmental pollution, and to live in and enjoy a clean and healthful environment.” In other words, environmental justice would be achieved in a society in which everybody had access to clean water, healthy air, and healthy food. However, in today’s society we are very far away from this ideal world. Take this example. Stationed along the Mississippi River, there is a so-called “Cancer Alley” full of fossil fuel-burning, and, more importantly, fumes creating power plants. The residents of these areas are predominantly Black and Hispanic. The cancer rate in “Cancer Alley” is 50% higher than the national average. This pattern holds true across the United States. In various military camps, poorer communities, and communities that are predominantly made up of Black, Hispanic, and Native American people, there are much higher cancer and asthma cases and deaths.
Another aspect of environmental justice is representation of the communities that pollution affects the most. For example, in this year’s meeting of the G20, many island nations that are feeling the effects of climate change appealed for changes in global policy. However, the leading powers in these conventions and groups are oftentimes the largest polluters on the planet, who have an economic incentive to keep doing so. In the United States, according to the New York Times, “climate advocacy groups, which are overwhelmingly white, continue to overlook the impact of pollution on communities of color.” This results in these issues being swept under the rug by federal and state governments.
So, why does this all matter? Today, there is more attention on the climate crisis than ever before. However, a vast majority of this attention is on ways to curb the damage down the line, instead of working to mitigate the damage being done now. It is the unfortunate truth that some sacrifices must be made, if we are going to achieve environmental sustainability, and one of the most glaring sacrifices is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Then, and only then, will we be able to secure an equitable and safe future for everybody.

Works Cited:
New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/clim … stice.html
Mass.gov.
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/ob … al-justice
Insider.
https://www.insider.com/environmental-r … tes-2020-8
Tulane University.
https://law.tulane.edu/news/tulane-stud … -each-year

A social movement called environmental justice seeks to end environmental injustice, which exposes underprivileged and marginalized groups to the negative effects of resource exploitation, the disposal of hazardous waste, and other land usage. Environmental injustices continue to occur, some of the worst which have happened over the course of the past few years.
A well-known environmental injustice is the Flint Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan. In 2014, in an effort to reduce costs, the city switched its water supply source to the Flint River, which had a corrosive nature. This decision resulted in the contamination of the drinking water with lead, causing widespread health issues and severe consequences for the predominantly low-income and predominantly African American population of Flint. This crisis highlighted the intersectionality of race, socio-economic status, and environmental factors, as residents faced not only the physical and mental health impacts of lead exposure but also the social and economic challenges of accessing safe and clean water. The Flint water crisis serves as a reminder of the urgent need for environmental justice to ensure that all communities, regardless of their background, have access to a healthy and sustainable environment. A way to promote environmental justice is to become educated on how to recognize environmental injustices and how to contribute to stopping them. Lifting up the voices of the impacted communities is another big must to achieve environmental justice, as more people will become involved once they understand the reality of those facing environmental injustices. The time is now to start doing whatever you can to support the cause of environmental justice.
source: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj … te-change/

We should be more careful and we should care more about our enviroment because while were using so much water, different kinds of foods and such, our enviroment is being more destroyed by a day.

MY PARENTS USE OVER 100,000 POUNDS OF CARBON A YEAR!!!!!!

Mr.Top P, you should consider telling your parents to stop using 100,000 pounds of carbon. This is probably the main problem of climate change. Please stop your parents from producing more carbon.

Mr. Top P, do what Nae Nae said. Do reduce your carbon imprint. Don't single handedly destroy the earth. Save the earth!

When the results of the test came out I remembered myself again how eco-friendly me and my family is and how our community does not have the suitable conditions for an eco city. Scrolling through people's messages on the platform I remember the global problem every year thousand of shipping containers fill with recyclable wastes are exported by well the countries to developing countries this is because it is typically typically cheaper to export waste rather than develop local recycling infrastructures plastic waste or e-waste go legally or illegally each year to Asian or African countries. Est European countries are dumped with garbage from other european countries. Transporting garbage it is useful for some and not for others. It's theoretically and practically normal for developed countries to produce more CO2 and participate more in global warming because if their big corporations but I think they have to recycle their own garbage. The garbage that is illegally brought destroys the ecosystem,the waters ,the animals. Laws have changed but there is still ilegally brought waste. They continue their lives , do not develop enough their own  recycling centres and let some garbage to undeveloped countries.

Maybe you should think about if the people caused it themselve or could it be our system?
Is capitalism really the solution or must we overthrow it?

I think it was mostly a group effort. Not just one person could cause this. You could ask what generation caused climate change, but even that would have an inaccurate answer. If you were asking which species, then yes, definitely humans are the main cause of this global temperature rise. But not just one if us could be the cause for this whole thing.

Humans and the industrialization of the world contributed. However, not all people advanced climate change the same amount. People in poor countries have less resources so they don’t use as much. Where I’m from, the USA, it is rich so a lot of fossil fuels can be bought and burnt.

Humans are the initial starters of climate change. During the industrial revaluation and the invention of combustion engines and the industrialization of the whole world. Together we got our self in to this mess and only together we can get our selfs out.

As time goes on the changing climate is getting worse and worse, and if the majority of the population doesn’t start lowering their carbon footprints it will continue to rise and these mistakes that humans have made time and time again could be leading us in to the next extinction

Yes, humans are the ones responsible. Before the industrialization humans and nature lived in balance.
But now it is a disaster. We are destroying our planet little by little. Some people doesn't realize that climate change is a emergency or they think this problem doesn't concern them. They probably forget planet gives life and that is a miracle.

What caused climate change is manufacturing and industry produce emissions. It's mostly from burning fossil fuels to produce energy for making things like cement, iron, steel, electronics, plastics, clothes and other goods. Another cause of climate change is generating power. Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas causes a large chunk of global emissions. Most electricity is still produced from fossil fuels. Another cause of climate change is cutting down forests to create farms or pastures, or for other reasons, causes emissions, since trees, when they are cut, release the carbon they have been storing. Since forests absorb carbon dioxide, destroying them also limits nature’s ability to keep emissions out of the atmosphere.

sources: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cli … -pollution
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopme … roduction/
https://www.un.org/en/observances/forests-and-trees-day

Well.. when I give it some thought, I end coming to the conclusion that perhaps humans are the one to blame for this problem. Humans and nature coexisted in a more of peaceful life before industrialization, but this no longer seems to be the case. Our Earth is being gradually destroyed by us. It also seems like some people fail to realize the urgency of the climate change crisis.  They undoubtedly overlook the point of how the earth creates life and we should work better to protect it knowing the cause of the climate change crisis is being created by us and our activities that are causing a high rate of greenhouse gasses that later impact the climate change. ( Although I do not support the "overthrow" part..that just causes more conflicts)

I completely agree with all your points, but personally I think corporations and our system caused climate change but then of course systems and corporations are made up of millions of people. Corporations create so much pollution through(if they produce a product) the production, packaging and processes but someone has to say yes to these disruptive processes. and then of course the system endorses what the corporations do or at least do not stop it.

I think that most people in the world do things that contribute to climate change, even if they aren't aware of it. Definitely some more than others. Some of the main groups of people contributing to climate change probably industries. The meat industry, dairy industry, and fast fashions industries contribute to climate change immensely. Mostly the entire human race is to blame and we need to all work together to reverse it.

Who caused climate change shouldn't a question of who, but whom. The answer, you, me, everyone. One of the easiest things to do to reduce your impact on the climate is to reduce your consumption of meat especially beef, which is very carbon intensive by itself not to mention the emission from a single head of cattle produces upwards of 500 litres of methane which is a greenhouse gas 26 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Now multiply that by the number of cattle reared just for consumption in the U.S. which is the equivalent of 3.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide. All of that just produced by one country. What happens when the rest of the world decides to consume the same amount of beef as the U.S. Then what happens?

humans are the cause to climate change and no one is doing anything to help it.

It’s not new information that we harm our environment and earth with the amount of fossil fuels we produce and the lack of care for our actions. Examples of things that show either a lack of care for the environment around us or people not taking a large actions towards are: Deforestation and Recycling/ plastics. According to WWL.org around 17% of the amazon rainforest has been lost in the last 50 years. That also has more questions arise such as “Will that 17% double to become 34% in the next 50 years?” For many people recycling is a everyday thing and for others they tend to stray away from it, but the benefits of recycling things such as plastics is vital for the environments health in the future to reduce things in landfills. There’s multiple issues that the earth will face if we continue to be irresponsible with the environment around us. We can’t keep banking on our ability to reverse it some random year. It will have to be soon otherwise, the effects will only continue to worsen and become more devastating to the environment.

I totally agree! And to find the solution to the increasingly unstable environment and climate, we, as separate people, must begin to work together in solving this critical issue. If nations and people don’t begin to focus on common, major issues like this and stay selfish towards themselves, then we are basically dooming ourselves. We are already the majority cause of these global problems, so we must be the ones to fix them. We are responsible for the damage and therefore the need to save the earth.

