EARTH DAY - Why Should We Pay Attention?
We hear so often 'this is the only planet we have, we need to take care of it.' This is completely true. At one time in our history, we co-existed with nature and the planet. Then the industrial revolution hit and overnight we went form co-existing with our environment to tearing it apart and destroying it. A few people still valued everything our planet has to offer and saw the need to protect resources. Yet it wasn't enough to prevent the damage the human race has caused to the planet.
Now we're in a situation to where several species and natural resources are going to be extinct in a matter of years, maybe in our lifetime. To be honest many of it is interconnected. One of the most important is the bee. Not just one type of be but over 30 species of bees. The basic fact is that bees pollinate,everything. If we so not have pollination the plants do not produce. If they do not produce we lose, things such as coffee, chocolate, fruits and most vegetables. We lose so much. If bees were to go extinct, lastly we would not have honey.
Yes some of these are seen as frivolous in some eyes, but the major impact is to the food chain. Without plant life, animal life cannot be sustained. If neither plant life or animal life is not maintained mankind cannot be sustained. Over dramatic? No not really. It's a reality many don't want to face. That something so incredibly small that many people see as a pest, is so connected to our life cycle.
I only have a few friends that agree with me on this. In fact, my husband is completely indifferent to all of this. 'If the world is going to implode, there isn't anything you can do about it. You need to worry about yourself and live your life." I see his point, but if we don't discuss this and raise awareness nothing will change. Since this subject has been brought to public attention, there has been a 30% increase in the bee population. Some of the species have built back up. We're still not out of the woods, but it's a start.
We have seen when we address the problem, changes can occur. Case in point. Air pollution. Growing up in Southern California (Los Angeles is a decent point of reference for those of you not familiar with American references) I actually grew up in a city called Mission Viejo. It's just north of San Juan Capistrano. (Many people know of due to the Mission there and the Swallows that used to show up year to year.) Anyway, when I was in grade school around 1977 we had 'Smog Days' These were days that the air quality was so bad, we weren't allowed to go outside and play. On the really bad days, the air would be a brown haze and we had to stay inside. I would have softball games canceled due to the smog.
Fast forward a few years, ok a lot of years. To when I had my own kids, in the early 90s. They did not have to go through any of that. It was seen how damaging the air was to everyone. Regulations were put into place a timeline was made and effort to clean up the air. It worked.
Now we see streams, rivers, lakes and areas of the ocean that are filled with trash, mostly plastics. Mind you this is a struggle that has been going since I was a kid. A 6-pack of anything had plastic strap with holes to hold the pack together. Birds and various sea life were getting tangled in them. So there was a movement to remove them. They were redesigned to be breakable. I simply cut them up. We make a humongous effort to remove plastic straws. Yet, they're still going into a plastic cup. It doesn't make sense to me. One step at a time, right?
I hope you all have a GREAT EARTH DAY. Spend some time outside and remind yourself what a beautiful place we live in.
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Thank you so much @tryskele for remind me that our planet is very especial for all of us...!!!
Many people are destroying our planet throwing trash in the rivers, and our natural resources are in dangerous ...!!!
Huge companies are doing this as well like factories spilling oil into rivers, which are killing multiple species in the oceans. Bad governments are also to blame because they don't give a damn about underwater life and the world in which human beings live.
Thanks a lot for share with us this kind of info to keep in mind why we are here and take care about what we have in our hands.
Incredible ...!!!
Thank you @edgarare1 😊 I consider myself a waterbaby. I wasn't a 'normal' child I knew from 5 years old my dream was to be an oceanographer. It didn't happen but my love of the ocean has never faded.
You are on time to get your dream, making an incredible work like your post, helping the world and trying to share to all people how and why they should change their minds for natural resources and humans..!!!
Thanks a lot for your reply @tryskele
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Totally agree with you.. this is the only planet where we live and we can't just live our life without thinking or make action to keep the place where we are.. save and healthy too.
