The Millenium Development Goals, agreed to by every member country of the United Nations in 2000, call for the worldwide eradication of poverty and hunger, universal education, gender equality and huge improvements in health by 2015: two years ago!!
Can we do this without making the planet warmer?
Let's think big and imagine how we can confront the climate crisis in a way that is realistic about the other major problems that we face as a planet and as a species on it.
Clean Development >
Dirtier Fingernails and a Cleaner Planet
We can definitely make a difference in the live of those living in hunger by establishing thought out, local agricultural plantations. Many 3rd world countries do not have the basic necessities, but one thing they could be able to support themselves with is crops and gardens. Cultivating one's own food can save a lot of time and energy to ship imports to their location. Not only time and energy but money and the risk of increasing our planet's warmth. To get such a program started, a group of volunteers could ask locals in their area or organizations to contribute a variety of seeds and plants to start the cultivation process. Volunteers would travel to poverty stricken populations to educate and begin plowing the land by hand with the necessary tools that don't require fuel/machinery. They would be able to set the basis of a sustainable garden/plantation for locals to set up a system where they are able to cultivate their own foods and not have to pay the extensive amount of money to ship food to them putting themselves further into poverty. The volunteers that would ad venture out to these different areas all over the world would be using an airplane, car, or train to reach their destination but they are saving a ton more energy in the long run. Some people do not fully trust or believe in such a theory could be possible but if Cuba is able to depend on their imports for only 16% of its food, anything can be possible. These organizations are not limited to only 3rd world countries, but all over the world they are needed. People in the U.S. should begin growing their own gardens in their backyard or locating themselves in walking/biking distances to local markets and grocery stores. This will help limit the unnecessary amount of gases we release into the atmosphere through our use of transportation by machinery.
Definitely a great idea Sophia. This would definitely help us accomplish these goals in a much safer way. I wish this could be the case for everything but instead I definitely find soceity using easier, cheaper tactics to help poverty, hunger, and education. I think that great ideas like yours take time, money, and resources which I unfortunately think many people will do. I would love to see a program like this running and helping everyone thrive so we can not only help with social justice problems but also save the environment at the same time. Definitely a great idea! Hopefully more people will begin to think like this and help people without making the temperature warmer.