I agree. For the climate to go back to what it is supposed to we should slow out advance in certain things. Some engineers are trying to advance technology so fast due to climate change well contributing to it. We as humans have come together before to solve issues with the ozone layer, we can do it again.

Each year we keep getting less and less snow on the east coast and places that don’t normally get snow are just getting more and more. While the west coast is getting batterd with their biggest snow year ever we are having a very underwhelming snow season. This is because of climate change and its causing us to not be able to ski.

Our surroundings serve as both our home and the basis for everything that keeps us alive. It aids in our survival in a variety of ways, including providing us with food, water, air, shelter, and other necessities. Therefore, preserving the environment should come naturally to all of us. If we don't protect our environment and do not give them as much care as they need, not only it would affect the climate, but it would also affect humans as well as wildlife. So it is important to take good care of our environment.

I completely agree. We should protect our environment at all costs, but sadly we are going down a very rocky path, and not much wide spread change seems to be happening to fix it. If every country got together to fix the path we are going down right now, we could fix the climate. We still have time to change and fix things, so we should all start advocation and living cleaner, before it becomes too late.

I 100% agree with these. Our environment is our home, but not just humans, this includes wildlife, the climate, the plants, our environment is the earth and that’s our whole world right here. Something humans are destroying daily with out even knowing. But there are also the people who do know what they are doing to the planet and still continue. We do need to get together and inform the people who don’t know what there doing, what they’re not only doing but the effects of it and how deadly it really is. And we definitely need to stop the people who know what there doin to stop doing it, because once we take up and use all the materials what’s the real value of money if u can’t even buy anything.

Protecting our environment should be a main focus to everyone. Not everyone realizes what’s going on with our earth itself, and those who do, don’t particularly care. People don’t do anything until it officially affects them. “Oh this country flooded? Yeah it’s no where near me it doesn’t effect me”, but as soon as it does, all of a sudden people become big climate advocates, instead of teaching them to be self-aware from the beginning. If you think warming is the only issue, just wait till you hear about abnormal natural disasters that will follow through and destroy our planet. Those who are also aware, are only aware for their well-being, when there’s many other organisms to worry about. Think about plants, animals, bugs, etc disappearing for good, leaving us with nothing. It’s our mistakes and decisions as human-beings that are not only effecting our environment, but other living organisms, us, and our future children. There are little steps we can all take as a nation to cut down on carbon, no matter how “unflattering” these steps may seem, they will end up helping in the long run. Personally what I think is more “unflattering” then for example using clean energy powered wind turbines is a destroyed environment, with no return to fix our mistakes.

when in was reading up on these facts about climate change and watching documentaries, I couldn't help but think of the countless indigenous communities who have been historically discriminated against are suffering the brunt of the effects of climate change. take for example the Inuit who have lived in the arctic circle since time immemorial.
they had their sled dogs slaughtered and were forced to live on reservations and give up their nomadic life.
they are now some of the most vulnerable communities with many living with extreme food insecurity due to the prices of the food up north. I northern Canada the ice is rapidly melting and causing damage to the communities up north.
they produce the least carbon and yet take most of the effects. while the companies like shell and Tesla watch it all burn and face minimal consequences and make more money with every coming year.

I feel like our consumer based society contributes greatly to climate change. that had been the case since forever. I find it strange though that those with the most power to solve our crisis chose not to. Of course, I am very privileged and I'm very thankful to have the opportunities in life that others may not have, but there are those who have resources to make a real difference in our fight who are not putting their power to good use. I have thought about it lots and i've already come to terms with the fact that the next 30 years or so are going to be absolutely terrible, with extreme weather and temperatures, rising sea levels, floods and drought, mass extinction and many more. The problem is that I don't want MY kids to have to go through this as well if these 30 years turn into 100 years. I am so thankful for those putting in so much effort and bleeding their hearts out to save our planet but it brings my mood down to know that so many are still keeping this train running, some don't even have a choice due to economic inequality and racist workplaces. It just makes me so pessimistic about our current situation and thankful at the same time for having a chance to make a change. any thoughts?

I agree about your statement on because of how our society was built, it contributes to climate change. But, if you think about it, this type of society was not just built in a century, this mindset was adopted over several millennium, do you think that humans can change what we have had for thousands of years so quickly? This has happened many times before (except for climate change), the poor needed help, but the rich did not give it so the poor revolted. People say to learn about history so we won't repeat it but it's near impossible to not repeat it on a wide scale. A small amount of people are bound to be in power, and when the people who don't have power realizes that the powerful have too much, they revolt and turned the tables, but new people arise and take power again. This is just how humans work, it is our nature, we are not about peace and tranquility but we are about what we are most good at, revolution and inequality. Humans say humans are the smartest living things on the planet, and I have to agree, but we are non the less, animals, we have our ways. I believe, that a revolution will need to happen for climate change to stop, I just hope it will be a peaceful one, but then again, that has never happened before. But maybe, because we are more educated and taught to be openminded, we can finally change and have a peaceful revolution for the good of all living things on this planet. Maybe, this generation will the start the revolution, not just for climate change but for humanity itself, racism and poverty, sexism and homophobia, hopefully, this generation will be the start of ending these things. Or, maybe I'm too optimistic.

this i fell is a tough question because i am not sure if it will ever stop. Right now we are not moving in a very promsing direction. if we keep living the life stile the majorty of people are living this will never stop. the only way we can stop this is by changing our ways by say eating less meat so we can keep or rainforest or using your bike or public transit to get to work. But even if you do every thing you possibly can it will not be enough we need EVERYONES help if we can end this battle with climate change. if that doesn't happen i am sorry but i don't think anything good will happen for our planet.

One major habitat that is hugely impacted by an increase in temperatures is the coral reef. These groups of reefs serve as home to many incredibly diverse species. However, as the ocean temperatures rise due to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the corals go through a process called "bleaching." Corals have a symbiotic relationship with a kind of single-celled dinoflagellate called zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae live inside the corals, giving them their vibrant colors and energy through photosynthesis while the corals protect the organisms. As the temperature of the ocean rises, the corals experience stress due to the shift in their environment, leading them to release the zooxanthellae. This rids them of their beautiful colors (hence the "bleaching" part) and their main source of food. So, as these corals starve and eventually die, all of the organisms that rely on the reefs as a habitat are also affected, effectively destroying an entire ecosystem. When such an important ecosystem is impacted so strongly, the rest of the world will be affected in some way, so it is vital that coral bleaching is stopped and measures are put in place to protect the reefs and other environments affected by climate change.

I agree that if coral, a vital habitat for many aquatic organisms, would be detrimental for our environment and that there should be measures in place for coral bleaching.

I have never realized that coral bleaching is such an impactful damage! And I agree that the awareness of this issue needs to be raised.

I definitely agree that measures should be put in place. The result of coral bleaching is killing animals and damaging their homes.Without these sea creatures, entire ecosystems could collapse and it would have a huge impact on us too. We need them not only for food but to restore the balance of the world. So, we need to stop this now.

Deforestation is something that really affects the environment. It causes habitat loss, soil degradation and erosion, as well as less trees to decrease carbon emissions. This loss of trees is being combated by tree plantings in neighborhoods and forests, but it's still a huge problem for some places. It even causes more deserts to form, which makes it difficult for some of the old species present to inhabit the area .

By now, many people have heard about the climate activists at Last Generation in Rome throwing soup on a famous Van Gogh painting, then gluing themselves to a wall. The reason they did this was to raise awareness because the climate crisis is not talked about in news. It has to resort to being portrayed in protests and publicity stunts. In order to give our environment and earth justice, global warming and climate change need to be a public issue.

We should provide special government funding to research and develop biodegradable plastic alternatives. This would make littering less harmful, help clear out landfills, and stop unnecessary deaths caused by plastic in natural ecosystems.

I agree. Plastics are an enormous issue in the environment. There's actually a huge clump of plastics in the ocean called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (aka the Pacific trash vortex). It's a collection of marine debris located near Japan. The plastics are not biodegradable, so they merely break down into smaller pieces, eventually becoming microplastics (some of which fall to the bottom of the ocean). Marine organisms are greatly impacted by these plastics, altering the food web and increasing the release and absorption of harmful pollutants. It is incredibly difficult to clean up marine debris, and the best option to reduce this giant accumulation of human waste is to create biodegradable plastics (or just limit plastic waste in general).

I would agree that coming up with alternatives for plastics would have a tremendous upside. I have always wondered why this problem is taking so long to fix and why the government has not put funding towards this. Also, it is crazy to me how places like Starbucks are able to use so many plastic cups and straws for their cold drinks however when you go to restaurants now all you can use are paper straws that begin to degrade after only a couple of minutes. I don't understand the idealogy behind this. On the other hand, the government would have to supply a lot of funding to limit the number of plastics being created and the companies making these materials would likely make less money. This would have a domino effect because, in return, there would have to be a rise in the price of these items for consumer purchase. Of course, the positive impacts of limiting our waste would outway the consequences and hopefully, in the next couple of years we can come up with some good alternatives that are affordable and better for the environment.