We can't stop the time or escape from death too. But Earth is just like our body, we can't wish to have a healthy body when we can't prevent the bad things get inside our body through various way. When we don't eat plastic. Why earth should? Don't people remember that first human also created from the same material with earth?
Thanks for this insightful and thoughtful post @tryskele. I live my own life like your husband said, but I do my best to keep this earth clean from my greediness or my bad attitude on poisoning it😊
I think we should join the extinction rebellion. Looks like it might be our last chance to save the planet from hitting the tipping point :(
PS - this is for the fellow who believes third world countries are the culprit ☺️ we are all responsible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita
That's what it will take for mankind to take action. Until they're hit in the face regardless of where they're from. Just like an addict, until you hit bottom and admit there is a problem, you can't fix it. Nice to have you stopping by @lucygarrod, haven't seen you for a bit. Probably, because I lose track LOL.
@lucygarrod I remember when our air was fill of smog, animals were going extinct. our rivers could not sustain life. We cleaned it up and still cleaning it up.
I never said that third world countries were the culprit. I said THEY NEED TO DO THIER SHARE !!!!!!!!! Clean up the shit they are doing. Quit passing it off to others to clean it up. We clean up our pollution and pay taxes for it.
Denile not just a river in Egypt . You should not tell countries it ok to pollute. Everyone has to take responsibility , Everyone !!!!!!!! They don’t get a pass
@wolfhart I shared the per capita CO2 emissions graph precisely for that purpose. I totally agree that we should not tell countries that it's OK to pollute but as we can see from the graph the developed countries like US are spewing 15 times more CO2 in our environment than India. So I would say if anything India is already doing 15 times more for the environment than US by emitting less per capita than other more developed countries and should not really be seen as not doing it's share. The developing countries never created the problem we are facing today but are expected to do more than the developed countries which is what causes inequality 🙏
No the graph is PER CAPITAL and only takes into account some CO2 emissions . So how can you say that India pumps less CO2 into the environment. Please. China, India, and the Amazon area pump more CO2 into the air then the rest of the world.
The US has more money so lets call it what it is.
People are so worried about CO2 in the air and yet they say nothing about deforestation. The lungs of the earth. Why is that ???
Look my point is simple.
Don’t fall into the BS where its about money or power.
Confirm the research.
Put everyone on the same playing field.
This has nothing to do with inequality.
Thank you for your replies. You are passionate about the environment. That’s a great thing. Keep it up :)
☺️ keep up your good work! I will try to visit more frequently 🤗
I was wondering if I needed to separate you two LOL. I admit it I love lively discussions. It's how we learn and connect.
I believe we should speak our truth calmly and respectfully ☺️☺️✌️ We are obviously two people who are reading the CO2 emissions graph from opposite angles 😂
Perfectly put 😁
I think we are all responsible for the carbon dioxide emission no matter where we live. However, having to live in what some call the " third world countries" , I notice first hand that we still don't have the awareness to lessen our vehicles use, even to use public transportations, although these days, there's growing awareness about environmental issues. This is rather complex due tied to socio-economic problem.
However, I'd like to emphasize more on my nation current development, which comes at cost. Since my place is considered as one of the lungs of earth, development has caused problems. There are more tall buildings built, more deforestation, more housing for people, which sacrificed the land for crops. These are the problem that I am currently seeing in a bigger scale. However, as an individual I can only contribute to a smaller scale. Such as lessening plastic waste, using public transportation and minimazing my electricity use.
At last, despite our geographical location, we all need more awareness about 3 R (reduce, reuse, and recycling). Perhaps by that, it will help us minimize the problems for environmental issues.
