CLIMATE CHANGE:

URGENCY ON THE
ENVIRONMENTAL
NIGHTMARE AND ITS
PROBABLE SOLUTIONS
a paper by Acero A., Japitana J., &
Cagas A.

STEM-A
 CLIMATE CHANGE: AN URGENCY ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL
NIGHTMARE AND ITS PROBABLE SOLUTIONS

Climate change is one of the major environmental concerns in the world.

Climate change according to Australian of Science is the “change in the statistical

properties of the climate system” that lasts for “several decades or longer- usually at

least 30 years”. The main driver of climate change is the greenhouse effect. Some gases

in Earth's atmosphere act a bit like greenhouse glass, trapping heat from the sun and

preventing it from escaping into space and causing global warming. Global warming

2011-2020 was the warmest decade on record, with the 2019 global mean temperature

1.1 ° C above pre-industrial levels. Man-made global warming is currently increasing

at a rate of 0.2 ° C per decade. Human activity, such as the combustion of fossil fuels

like natural gas, oil, and coal, is largely to blame for present climate change.

The effects of climate change can be seen in all aspects of the world we live in.

Drought can affect food production and human health. Floods can spread disease and

damage ecosystems and infrastructure. Health problems can increase mortality, affect

food availability, and reduce worker productivity. Global sea levels have risen about 20

inches since reliable records began in 1880. It is projected to rise between 1 and 8 feet

by 2100. This is the result of water added by melting land ice and expanding water of

sea as it warms up.

Temperatures will keep rising. Can we dare to just neglect this? According to

reports, the climate change deadline is on 2030. Why 2030? This is "the cutoff date by

which time we basically will be already choosing between a world of constant and

increasing destruction and human misery or a world that is actually much much better

than what we have now," says Christiana Figueres, one of the key architects of the
2015 Paris Agreement. So the solution to slowing the effect of large-scale impacts

according to the United Nations is to decrease the greenhouse gas emissions on every

country "to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century". The total amount of

greenhouse gases already released into the atmosphere mean it would be nearly

impossible to get to climate neutral by 2050 if emissions reductions between now and

2030 aren't aggressive, according to Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac. The following

are the probable solutions to help combat climate change:

1. IMPLEMENT A SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BAN

Plastic crept into every aspect of our lives. The amount of plastic surrounding us at

this precise moment are increasing. In the first ten years of this century, more plastic

was produced than in hundred years prior. But while plastic has improved our lives in

many ways, it also has negative impacts on our environment and can contribute to the

climate change. According to Lockhart J. (2021) that the production and incineration

of plastic added an estimated 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the

atmosphere, roughly what 189 coal power plants would produce. Forest and other

natural spaces are often cleared or damaged to extract these resources then after the

plastic has lived its brief life, it ends up in a garbage can, recycling bin, incineration, or

somewhere in the ocean. Regardless of where the plastic ends up, it continues to

contribute greenhouse gases in the atmosphere long after it’s been discarded, it will go

to the garbage dump within a year where they’ll persist for centuries. So, if we truly

care about the fate of our planet, reducing our dependency on plastic is the key and

instead of plastic bag, we can use a cloth bag or eco bag which is a great deal. Example

of this is the Municipality of Maragusan which has already used this as their ordinance.
 2.USE A RENEWABLE ENERGY

There is no path in protecting the climate without dramatically changing how we

produce and use electricity. Renewable energy minimizes carbon pollution and has

much lower impact in our environment. According to Nebu C. (2015) that for the past

150 years or so, human have relied heavily on coal, oil, and other fossil fuels to power

everything from light bulbs to cars to factories. Fossil fuels are embedded in nearly

everything we do, and as a result, the greenhouse gases released from the burning of

those fuels have reached historically high levels. But if we can use renewable energy

such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power, we can provide energy

without the planet-warming effects of fossil fuel. Replacing fossil fuel as an energy

source with green power is the most important action we can take to address the impacts

of climate change.

3. AVOID BURNING PLASTIC MATERIALS

Plastic is a petroleum-based material, and when burned its like any other fossil

fuel, it releases climate pollution. Incineration of plastic waste in open fields is a

major source of air pollution. According to Toxic Pollutants from Plastic Waste –

A Review, that there are about 12 percent of most municipal solid waste is made up

of plastics of one kind or another. New scientific studies have shown that plastic is

responsible for almost 4% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emission than the

other industry. Plastic is, therefore, a major contributor to global warming and it

can also affect the people living near dumpsites and those working there are at a

great risk of developing respiratory disease and cancer. So instead of burning plastic
 materials, we should throw it in a proper place or we can apply the 3R which is the

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

4. REFORESTATION

Trees help regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. If they are

cut down, this beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released

into the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect. So, the solution to mitigate the

climate change is restoring forested lands. The international research team, led by

Jean-Francois Bastin of ETH-Zurich in Switzerland, estimates the forest cover of the

whole world for the restoration potential. Their team found that Earth’s ecosystems

could support another “900 million hectares (2.2 billion acres) of forests”, 25 percent

more forested area than we have now. By planting more than a half trillion trees, the

authors say, we could capture about 205 gigatons of carbon (a gigaton is 1 billion

metric tons), reducing atmospheric carbon by about 25 percent. That’s enough to

negate about 20 years of human-produced carbon emissions at the current rate, or

about half of all carbon emitted by humans since 1960. Good thing is that there are

big influencers and advocates who use their platform to changing the place a better

world. Example is MrBeast, a youtuber who currently has subscribers. He launched

the #TeamTrees campaign last October 2019 after fans bombarded him with memes

suggesting he commemorate reaching 20 million YouTube subscribers by planting 20

million trees. And guess what? He actually kept his promise by planting 20 million

trees and which his campaign hit 20 million dollars through the help of the thousands

of people. Imagine how massive change we make if we help each other to plant trees?

5. MAKE ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY A MANDATORY SUBJECT.

 The most powerful weapon to curb climate change is through education and

improving environmental literacy. According to Oregon State University,

environmental literacy is “an individual’s understanding, skills and motivation to

make responsible decisions that considers his or her relationships to natural

systems, communities and future generations”. We firmly believe that installing the

said literacy to our school curriculum will greatly lessen the negative impacts as it

programs to the minds of wider population. Thorough education about climate

change helps people to gain knowledge and critical thinking, and enable people to

grasp the situation. The ways to improve literacy also are to conduct an awareness

program in coordination with the local government and disseminating ideas

whereas social media stands as the medium. Through conducting symposium in

barangays or in school, it will maintain public or community support and essential

in redressing grievances. Social media also plays a big role, as we are into the

advancement of technology. According to www.statista.com, over 3.6 billion

people were using social media worldwide, or roughly 46% of the world

population. Have you imagined how immense that is? So that is the perfect medium

to spread awareness as it will scatter to different places in the world. Factual and

scientific explanation should be included in your status and infographics so that it

will convince more people to be aware and responsible of their actions to help fight

the climate change.

The aforementioned probable solutions are great contributors to combat

climate change. Those are the actions to do to help lessen the negative impacts of

the said issue. But bear in mind, that the most essential ingredient to address the

issue is the participation of everyone of us. We must know our role and

responsibilities in the world we are living and be an environmental literate for we

 are entrusted by our Creator to take care of our nature. We, the stewards, will

amplify the voices of the unheard mother nature. Because if not us, then who? If

not now then, when? SO BE AN AGENT OF CHANGE NOW!

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