Along highways in the US, I see signs that threaten readers with messages like "1,000 dollar fine for littering" and yet all along the highway there are trampled McDonald's cups, paper napkins, greasy cardboard pieces, magazine pages, and candy wrappers, just to name a few. Clearly, this method is not working, because who can enforce such a claim? If we want (and need) to reduce the level of waste that ends up in our environment through human complacency, then we need to find a more effective way of preventing people from littering.

Although individual action is incredibly important, the government can also make a bigger difference by doing things like forest conservation and promoting electric vehicles, along with trying to make reusable energy more accessible.

I agree, that government needs to take action, because they have the biggest chance to change these things that are happening, and in most cases they don't.

I can't say if the government even wants to take action. It is kinda tiring that the government refuses to do anything. It is pretty clear that the U.S. government has a love for oil. It is quite literally a joke how much our government loves oil. We have went to war for oil. For example the war in Iraq. The war in Iraq we literally drew up oil maps of the country and gave it to corporations. We have destablized countless regions through our love of oil. I can't remember the names of some of the countries in Africa we have destablized, but a lot of them wouldn't exist without the U.S. doing what it does. Or these bad countries riddled with corruption are only successful because of us. A good example is Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is one of the most backwards countries in the world and the rulers spend their oil money on cars. Saudi Arabia stones people for going against the government, and they a brutal monarchy who oppress everyone. The U.S. does not care, and we have supplied them with billions and billions of dollars worth of arms. Saudi Arabia has killed thousands of civilians in Yemen and other countries, and are currently embroiled in a mini cold war with Iran. The only reason we supply them guns is because they supply us with a large amount of oil. Without us these atrocities would never had happened and the Saudi Arabian government is actively starting to side with Russia. All of the countless lies from U.S. politicians about creating green energy and never doing it combined the U.S. supporting backwards countries with oil has convinced me that the governemnt just does not care.

Eat less meat.

unplug cords that are not in use.

we should turn off the lights more

There are many ways to bring justice to our environment. For instance, unplugging appliances when your done, turning off lights when you leave a room, less fast fashion, and eating less meat.

Reduce the use of plastic is a way of contributing to environment justice.

We can contribute to environment justice by recycling and reusing the things that we have throwned away. Also, can trun off lights when leaving the room, and cycle a bicycle more than driving a car.

I think it is a good idea to make sure we don’t use to much resources and the less resources we use like furl, the less emitions it will make making the world cleaner.

I agree, these resources could probably hurt our environment.

The fact that communities that have lower income have to suffer from fossil fuel plants and bad air around them is just not ok. These plants should be moved to not be near any home or community's of any race, or income.

I believe that if you are an upper class rich citizen, you have a greater responsibility in terms of Environmental Justice than a lower class poorer citizen. As a richer individual, you have the ability to create a greater positive impact in reducing climate change than a poorer individual. It's also more sustainable and easier for you to adjust to a sustainable lifestyle and assist others in living a sustainable lifestyle. Many richer individuals also have a more individually negative impact upon the environment (splurging, their own companies anti-environment policies, transportation, non sustainable clothing/food produce, etc.), as well as an ability to avoid the negative impacts of their own environmental harm.

True, there's a good CNN article about it here

This is definitely true. Wealthy citizens have the ability to use their resources for good and contribute to society in a positive way. For example, expensive electric cars are available to buy and the rich can afford them, they can buy solar panels and energy efficient heating and cooling systems for their homes, and more. But often, the rich instead choose to completely ignore the responsibility they have to promote sustainability, and spend millions on cars and enormous mansions and private jets and vacations with little thought for the environment. It is time to bring awareness to the impact the rich are having on the environment. There is a sense of entitlement there where they think they can do anything they want because they are rich and famous, and I think there should be limitations to how much of an impact they can have on the carbon footprint, because they contribute in a very serious and environmentally dangerous way.

I absolutely agree with everything here. Slay.

I’m going to have to disagree here. I feel that EVERYONE should put the same amount of effort into the environmental justice problems, rich or poor. Even tho wealthy citizens have the financial status to do more with money, people with a little less money could do lots more with they’re time. Such as creating fundraisers and using their voice instead of their money. Which I view as more effective. So i can see where your ideas come from but the evidence doesn’t show it being overall true. But any solution to environmental justice is something to consider.

I can see both perspectives. Everyone has the responsibility to put effort into environmental justice, but some are more equipped with the money and resources that make it possible to buy organic food or invest in electric cars. Nevertheless we all live here and we all have to do our part to minimize the damage humans inflict upon the environment.

i agree

Our governments and leaders of the world need to take more action

If we stop the pollution of the Earth than there will be more places for people to live and not be polluted.

We can help to reslove climate change by influencing others to vote for laws to help with the issue.

YA

Plastic is ruining our environment and especially our oceans. Plastics are made from natural materials such as cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and crude oil which makes it so difficult to be broken down. Plastics that our thrown into our oceans are threatening wildlife and spreading deadly toxins. Lots of fish and other mammals eat the plastic that is thrown away, so the plastic is also poisoning our food chain and human health because when we eat fish, we eat the toxins that are inside of them. Over 100,000 marine mammals are killed every year from plastic pollution. It is also scientifically proven that over one million sea birds have died from eating plastic and having it in their system for too long. Not only is plastic killing our wildlife, it is also polluting our air and vegetation. When plastics are burned down, they release toxic gases that our not healthy for humans to breathe. Also, when plastic is dumped in landfills, it interacts with water and creates hazardous chemicals. When these chemicals seep underground, they degrade the water quality. If we reduce the amount of plastic used, humans and all living things will improve much better. It's obvious that plastic is destroying our world, so we must reduce the amount of plastic to save our earth. We have to take action now, or soon it may be too late.

https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution

I too agree that with the overuse of plastic, we are slowly deteriorating the Earth. That is why it's best to try and find an alternative as soon as possible. According to learn.eartheasy.com, some of the best alternatives for plastic that are eco-friendly include stainless steel, glass, platinum silicone, wood, bamboo, and many other materials. If we truly think about all these different types of materials that could potentially replace plastic it could change the world. Now I do understand that these materials are not as convenient as plastic, but we don’t have to switch them. One option could be to use these other alternatives more and plastic less. Another option could be to replace certain categories of packaging with the most convenient materials. For example, instead of cups and tupperware, you could use stainless steel kitchenware to have multiple use items. A bonus is that since these alternatives are eco-friendly, less and less aquatic and land animals will die from eating plastic. All in all, there are definitely other substitutes for plastic, it is just the world hasn’t made their move.

https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/the- … your-life/

What really is the solution to global warming? And I wonder if there will be state requirements or something so that everyone can contribute positively to this issue. Right now the world is basically ending, and I think a lot of people are just okay with that fact which isn't helping anybody.

Great Question! Well, although there is not one solution to global warming, there are numerous things we can do to slow its effects. For example, according to the NRDC, some solutions to global warming include speaking up, powering your home with renewable energy, buying energy efficient products, driving a fuel efficient car (Tesla), walking and biking around, and reducing clothing purchases. However, it is not enough for just one person to reduce their carbon footprint. Instead, everyone nationwide must make an attempt to lower their carbon emissions. Moreover, similar to what you said, there have already been some state/country wide requirements enforced to solve the climate change problem. For instance, The Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agencies to work with the states in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the Department of Energy is required to research new and improved methods of clean energy. With all of these Acts in-forced, you would think that climate change is being solved, however, many big oil and production companies continue to harm the environments. Like you said, a lot of the climate problem stems from people's unwillingness to create change. They assume climate change won't affect their generation and leave it to future generations to solve the problem. If these big organizations continue to destroy the earth, the world may very well get out of control. Nonetheless, if each person contributes to helping the environment, we can slowly reduce the effects of climate change.

Important Websites:
https://www.c2es.org/content/federal-ac … %20methane.

https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

https://climate.nasa.gov/

https://climate.nasa.gov/solutions/adap … itigation/

Good Question! Climate change includes the rising average of temperatures around the world and the likeliness of devastating weather events. In 2015, The Paris Agreement acknowledged that climate change needed to be acted upon. In recent times, methods of improving carbon emissions have improved. There are many solutions to global warming yet, one will not magically solve the issue. Ways we can help reduce carbon emissions are using wind and solar energy, not using single-use batteries, and switching your vehicles from using fossil fuels to solar power. One way to help restore the Earth is to plant trees and recycle them correctly. As we feel that the government is restoring the Earth, they are helping in many ways that can change the future of the world. The state passed a bill to reduce carbon emissions by fifteen percent in the last twenty years. They have also passed a bill named AB 32 which requires companies to make the most cost-effective technology to slow climate change. At this time, there are no requirements for civilians to reduce their carbon emissions but companies are making new technologies to combat the drastic increase in carbon over the last fifty-some years. I agree with the fact that not many are helping in the chase to reduce carbon emissions however much progress has been made with the reduction of carbon emissions. Don’t lose hope!