I think that's exactly what I was saying. We are all responsible. As someone who is living in what many would call a "first world country" let me assure you that people lack consideration for the environment here just as much! They drive 4x4 to take their kids to school on roads without a single pothole and then they drive their kids to soccer practice and piano lessons in the same fuel guzzler. They buy expensive fruits and vegetables that have been flown in from all exotic locations around the world instead of buying local produce and they buy a bag for life each time they visit their local supermarket! I can go on an on but there's not much point. We only control our own behaviour so let's do what we can and hope others would learn from example 🙏
I think a big part of the discussion that isn't addressed is waste management. 60% of the ocean plastic waste is from discarded fishing equipment but yet in many western nations, who have a near-zero impact on improper disposal, banning straws at McDonalds is somehow going to save the world. Single-use plastics being phased out where they can be is a good idea, but sometimes we actually need these products. I think for many countries these items are actually handled well and recycled but over here where I live the plastic waste is just all over the place and wouldn't be if there was better waste management in place.
We are not going to eliminate the use of plastics but reducing them is certainly a good idea. However, when we look at poorer populations, they are on the top of the list of offenders (China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines) and I think that if the global community was truly interested in making a real impact on plastics this would be a good place to start instead of Starbucks having a "hey! look at us!" campaign eliminating straws and plastic cup tops with a sippy cup thingy that actually contains more plastic than the original plastic top and straw combo did :O
I don't want it to look like I am saying we should do nothing. I don't believe that... I don't know what the west could do to improve the waste-management of other countries, but I hope that is addressed soon because it is a much bigger issue than the USA banning plastic bags. It all seems like showboating to me and I can all but guarantee that the big shops actually rallied to make this happen.... think about how much money Wal Mart can save by never giving a plastic bag.
You have very valid points. I had a tangent started about the waste management. There is a way to reduce a lot going into the landfills. Again it's cost. I saw a documentary a few years ago, one of the issues was reducing landfill wasted and process more recycling. The facility started by a wash to break down the first part and it went through the stages to at the end there was a group that did the finalized sorting, the glass that didn't break, larger plastics that made it through and so forth. In the end as @wolfhart mentioned and we here in the west know, unless it makes a profit it is not worth it.
I am not sure what else we can do except have open communications about it. I do wonder in this day and age how much is fabricated since we know our news is no longer informative, it's entertainment. We know from what we see when we're out and about. In general, from this little spot in Colorado, a lot of people just don't care. It's an inconvenience to them. They think all forms of recycling should be free. Of course that's another story of the 'entitled gimme gimme' group.
The funny part with the plastic bags in the grocery store, those actually will end up breaking down. It takes a crazy amount of time. There is a way for the bags to be made that they are biodegradable without a large expense. Then the bags they sell for reuse..... those are the worst thing ever, just like you mentioned with Starbucks the reusable bags are made from 'recycled' plastic bags. Those however, don't break down.
if you live in Colorado, I think you guys are already doing very well as far as recycling and waste management is concerned. However, I think that the "act locally, think globally" mentality is good but people need to understand that Colorado is not at the root of the problem. The problems in the ocean at least, is largely an Asian thing for now and if we truly want to reduce this we need to focus on where the problem actually is.....because it isn't in Boulder... it's in Bangkok and Beijing.
Boulder is probably the example. Most people at least in Western Colorado think of Boulder as its own country. 'Too many hippies. Too many Californians' and so forth. This particular little slice of heaven is a conundrum. It is highly conservative. While Mesa County allows 'limited' marijuana sales. The only places in Mesa County to buy legally is DeBeque and Parachute. The City of Grand Junction refuses to allow the sale inside city limits. The biggest downside is no benefit from the State from allowing the sale. We have schools that are being used that still have asbestos and are falling into disrepair. If they would allow the sale the would have money to fix or rebuild the schools in question.
Mesa County had become a sanctuary city for various things. What that has done, has attracted a huge influx of homeless, drug addicts and the like. Most cities if you are drunk and disorderly that put you in the drunk tank have you sleep it off or what not. Not here, they give you a ticket, call a cab and leave. The have limits on weed control and abatement, but your if your house is unlivable nothing is done.
