Daily Archives: June 1, 2022

Global Learning

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I think that global engagement is the most important part of global learning, as it takes actually wanting to make change to see change. As the old adage says, actions speak louder than words. Throughout this class, we have learned of so many ways we can be more sustainable, whether it be being conscious of our water consumption, eating locally, avoiding buying items from certain companies, taking public transportation, etc. But to know is not enough, we need to actually partake in these more sustainable methods. I have been a vegetarian for about 11 years, and while it wasn’t for sustainable reasons then, I love that my choice to not eat meat benefits the environment. Since I already to do so in that manner, I try to go the extra mile to find foods that are more local, organic, and have less packaging so I can further my efforts to make my eating habits more environmentally friendly. I recognize that I am privileged enough to make these decisions. There are steps people can take to cut out meat in a more sustainable and affordable way, for example the program Meatless Monday, where one can choose to not eat meat one day of the week. This is a good way to get communities engaged, involved, and cooperating to make more sustainable choices. 14% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to livestock, and a global shift to a vegetarian diet could mean reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 63%. This of course is a big ask, but the implications of simply changing one’s diet are huge.

 

20 Remarkable Vegetarian Statistics for 2022

Human Impacts

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It is the human interactions with the earth’s natural systems that are causing the negative change. Of course, to maintain a healthy environment we must use some of the earth’s resources; although, it is the overuse that is cursing the problems. The global issues we are facing are a direct cause of the style choices we humans are making to live a comfortable, consumerist life.  We are currently in a state of overshoot, meaning we are using more resources than the earth can produce in a year. In 2018, the ecological footprint was 2.4 times greater than the biocapacity. Essentially, in 2018, we were using 2.4 times the amount of resources the environment could produce in a year. Calculations can be figured out by dividing the footprint by biocapacity.

It is time to make small changes to our lifestyles to drastically slow the rate of the earth’s change and maintain the Earth for future generations. Some simple changes are rooted in expanding our knowledge, such as learning what can be recycled and composted. Many individuals think that plastic and paper can be thrown in the now common, zero sort recycling. This belief is not true; only particular types of plastics can be recycled if they are clean. Composting will also reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills and will promote healthy soil and crops. Along with these changes, individuals can limit laundry and wash in cool water to cut down on electricity usage. The changes mentioned above are minor; but if every person began to practice them, we could seriously reduce negative change. In a consumerist society, it seems hard and maybe impossible to reduce our intake of products, yet it is very possible.

 

The importance of global awareness

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One aspect of global learning that I think is important to focus on is global awareness. Global awareness is important because it is the human understanding of the natural systems of the earth and human societies and how they impact each other. If we can make more people aware of their global impact, then they might take more action to make a sustainable world. For example, the Earth can only produce so many natural resources that are renewable and I feel like everyone does not know that. If humans are using too much of these non-renewable resources then the planet will run out these resources much more quickly. An example of a nonrenewable energy source is oil or petroleum. This is a resource that countries produce and constantly use (i.e. at the gas station) and we are using more than what the earth can continuously supply. In 2020 we were averaging oil production of 88.4 million barrels of oil per day. At this extremely high consumption rate, the earth will run out of oil in about 47 years. This is concerning because we use oil as a nonrenewable energy source for just about everything. Hopefully technology can advance to the point where renewable energy is much more commonly used. I feel like this could be possible with the increase of electric cars instead of ones powered by petroleum. If more people knew about their impact then they may increase their level of global awareness and want to change their daily actions. Every little bit of change can help try to decrease the negative impact that non sustainable actions have on the health and future of the planet. 

source : https://www.statista.com/statistics/265203/global-oil-production-since-in-barrels-per-day/#:~:text=Global%20oil%20production%20amounted%20to,at%20around%2095%20million%20barrels

Reducing overshoot

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From a global perspective, if we were able to begin holding individuals accountable for their interactions with the environment today, it will make a big difference to the future of the next generations. We need to meet our own needs as a functioning society, but actions can be taken to reduce overshoot. Some ways to reduce overshoot in daily life is by reducing one’s carbon footprint. This can be accomplished by avoiding using a car that releases greenhouse gasses. One can also buy sustainable products, eat local, and utilize renewable energy sources such as solar panels. Equally as important is to reduce your water footprint. This can be done by being conscious of letting faucets run; 10 gallons of water per day are wasted through not turning off taps when not using them (Terrapass, 2022). Nearly 95% of an individual’s water footprint is hidden in their food and energy intake, products one purchases, and services one relies on in daily life (Terrapass, 2022).

Earth Overshoot Day: Consuming More Than The Earth Can Give