Research Websites:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/envi … -solutions
https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-s … reductions. 
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101

Great Question, to answer this we need to first go back to what is causing climate change. Climate change is mainly caused by deforestation, and fossil fuel emissions both from individuals, and larger companies. Human fossil fuel burning has increased the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by 12% since 2000, according to NASA. This is a record high that has never been accomplished, and is causing an increase in temperature, forest fires, glacier melting, flooding, droughts, etc. This situation will continue unless we cut down on our carbon emissions. So how can we do this? According to climate.gov, there are several approaches we can take. First, switching to renewable energy sources, such as solar paneling our houses and other buildings. Next, the government can enforce certain laws restricting the carbon footprint of the population to a certain number. A big percentage of our carbon emissions come from cars, so switching to electric cars would make a huge difference. These may not sound like things that directly impact you, or you have the ability to change right? There are also some things that each household can do to help stop global warming. Beginning with turning the lights off when you leave the house, you could also reduce the amount of heating, or cooling in extreme temperatures, and carpool or use public transportation. On top of that, you could use reusable grocery shopping bags, and buy products with minimal plastic packaging that are eco-friendly.  There are many things that we do that are just not necessary and are harmful to the environment, and the first step to solving this issue is to be honest with ourselves, and figure out a way to cut down on what we can.

Sources:
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/c … al-warming
https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

Lithium ion batteries are our future of energy. Lithium ion batteries are being used for all types of electronics, including the new electric cars that Tesla manufactures. As with any technology, there comes some upsides and some downsides. One downside is when the lithium ion batteries comes into contact into oxygen, it starts a self-emulating fire. Basically, once caught on fire, there is no hope of saving the battery, and the things that the battery is connected to. One of the many upsides to these batteries is the long life, and the ability to recharge. Although the former downside may cause you to change your mind about using Lithium Ion batteries, don't. Lithium Ion batteries don't spontaneously combust, but is only sparked when tampered with. It's your choice wether or not to use them, but I strongly encourage it.

Although Lithium batteries are a great idea for the future of our planet's energy system, Lithium batteries have many more cons than pros. To start Lithium-ion batteries use cathodes made of nickel and cobalt and are considered to have a significant environmental impact such as the depletion of resources, contribution to global warming, ecological toxicity, as well as impact on human health. Like most batteries when they leak it leads to significant damage to ecosystems(Sarah Moore, of AZO materials editorial feature). Recording to protesters in the area at Ganzizhou Rongda Lithium mine, a leak caused the river to be filled with dead floating fish in the Liqi River. Lithium Ion batteries also require huge supplies of cobalt. The mining of this rare metal is not environmentally or socially responsible, therefore, the use of lithium-ion batteries cannot be considered a green alternative to fossil fuels.
A different alternative to Lithium Ion batteries is Sodium Ion batteries. According to University of Oslo, and Journalist Eivind Torgesern:"Sodium Ion batteries can become a more environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries. They can also become cheaper and more sustainable."In the earth's crust, there is more than 1000 times more sodium than lithium, and sodium can be found everywhere.

Sources
Azo Materials: https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?Artic … n%20health.
ParterscienceNorway: https://partner.sciencenorway.no/batter … everywhere.

Dear koikBOD,
I agree that lithium batteries can be detrimental to the environment because of the mining necessary for materials, but they are still a better alternative for fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have a more serious impact on the environment, because even though both lithium batteries and fossil fuels have to be mined/drilled for, lithium batteries do not release greenhouse gasses when burned, because they are not burned like fossil fuels. Furthermore, if handled responsibly, leaks in lithium mines are preventable, while the damage caused by fossil fuels is not.
On the topic of sodium-ion batteries, lithium-ion batteries have a higher energy density than sodium-ion batteries, which means they produce more energy considering their size compared to sodium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion batteries also use cathodes and anodes, which also require certain metals to create just like lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, no electric vehicles currently actually use sodium-ion batteries, because their energy density and battery life are significantly lower than lithium-ion batteries. In conclusion, lithium-ion batteries are the best alternative to fossil fuels. (Elon Musk puts them in his Teslas)

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment … ns-to-them
https://www.grepow.com/blog/sodium-ion- … es-better/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium-ion_battery

A lot of the Carbon in the atmosphere right now are from big factories. While people can do as much as they can to help reduce their carbon footprint, a big part of where it’s coming from are the factories. I think that lawmakers should pass laws that force big factories to use alternative methods for powering their factories and give them a deadline by which they should have changed these methods.

I completely agree. I think that even if individuals do as much as they can day to day, if won’t be enough. While we emit a fair amount of carbon, factories do much more than us. As much as activists and politicians speak out, they can’t control what people do as a reaction. But if laws were passed, that would require immediate action, and therefore a much better result.

I believe that in order to change our environment for the better, we must actually want to make a change. We must use reusable items, use less plastics, not utilize our acs very often, spend less money, etc. People are ruining our earth and taking it for granted, if we maintain this mindset we will no longer have an earth and then we'll start regretting it. So, in order to prevent this from happening we must start working together to make our earth healthier.

I think this is a good idea in theory, but I'm sure many people have wanted to make a change and still humanity has a huge environmental footprint. If you look at the statistics, only 100 companies have been responsible for an entire 71% of global emissions since 1988 (a report from 1970). Regardless of how much an individual wants to counteract climate change, individual action in personal life will not be able to turn climate change on it's heel. You also have to take into account that many environmentally-damaging products are also cheaper, and aimed at poorer individuals who have no choice but to rely on those products. It's not simply the general population choosing to ruin our earth, but larger corporations taking advantage.

wait not from 1970 i meant to say 2017 oops

This is a great idea I agree with you we do need to start reusing items that are reusable instead of just littering them you make a good point our Earth is not healthy because everyone takes it for granted and pretty soon we might not have an Earth.

I agree with your statement and why you say that in order to want to make a change there must be a change. A lot of times we say we want to recycle more, but end up just throwing everything out the same way.

There is a new bill on the floor of the floor that would mandate corporations to consider the environmental ramifications of each of thier decisions going forward. If this is passed this will have a huge impact on environmental safety in the USA.
https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/03 … decisions/

Ecologism has as its basic principle, to protect the natural environment and make progress sustainable.
This principle applies to many different aspects of life. When referring to the human being, to the human species, from environmentalism we propose protect two aspects: the environment (the surroundings), and the internal environment, taking care of the organism. It is studied how to improve the environment and how the bad-environment (Currently our environment is on many occasions an environment that can harm) and affects us and can cause diseases.
We can call this specialty within environmentalism and health, ECOHEALTH.
It is an important task in health prevention, and a specialty to be included in Public Health departments. But also the ecological principles are applicable to the way of treating the diseases, to the criteria that we can use to carry out the task of healing. The environmentalism has an obvious and direct application in diseases of toxic origin, but now we are referring to how to act in all other diseases, be they infectious, endocrine, neurological, etc. Act in an ecological and sustainable way in health, consists of promoting non-aggressive or less aggressive treatment modes. aggressive for the body, for this reason we promote alternative medical criteria, unconventional therapies. This way of curing diseases we can call ECOSANITY. It is a new criterion to incorporate in health policies. It is a more “healthy” way of practicing healing, which gives priority to the remedies that are more “healthy”, that is, those that do not harm more than they cure, very careful in the doses and the personalization of the treatment in each patient taking into account count all your pathologies.

Instead of recylcing many things that we use we can come up with a method for every type of reusable items. This will allow all items to be reused in a proper way. This is more effcient for the enviroment

Humans put so much trash into our environment, on beaches theirs plastic bottles an other trash like plastic and that's going into where the animals live. Animals are being found with plastic in their stomachs and dying at a rapid rate because of this. Instead of throwing the trash out, put it in a bag or find a thrash can and put it there and not into animal habitats.

We need to start holding companies accountable for damages they've made to the environment like cleaning up their own oil spill, deforestation, fires caused by the compony and so on. So far, a majority of them who do cause these problems NEED to take care of the problem by helping the aftermath and reflecting on what caused it and how they can prevent it in the future. They should check that equipment is safe and in working condition, there are no present and possible danger to us people and the environment and so on.

I think this is especially important in light of the recent oil spill off the California coast. Companies are continually making risky and sometimes devastating decisions for the sake of profit. Without holding out on companies' profits or major incentive changes we won't be able to help to stop their threats to the environment. One way is to move away from oil dependency as a nation by switching to renewable energy, as well as putting into place harsher laws and repercussions when devastating accidents do occur.