I think at this point it is a matter of each community to work on their space. I know the world holds the US responsible for so many things, but we have also taken the initiative to work on cleaning our space up. We have seen what we can do when attention is brought to any issue. As I mentioned about air quality.
Maybe some year the state won't have to close down Hanging Lake to undo the damage that is done there. It's one of the most beautiful waterfalls I think in the world. The water is pristine (usually). A true mountain meadow. There are signs to not touch the water to not litter or deface things, yet it's still done. Bottle, cans plastic bags and such on the trail, in the water and surroundings. Who would hike a 1/4 mile which is a rise of 1000 ft in elevation to destroy something?
Does there need to be a global responsibility? Yes, but in countries where the citizens don't have a say change will be hard.
I went to Boulder to visit a friend not long ago (I may have mentioned that, I am commenting a day later) and I liked it but was kind of shocked at the amount of homelessness and the beggars are literally everywhere, listening in on your conversations and following you until you give them a buck or two to go away.
I am surprised to hear that Coloradians are dirtying up nature trails... That's a pity for sure. I was impressed with the amount of bike trails when I was visiting. As a bike riding enthusiast, that is always a welcome addition for me.
I don't know what the west could to to help South East Asia have a more responsible disposal system because waste management is just terrible even at the collection level where the norm is to leave your plastic trash bags on the curb where it is almost immediately ripped open by stray dogs. These countries are also ripe with corruption so any sort of cash donation would almost certainly be squandered and any materials would be stolen (this happened when the international community installed mooring lines to help protect the reefs and all of them disappeared in a few months)
It is a complicated problem for sure and the only thing I could think of that might work would be to privatize the system and have the payment withdrawn if certain standards were not met. Of course that would probably just get riddled with corruption as well.
Also, the international community would have to accept the fact that these areas are not going to stop with their very high level of plastic use until there is a viable (financially speaking) alternative. It's nice and all to read this articles about coconut husks being used to make bags but then if you read the fine print and see that production cost is 20x that of a plastic bag you can forget about anyone ever using them - especially poorer countries.
The only thing we can really hope for over here (I'm in Thailand by the way) is that an system of energy-producing incinerators can be constructed the likes of which they already use in Singapore. I know it isn't the most desirable thing, but if we are expecting SE Asia to start behaving like Norway in terms of responsible environmentalism, everyone is going to end up disappointed because the population here is too poor to care.
We are far better stewards then years ago. Yet people are crying extensions,
China and India pump plastics into the sea and are given a pass. And people want to charge the innocent.
You're absolutely correct. I honestly think the only way through this part of the mess is awareness. I'll try not to let the hippie in me take over 😊
This would not be a problem if people didn’t try and make money off of it. This is BIG business and BIG money 💰
Absolutely. Big business runs everything. No money in cures. Charge to 'clean' up after themselves.
You have to look at the deceptions. There shuttle talk that sound good. People forget, corporations don’t pay for things. The people who buy their products do. Until they start holding people responsible who run the corporation this will never change.
Oh wow I didn't even know thjere's such day :) Sadly I couldnt spend much time out today as you suggest - cuz Im siiick. Haha and we wouldn't have much more than just a honey if bees would extinct...you said it urself - they pollinate stuff..soo it would have much worse results if they'd just disappear.
Sorry, you're not feeling well @matkodurko. Most people think they're a pest. I'm not allergic to them but I do get some nasty welts from a sting. I like my coffee and chocolate. If I could start a bee colony, I would.
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Heya Tryskele!
I thought I recognized your name when @hitmeasap posted it in his list of folks we should push to minnow status. #powerhousecreatives represent! My little girl presented an environmental message to the whole school the other day along these lines and I am proud! https://steemit.com/powerhousecreatives/@zekepickleman/happy-belated-earthday
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Thank You so much @zekepickleman. I had no idea about the post. I obviously missed that one. I am going to have to check out both posts now