These big companies are getting away with lots of pollution and neglect lots of things. We have to follow rules, while big factories can get away with so many things. Factories and big companies need to follow the same rules as we so, and need to be monitored.

Transportation alone contributes 23% or more every year in the carbon footprint globally.  While we do tell other people and companies about reducing what they do, are we doing it? Shouldn’t we try to reduce the way we travel or something, before we tell others to do so?

The problem is that corporations and individuals contribute completely different amounts of carbon in different ways. While it is hypocritical to encourage individual action and then not take those actions yourself, corporations have long enjoyed no responsibility for the disproportional harm they have caused.

Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with tons of dust and other harmful things. As a result many species of animals and plants disappear forever, including fish and birds. Many large cities suffer from factory smog. Their activity pollutes the air, the water, the forests and the land.
Apart from factories there are lots of vehicles in the streets of every more or less developed city.First of all, they exhaust toxic gases into the air. Secondly, they are considered to be the main noise offenders in the city. This problem progresses as the number of cars increases from year to year. As a result the level of harmful substances in the air also increases.
n my opinion, environmental protection should become of a global concern and serious measures should be taken to create ecological security.

I completely agree with you. It's becoming more and more clear that human activities are influencing the environment in a negative way, and that something must be changed. Our cars, cities, factories and agriculture are polluting the world. Things like changing to a more natural energy source are definitely steps we and some companies should take.

I strongly agree with you. The world needs to take action immediately and take air pollution seriously.

You are absolutely correct. Air pollution is a massive issue that we definitely have to deal with. Humans play a huge role in contributing to the pollution, when they use their cars, burn fossil fuels, etc. We need to find solutions to these issues quickly, for this is a very concerning topic.

I totally agree with you, the air is important for human health and the environment.

You are very correct, many people are lacking the knowledge that fossil fuels causes a lot of pollution for our air/atmosphere and cars, both have negative effects on the environment and they're are just ignorant.

The greenhouse gasses emitted into the environment hurts it a lot. The highest category of my carbon footprint is from traveling. I have 6,911 kgs in the category myself. I believe that a good size of mine is from the car we drive. To make the impact smaller we could use the car less often or get a different car that is not so impactful on the environment. So many other people travel and harm the environment. Some other solutions are public transportation which helps keep another car off the road from polluting the environment. If things are a short bit away and not too far then riding your bike or walking would help reduce your carbon footprint.

Humans have been polluting the earth for more than decades now. As plastic fills up our oceans and land, burning fossil fuels and the waste from factories fill up the skies. The earth was not like this until we came along and started to mess with it, which is why we need to be the ones to set things right. Protecting the environment should become a bigger concern globally, and people should do their best to recycle, reduce their carbon footprint, etc. If we all work together, even if it takes decades or centuries to undo the damage, we can begin to reduce it little by little.

We’ve known this problem was happening for years now, yet we have continued to use the same products and produce the same things that cause it. Although large corporations that burn fossil fuels and other things daily should take a lot of blame, normal household also need to take responsibility and initiative to make the change and make a difference. We put ourselves in the situation where our environment and lives are at risk, now what can we do to pull ourselves out of it, even if it means spending years focusing on it?

“90 percent of Americans say that someone in their household forgets to turn the lights off when they leave a room” why it may not seem like much, leaving the lights on for extended periods of time burns a lot of energy, and money. Maybe for one day it’s not that bad, but if you constantly do this, every year, 365 days, it adds up. Stop, leaving, the lights, on.

Something that we can start doing to improve our environment is to start recycling and and to start using plastic that is reusable. If we are able to make this huge change we have starting a change for our environment and making our planet better for everybody.

:This is a good point, but i wish is giving us some examples of how we can do these things, but overall good point, and i agree that we need to make our planet better!

Human impact is a leading cause of climate change. Our agriculture, expansion, transportation, factories, fossil fuels and other activities emit greenhouse gases which contributes to climate change. A lot of these problems are coming from large corporations and companies. They consume a lot of energy and many factories burn a lot of fossil fuels which is a problem.  Continuing these activities like this will cause the earth to heat up more, cause the sea level to rise and increase extreme weather activity.

Most companies bear a great responsibility in the climate crisis. Most large factories burn a large number of fossil fuels every day. These companies must use alternative energy, such as wind turbines and solar panels, etc. However, they may not be willing to switch to them, as they may require expensive equipment to operate and time for employees to learn to operate. , and the corporation may not know if this alternative energy will work for them in the long run. One of the first ways to convince them is to impose a CO2 tax. The next way is that if the company uses alternative energy it will lower its taxes. Another way to convince them is for their consumers to tell the company that they will not buy their products unless they switch to alternative energy. After all, if the group switches to alternative energy, it will be a role model for other companies in the sector and also for other sectors.

What can we do ourselves that can help our amount of carbon down?;

I think that we can watch ourselves and what we use that produce the most carbon and try to keep that at a minimum. Like if you live close by to your school, then you can walk instead of driving or riding the bus.

I agree with what your saying, if you can create less carbon emission then you should do   that

When taking the carbon footprint test, the results showed that I was about average in my eating habits and how much I recycle. For things like recycling and re-using, I realized that I was putting rarely or never. I believe that this a simple fix. Reducing the amount of greenhouse gases is as easy as everybody deciding to pay just a bit of attention to where their “trash” ends up.

Some activist groups claim abiotic factors such as rivers and lakes have rights to be preserved, should they have rights and what should they be?

Humans are the main cause for climate change. The different ways humans have affected climate change is by burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, farming livestock, polluting the air with cars and planes, and many other things. Over the past decade the Earth's surface temperature has increased by 1.0 Fahrenheit because of all the greenhouse gases being produced by humans. Greenhouse gases effect animals as well by melting the ice they live on or because there is not enough water. In conclusion, humans greatly impact and are a main cause to climate change.

I agree with you. Humans impact very much with climate change. Ways we could help by doing that is reduce eating meat, walking more and stopping trees that are being cut down

Totally agree. Humans cause 1.9 billion tons of CO2 to be released into the atmosphere, that's a lot! Luckily there're somethings we can do to fix this, somethings are as simply as walking more and are as complicated as changing all your meals. Another thing you can do is install solar panels and wear sweater instead of heating your house in winter.

I absolutely agree humans are the main cause of climate change. China has produced 10.06 billion metric tons of C02 in the atmosphere, that's an incredibly large number. Some ways we could help decrease CO2 emissions are taking public transit, such as buses or Skytrains to grocery stores, school, work, etc. Reduce the amount of meat in your diet and shower for a shorter amount of time.

Two big topics tying in together sounds crazy I know. But really it all makes sense. I hate using gender rolls and all of that but women are one of the main way too stop climate chat. If we help give women more proper education, medicine like birth control and stable housing they’d most likely wait to have babies and have less. It should be their choice. If they get amazing education who knows what they’ll be able to do in general future and plus having less people in our planet now sounds like a good thing to me. There’s climate levels rising and lowering, covid, where loosing our oceans, our air is getting worser by the second. We should wait to have children, get married and do whatever and start focusing on our earth since we’re just renting it from the future. And since we’re renting we have to on what we can do now and to do that we have to wait on our happily ever after.

I find this very topical. I'm sure you have heard of the abortion restrictions in Texas? Women in poverty will now have to worry about this medieval law. Think about is, people who may not be able to afford or don't want to spend money on pregnancy test will buy them less frequently,this is now discouraged and if you are "caught" trying to get an abortion 6 weeks after being pregnant. you can be sued and face a fine of $10,000. This can literally kill a person considering they are already struggling financially and health care in america is very expensive, this person would be in screwed over. Now riddle me this, how much is this person going to be able to care about our climate crisis? Nothing about our situation makes any sense, why would this law even exist? It just feels like we are digging our self deeper and deeper into this hole.

You can donate or reuse them into other useful things.

I agree, but I think that it is important to know that some point you may need to throw it out.

Very true! I also think that, if you can, you should buy clothes that wouldn't break easily so that you can use them for longer, even if they are slightly more expensive. You can also buy or sell clothes from thrift stores.

@Sora_is_cool, before we throw our old clothes (if they are falling apart etc.) out, we use them as cleaning rags

I agree. Although donating one piece of clothing instead of just throwing it in the trash doesn't seem like a big deal at all, it is super easy to do, and the more you do it, the more times you remove yourself from the cycle of consuming and then throwing away. I also agree that it is important to buy from brands that make better quality clothes even if they aren't as cheap as you would like, so that they don't end up falling apart immediately.

I agree! There are great groups and communities all over that will take in your clothes and other items, these clothes may go to people in need of them. I remember hearing about a group that will take recycled or donated suitcases and give them to kids in the foster care system since many of those kids will come with their things in garbage bags. You can also buy new things from thrift stores instead of buying from fast fashion or big corporations.

I agree, we should reuse as much clothing as possible as it has a large effect on your carbon footprint. Even if you're giving old clothes to younger family/friends, donating to thrift stores, or using old clothings as cleaning rags you are helping the environment.

Como una persona que vive en planeta tierra, como todos nosotros vivimos en este planeta tierra, es triste ver como nosotros humanos estamos dañando nuestro unico hogar en este universo. Si hay esperanza en soluciones que podemos empezar a usar y tambien hay personas que si les importa la tierra y justamente estas personas haremos hasta lo más pequeño para intentar hacer una diferencia y darle justicia a nuestro ambiente, porque la tierra nos ha dado un hogar, y nuestro trabajo es regresarle el favor.

As a person who lives on planet earth, as we all live on this planet earth, it is sad to see how we humans are damaging our only home in this universe.There is hope in solutions that we can start using and there are also people who do care about the earth and precisely these people we will do our best to try to make a difference and give justice to our environment, because the earth has given us a home, and our job is to return the favor.

Trees are a vital variable in the discussion of climate change, as they can slow the effects of global warming. In the process of photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that heat up the planet. Therefore, trees actually cool the planet and reverse the effects of global warming. They also provide shade, purify the air, conserve water, and prevent erosion. Arbor Day Foundation points out, "Neighborhoods with well-shaded streets can be up to 6–10° F cooler than neighborhoods without street trees, reducing the heat-island effect (see illustration below), and reducing energy needs." Trees have the potential to significantly slow the effects of global warming, which is why deforestation is a huge issue today. All of the benefits that trees have to offer are greatly reduced due to the deforestation that occurs on a massive scale. We realistically should be planting more trees, rather than cutting them down. A statistic from Scientific American shows that "According to the World Carefree Network (WCN), cars and trucks account for about 14 percent of global carbon emissions, while most analysts attribute upwards of 15 percent to deforestation." Trees can slow the effects of global warming, but we cannot stand in their way. We need to plant more trees and stop deforestation if we want to slow global warming.
Links: https://www.arborday.org/trees/climatec … munity.cfm
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti … ccordingly.

Trees are so important! Thank you for the great information. I didn't know about the cooling effects of trees in neighborhoods, that is super interesting.

Trees are also critical when it comes to reducing noise pollution. Noise pollution is a greatly unobserved issue even though we experience it every day, especially living in cities. It impacts humans and other species greatly. Humans experience hearing loss, but there are more effects than that. Living in a noisy environment increases stress and hypertension which can lead to cardiovascular disease. Noise pollution impacts sleep as well, which has the short-term impacts of difficulty focusing and increased irritability.

Animals experience many effects of noise pollution as well. It disrupts communication, mating and life cycles, and hunting. Not only do predators struggle to track and hunt, prey struggle to evade and escape. 

Trees can help mitigate and absorb sound. It's critical that we do not remove trees from natural & city spaces but cultivate natural life by planting trees.

(I supplemented my knowledge with these two articles from TreeHugger:
How do Trees Reduce Noise Pollution? - by Anna Nordseth
Noise Pollution Is a Major Threat to Many Different Kinds of Animals, Study Finds - by Russell McLedon)

The thing that many people need to understand is that we only have one world, meaning we only have one chance to stay alive and keep the Earth alive with us. Look around you, we live on an absolutely beautiful Earth, so why are we not taking more care of it. Many politicians talk about the cost to save the environment. Why does it matter? Without it, no one would survive and that is not worth all the money in the world. It is not even that hard to make a start. Normal people such as me and you can make a difference. Maybe recycle and compost when you can and just walk and bike to more locations. That could be the start to us saving the world. However, I think that we have to act now, otherwise, our environment, the place we live, our home, will be too far gone for saving.

The greatest threat to this planet is ourself and this is what the carbon footprint calculator shows us. Despite us thinking we are a positive contributor to this planet a lot of our emissions are far greater than you might think and it is up to us to change that. The average united states citizen releases insane amounts of carbon throught their food, purchases, and straight up emissions. -Max

The climate change is on a loop. As it gets hotter, the ice melts more, and the woods dry out. This in turn causes more heat absorption by the planet, and causes more fires to be caused. Thus repeating the cycle. If nothing is done to stop this, then the future will begin to look bleaker and bleaker.

The problem is the widespread recklessness among people who do not realize that resources are scarce and that not before 2100 many customs will actually be impossible to do. So it would be useful for the world population to be encouraged through a 1 week / 2 experimental trial where practically everyone is put in circumstances that reflect deeply on waste and on the option to save and live a much greener life.

another problem is simply not recycling

I agree, people should definitely work to decrease their own carbon footprints, but shouldn't we hold companies and corporations accountable? considering that only a few companies cause most carbon emissions. I'm not shifting the blame, everyone is part of this, but we did not choose to be part of all this. It is not a random eighth grader accidentally tossing a piece of paper into the trash instead of the recycling's fault the ice caps are melting. While everyone contributes, we can't not participate in these things without action from governments and companies.

I think that people as a whole need to understand that if we don't start to look out for our planet that the damage will be ireversable. As we progress as a society we need to keep in mind the planet on which we live on. An example of this is the bay area and how as we keep building the land is literally sinking and all the industries pump toxins into the environment and waterways. Now that we have made great leaps in technogalgy we now need to learn how to do it sustainably.

The thing that many people need to understand is that we only have one world, meaning we only have one chance to stay alive and keep the Earth alive with us. Look around you, we live on an absolutely beautiful Earth, so why are we not taking more care of it. Why does it matter? Without it, no one would survive and that is not worth all the money in the world. It is not even that hard to make a start. Maybe recycle and compost when you can and just walk and bike to more locations. That could be the start to us saving the world.

Climate change and racial and socioeconomic justice are intertwined. Climate change disproportionately affects communities of color and developing markets (impoverished countries). According to a 2015 study by Oxfam called Extreme Carbon Inequality, the poorest half of the population (about 3.5 billion people) are responsible for 10% of emissions, while the top 10% of people emit about 50% of the world's greenhouse gases. It is estimated that the top 1% could have carbon footprints as big as 175 times that of the lower 10%.

Climate change is linked to extreme temperatures, extreme weather, famines and droughts, worse air quality, and higher health risks. The communities who will be most affected by this are the poor communities made up mostly of Black and Latine populations. BIPOC communities are more likely to have flooded homes, no drinking water, disrupted local economies, lost electricity and heat, and a harder time recovering financially afterward (globalcitizen.org). Because of colonialism there is a large wealth divide between races, and as long as we perpetuate systemic racism climate change will harm POC communities at a much larger scale compared to white communities.

Environmental disasters are also more likely to displace people of color. For example after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, the underfunded city levee system broke and flooded up to 80% of the city. Black people were 4 times more likely to die in some places, and they also accounted for 80% of home losses. They were also much less likely to return to their homes in the years afterward (globalcitizen.org). Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017 also harmed communities of color and poor communities an inordinate amount more that white and rich communities. One report shows that the hurricane harmed 73% of black residents and 79% of hispanic residents, but only 55% of white residents. It also affected 79% of people living at 100% of the Federal Property Level (FPL). 37% of Hispanic people reported that a family member lost their job or had their hours cut back in the aftermath (gizmodo, globalcitizen.org).

Climate change is also more likely to harm impoverished countries and countries that were colonized within the past 200 years. For example, in 2019, Hurricane Idai hit Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Malawi, destroying over 100,000 homes, schools, and hospitals (globalcitizen.org), killing at least 1,000 people in Mozambique alone (UN.org), and flooded 70,000 hectares of farmland causing a food shortage (globalcitizen.org). It is estimated that over 3 million people were directly impacted by the cyclone (UN.org). In comparison, about 2 hurricanes hit the US coastline every year, but in total only have between 4 and 10 casualties in total. It is estimated that by the end of the century, 140 million people will be displaced by climate related disasters (World Bank).

Native people have been the most impacted by colonialism, but their practices might be the key to saving our planet. Indigenous populations make up 5% of the world's population, but their traditional land encompasses 22% of land mass and 80% of biodiversity (FAO.org). Their farming and preservation tactics are designed to their specific land and they have a large hand in preservation of forests and biodiversity today. Forests in Indigenous land in Bolivia, Brazil, and Colombia had a 2-3 times lower deforestation rate rom 2000-2012 (UNEP.org). Native-run biodiversity gardens house between 300 and 500 different species, while millions of species are considered endangered and expected to go extinct soon (scientificamerican.com). Meanwhile, 185 Natives in 16 countries were killed defending their land in 2015 alone (UNEP.org).

By not addressing racial and socioeconomic inequalities we will never truly achieve climate justice. In order to save our Earth, we must first dismantle systemic racism and the longterm effects of colonialism and capitalism.

Today, climate change is continuing to harm our earth, in various ways we may not notice. The cause of it all is us, us human beings and our actions as according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, 97% of global warming is caused by humans. For example, the action of burning fossil fuels, releases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect then occurs, resulting in higher temperatures on Earth. Our actions have ripple effects that result in many effects of climate change. This ranges from, rising sea levels, the melting of glaciers, droughts, and much more. Climate change is affecting the whole world, as we see the polar bears suffering greatly as their homes of ice are melting. It is important to be informed on the the topic of climate change as this is greatly affecting our one world. The end of climate change is nowhere near, but actions to help limit climate change need to happen.

My carbon footprint is relatively low. We turn off the lights, turn off the fossit, we don't drive much because covid, and in the majority of categories I scored lower. We compost, recycle, all that. One thing we also do, though, that increases my carbon footprint dramatically, is eat a lot of meat. A lot. We currently have the costco huge pack of eggs, my parents love them, eat meat all the time, and one of my main dietary things, whether it be in spagetti, or just roasted shredded chicken tacos. In the future, to lessen my carbon footprint, I'm going to try to eat less, chicken, serve myself more appropriate servings so the food doesn't waste, and spend more time separating trash and compost.

Climate Change is a big issue right now. We need to do something about it before it becomes too big of an issue for us to change. Global Warming and rising sea levels are just a few things that show that climate change is in fact real. We only have one earth, one home meaning we only have once chance to save it before it is too late.

The environment is dying as we speak as we are too selfish and greedy to realize are actions are ruining are planet/ home. We need to find a way globally to fix this. We need to cut down on co2. if we can all scarifies something we do to help are environment then do it. IF you need to take time out of your day then do it because this is a very big crisis.

Today, our world is in the depths of climate change and global trouble. The world is heating up, sea levels are rising, and it seems that very few people notice or even care. We only have 1 Earth and chances of finding a place in the EXACT positions of the Earth is like %0.000000000001. Numerous videos say how doomed the world is due to climate and unnatural activities. He has about 100 seconds left on the doomsday clock. Some people are making progress on stopping climate change. But that takes time. And we don't have time. People need to act now. We can do little things to slow the progression of climate change. We can bike to school instead of driving. We can eat less animals, so there are more animals in the world. the less endangered animals, the better Earth will be. Warning to humanity, we NEED to act now or our Earth will become.

Climate change is one of the main issues that must be dealt with in the near future otherwise it will continue to get worse and worse until we have reached "point of no return" At this point our planet will have gotten so bad that we cannot even attempt to fix it, starting the countdown to our planet becoming unlivable.

we cant dump garbage everywhere

I totally agree, we also need to start using more recycalable containers instead of plastic.

I also totally agree, people should be aware of what's going on and be a bit more careful, sometimes when I'm on the street I see a lot of rubbish all over the place and I think that people don't really seem to care. I find it really sad.

I agree! It shocks and disgusts me to see how much people litter. In addition to the filthy impact litter has on land, nine billion tons of litter ends up in the ocean every single year. It's not that hard to dispose of your garbage properly! Not only is it important to dispose of your garbage as opposed to littering, it is very important to dispose of it correctly! I think there needs to be more education surrounding how to sort your trash and how important it is to do so. 22 billion plastic bottles (that could have been recycled) are thrown away every year! Also, glass bottles, which are recyclable, can last one million years in a landfill. I think it would be beneficial to have more recycling and compost bins, as well, because when the only option is a landfill bin, many recyclable and compostable items end up in landfills when they could have been put to better use.

Sources:

https://www.treehugger.com/trash-number … ge-4858558

https://sites.google.com/site/globallit … statistics

I have only been introduced to this relevant cause recently and think it's one of the most important things our generation can take action on to further advance this world in becoming a better place. As a black male in America, my focus on problems to fix within this world has been filled with racial inequalities. Although this cause is important and will help make this world a better place for generations to come. If we don't act on climate change, there will be no world for future generations to inhabit. There are too many people that are in my life that either don't know about the problems within our earth or don't care enough to take action on them, and it is now my job to inform them why this topic is so important. Our world is dying fast and it feels like too many people are speeding up the process.

I totally agree with you. We have to act, we have to make society aware of the current seriousness of the environment, that a small gesture is important, we have to educate ourselves on this topic so that the cause reaches more and more people all over the world.
The voices of people who want to fix the world should be heard.

Environmental poisoning, which is the exposure to toxic chemicals, is harmful to living organisms and our planet. Some of these toxins include organic chemicals such as pesticides, lead, mercury, which are produced from farming, manufacturing, water treatment systems, and other activities. By handling these toxic wastes without special precautions, Earth's ecosystems are at the embarkation of diminishing, slowly depleting over time. For example, animals, plants, and humans need water to flourish. If animals were to ingest intoxicated water, the number of animals would decline because it would affect their behavior and ability to reproduce. As a result, animals would die out, and so would humans because the toxins would be transferred to humans when consuming animals. By reducing the number of animals, the ecosystem would be out of balance because plants would be uncropped, and carnivores would starve. Without a functioning food chain, our ecosystem would cease to exist, and so would all living things. Overall, humans need to take care of the environment since toxic chemicals prove to be detrimental to the planet.

I think that slowing down our collective carbon emissions as a country is a group effort, and it will take contribution from everyone in different areas. However, I do think that a large part of the responsibility lies with the larger organizations and companies that contribute largely to the climate crisis by using private jets, inefficient energy usage, etc. I think that there are small things that we each can do to try and slow down the effects of climate change, but the bulk of it shouldn't rest on people that have less resources and are already in areas with more pollution because of the actions of other organizations. In terms of national policies, I think it's important that we stop cutting down so many trees, monitor our energy usage, and work towards more eco-friendly transportation.Research concludes that we have around 7 years until the earth's heat gets to a dangerous point, but it still may not be too late to stop some of the more permanent and drastic effects of climate change. This tells us that we still have time to put official policies in place that will contribute to saving the planet. At the end of the day, there are things that we all can do to take better care of our environment, but it's important to acknowledge where the most harm is coming from.

According to UNHCR, an average of 20 million people are displaced from their homes by natural disasters. Examples of natural disasters that cause the wreckage of homes and safety are droughts, fires, floods, and extreme weather conditions. These are all caused by climate change. Greenhouse gases are rising in the atmosphere, caused mostly by human activity, which unbalances the natural system of keeping the Earth habitual. The more our carbon footprint increases, the more natural disasters are bound to happen. Fires in California are becoming more and more common, with 52,113 taking place last year. Those fires caused the destruction of homes and the homelessness of families, much like the flood in Florida did, caused by a concerningly huge hurricane. If the world fails to reduce the uses of greenhouse gases, especially carbon, the lives and integrity of citizens will become more and more threatened by these disasters.

The environment needs your help. There is mass amounts of pollution, greenhouse gases, fires, trash, and it's making a big impact on climate change and global warming. You can help the environment little by little by shopping sustainably, monitoring your use of electricity, picking up trash, composting, volunteering for cleanups in your community, riding bikes or walking to get around instead of a car, reduce, reuse and recycle, use nontoxic chemicals, and conserve water. Some examples of these are buying long lasting light bulbs, buying a reusable water bottle/ containers, reusable bags, buying sustainable clothing stores, using less gas, buying local fresh produce from farmer’s markets, reducing your meat and paper use. All in all monitoring your use of air conditioning, water, electricity, gas, food and basically everything you do daily can help and decrease your carbon footprint. Researching what you can do to help is also a good way of personalizing your roles in trying to help the environment. There are so many more ways to help the environment but be vocal about saving our planet in your community. You don't have to do something big but just do something that can make a difference in your daily life and encourage others to do the same.

The passage above is very helpful because it identifies things that raise our carbon footprint, but it also gives us ways that we can lower our carbon footprint. I will try to help the environment in daily life by composting and recycling more than I use trash. I agree with the effort of buying foods from sustainable sellers because it is a way that my family is trying to lower our carbon footprint. When food is shipped over long distances and grown in unsustainable factories, it releases massive amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Agriculture and Livestock are one of the main producers of greenhouse gasses. I will try to improve my use of fossil fuels because traveling in  cars is the main contributor to my carbon footprint. I learned that line drying clothes is a good way to lower carbon footprint. Overall I learned many ways to lower my carbon footprint, which require me to change my daily lifestyle.

As climate change worsens and negatively impacts the environment we shouldn't just sit and watch as the beautiful earth heats up. Not only is the climate changing drastically but the melting of polar ice shields contributing to sea level rise is another big issue. As well as sea level rise there may be a patter or increase in drastic weather patterns and natural disasters. Although people individual can't solve everything at once there are things you can do yourself to make a difference. Here are some things you can do to help with environmental justice. Urge the government to make smart moves in terms of climate change and take action, eat for a climate stable planet like cutting out red meat, green your commute such as switching to electric vehicles or taking public transportation with others, Invest in renewables and divest from fossil fuels, and use energy wisely/save money too. Even just educating yourself and doing some research may help to stimulate some realizations. one website with some good suggestions is https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 … ate-crisis. There are so many more things that we individually are capable and can contribute to environmental justice.

Trees play a vital role in helping climate change. Through photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This helps to limit the amount of carbon dioxide that escapes into the atmosphere and contributes to warming the planet. But when people cut down trees to make way for agriculture or the construction of new buildings, it can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that trees can take in, and also destroys entire ecosystems. If all the trees were to disappear from Earth, then, with no way to limit the carbon dioxide in the air, the planet would warm up. We need to take action and stop people from cutting down too many trees before it's too late.

Learn more about the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest:
https://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon … ction.html

Yes, we need to stop cutting down trees. They are literally giving plants and us food and water. Cutting them down means we have more droughts, co2, and global warming. This will cause a ton of problems. So I think we should treat them nicely as they do to us.

Cutting down trees is bad for both ecosystems and for us.  They take in our carbon dioxide and release oxygen and are a very important part of our lives.  Also, when they are cut down, ecosystems are destroyed.  In conclusion, we should avoid cutting down trees since they play many important roles in ecosystems and in providing us with oxygen.

Stop dumping garbage everywhere

I believe that we need environmental justice because we are the only ones that can protect and take care of natural resources by recycling, stop cutting high amount of trees, reusing plastic battles and containers, by not throwing trash into the ocean, using less plastic bags, and put trash into the right place in natural  public places. We can improve if we all work together because when a bunch of voices reunion they become a louder voice that would be heard. The Earth and it's natural resources and animals deserve this justice and protection because as they get affected by this we also get affected. Let's give the environment justice!!.

i agree

the forests are getting cut down we cant let this happen anymore to save trees

All people do deserve to breathe the same air, see the same sky, and not have to hope that their area is ridded with plastic all around them or that the wildlife in the area has died off. The land around something producing pollution is cheaper. This leads families that are not as fortunate, to move into these locations and deal with whatever the problem already present is.

I agree. I think this disparity of areas with pollution and without should just not exist and we should work towards not having conditions like that be on our planet.

After watching the viral video 'Save Ralph', I felt that more and more people should address animal awareness . As the dominating species ,here on our planet, it's our duty to preserve our home. This includes banning animal testing, poaching, hunting for sport, the destruction of habitats, and so much more!!! Although the majority of our population is aware of how the outcome of our actions affect the animals, we can do so much more to help this cause. Some might deem them "inferior", but they have every right to be here as much as we do. These animals are the reason you get to eat the meat  on your table, the indication that the products on dresser are safe, the reason for the fertile lands our veggies grow on. We should take action, and be grateful for all the things they have done for us ?

I completely agree that animal testing is cruel and inhumane. One thing that we can do to help stop animal testing is to buy only cruelty-free products. I know that this is not an option for everyone, but if we all minimize the amount of products we buy that use animal-testing, we can send a message to brands that they need to change.

I agree. We should absolutely buy cruelty-free products. Watching that video I am so horrified at humans capacity to be feel so superior that they would harm another living being for a cosmetic product. I don't understand why animal testing has not been banned yet. It is just so awful.

non-Hispanic whites, but this effect has not previously been directly established, let alone quantified. Our “pollution inequity” metric is generalizable to other pollution types and provides a simple and intuitive way of expressing a disparity between the pollution that people cause and the pollution to which they are exposed. Our results are timely

56% and 63% excess exposure, respectively, relative to the exposure caused by their consumption. The total disparity is caused as much by how much people consume as by

Yes and here's why.

The first problem is the self and what can I do in such situations of reducing my carbon footprint and how much I am contributing to the negative environmental and ecological changes happening in the world. The keyword is I. I, as someone who cares about this topic of global warming and such, will move to start improving my way of life so that I can reduce my footprint.

The second problem is how my choices are affecting lower-income communities that have a majority of POC residents. Hypothetically if I am of a higher class with more access to money I also have the means to buy an excess of what I need and what I want. These needs and wants need to be produced and a large percent of things being produced need factories and factories produce waste. These factors can and will be found near lower-income communities. But that is only half of it. That's just thinking about my choices and how my choices go into data that then creates more pollution as it's being produced at a higher demand.

But besides the choices, if I care enough about the world to change my habits so that I am not killing the earth I should also care about people and embark on allyship that helps people.

I could easily stop a lot of things that contribute to global warming like reducing things I do that contribute to my carbon footprint like keeping electronics plugged in and leaving lights on and being conservative about my resources, I believe if we stopped doing things like that we would see a big change.

yo what up matthew, i totally i agree with what you said here but i belive if we were to take larger steps such as driving less and possibly biking more, or even buying cars with better fuel economy or smaller displacment engines we could possibly make an even bigger impact on the amount of c02 we are producing as a town or even as a state.

Buying so many stuff in our lives cause a pollution of our planete. Humanity do need to start treating our planete with respect and care. Saying stop to overpollution can help us overcome environmental problems.

Yes, but first of all you need to start doing this yourself

or perhaps, Riana, it's better to say:

"Yes but first of all I need to start doing this myself."

I believe that we need to have a smaller carbon footprint because I do believe in global warming and the reason that global warming is a thing is because we are using oils and gas and harmful vapors in our environment more than we need and if we keeps using them we won't have any to you any more.

I agree that global warming is necessary to address. I also think the issue of global warming intersects with other issues, such as racism, classism, and sexism. Many different communities are affected in different ways, and those who are richer, whiter, and male-r benefit. For example, I live in Oakland and in the areas where there are more People of Color and people aren't as wealthy, there is a lot more pollution and there is talk of starting a coal terminal there. In other areas of Oakland, where there are more white and wealthy people, there isn't as much pollution. This difference in respect for the climate has negative health effects on people, such as higher cases of asthma in the areas with more pollution. Climate change doesn't affect everybody the same way and therefore needs to be addressed with BIPOC needs at the forefront of consideration.

Yes, I fully agree. We as people need to take care of one an other. That means being more considerate about how our actions affect others. Climate change is a very serious topic, and even if you don't feel you have been personally affected by it, I guarantee many others have.

I agree with this topic, since our resources are becoming more limited at the time, and if we don't change the way we use them we will face a type of die off with our population. But just to clarify, there are more reasons for our carbon footprint being so large than just the use of oils, gas, and harmful vapors. The other reasons are the farming techniques we employ, the products we produce (buy and don't buy), and the resources we use and don't use. Such as how tilling soil causes soil to become uprooted and release carbon that is trapped which leads to increase of carbon output into the atmosphere. Along with how food produced such as meat has a high amount of water and processing put into it which would increase our carbon foot print even more. But still the argument is valid and one that most people should pay attention to.

Robynn - I agree, and it's improtant for your messageto go out loud and clear.  We don't want everyone on Earth to feel the visceral impacts of climate change before we do something about it. We need empathy in order to confront this challenge for real.

I believe that if we all see that every community receives equitable treatment in environmental rights, our world will be a better place.  It is important that all people have the same opportunities, and a healthy environment is necessary to communities to thrive an grow.

It is mostly human caused and my family footprint.

I can suppose that ecological situation in my country is normal and in some areas even quite good. in area were i live aren't many industustries and plants. there is the forest near my home. it is wonderfull because the air is clean.

all of all, i believe that people will realise that we should take care about our planet and they will stop littering.

I believe we as people who live on earth need to care more about our involvement in making decisions for all humanity and take positive actions to produce environmental justice for everyone, not just only for a few people's benefits. A good example to support my reasoning would be from an article/writing by Joe Romm called "5 quotes from Teddy Roosevelt That Exemplify What It Means To Be A Progressive" this shows President Roosevelt uttered words in his famous speech "The New Nationalism." In his speech, Roosevelt said "Of all the questions which can come before this nation, short of the actual preservation of its existence in a great war, there is none which compares in importance with the great central task of leaving this land even better land for our descendants than it is for us, and training them into a better race to inhabit the land and pass it on. Conservation is a great moral issue for it involves the patriotic duty of ensuring the safety and continuance of the nation." Personally, these words show me the importance of environmental justice and how to be a good progressive figure.

Periodically, we add additional forum topics when they are suggested by students or teachers.  A group of educators in Oakland CA suggested adding a topic on Environmental Justice, and it is now live! 

To join this forum, simply select "Environmental Justice" in the dropdown menu when posting, or click the Environmental Justice link in the menu.

I think that as we are the new generation all of the pressure and burden has been out on us to be able to lift the earth off of its knees and to be able to restore the earth to what it was before the industrial revolution.

The older generation has been putting this off forever but we cannot do that, we have to be the ones who are going to make change. I am going to try and decrease my carbon footprint by: trying to ride my bike or try to not use a car whenever possible, trying to use the heat sparingly and by trying to make my parents trade in a car for an electric one.

I agree that the older generations have failed.  It's crucial to learn from the past and recommit to sustainability with eyes wide open to the challenges and on the long term prize of a healthier planet.