The Environment: The Impact On The Environment

1481 Words6 Pages
Perhaps American environmentalist Yvon Chouinard says it best, “…most of the damage we cause to the planet is the result of our own ignorance,” since many individuals only vaguely understand the countless ways we effect our environment, ranging from the hydrosphere to the atmosphere and everything in between. Due to the Industrial Revolution, the numerous technological advances since, and an increase in human population the effect on the environment has been massive. Numerous everyday activities, many of which are done without even thinking twice, can have huge impacts on our world. Careless use and disposal of critical natural resources, emission of greenhouse gases, and agricultural practices are only a few of the various ways of leaving…show more content…
The EPA calculator website analyzed specific changes that we could make. We can raise our thermostat two degrees in the summer, lower it five degrees on winter evenings, and hang twenty percent of our weekly laundry, which lowers our emissions 907 pounds (.41 metric tons). Furthermore, if I were to walk to and from work all five days, and my husband would stop on the way home to do grocery shopping, rather than making an extra trip into town on the weekend, we would drive 55 miles less each week, further reducing our emissions for a combined total of 2,738 pounds (1.24 metric tons). There are also multiple things we can do that were not available to measure on the EPA website. Around our home we can turn off lights and televisions when we are not using them, use rechargeable batteries, and purchase reusable cloth bags for shopping. When considering transportation, we can conserve our gas consumption by using cruise control, and planning to drive outside of peak traffic periods, thereby avoiding being stuck in traffic and reducing the amount of time the vehicle is running. The latter also cuts down on the pollution we directly put into the environment. Finally, although it may not have an immediate effect on carbon dioxide emissions, I can teach my children…show more content…
According to reports, in spite of the Basal Convention’s supposedly rigid legal standards regarding the requirement of permits for shipping e-waste to developing nations, eighty percent of all e-waste that developed countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia collect for recycling are instead shipped to Asia by classifying them as “working second hand goods” to get around the constraints. This means these developed nations are claiming the electronics they ship are still useful, if repaired and, therefore provide both a source of jobs and access to inexpensive televisions and computers. However, only a small portion of the items shipped are able to be refurbished, which essentially is turning these developing nations into nothing more than landfills. In Lagos, Nigeria, it is believed approximately 500 shipment containers are unloaded monthly and since it does not the space to store this amassed waste it is often burned in formal and informal dump sites to make space. Additionally, in other areas of Africa, such as Ghana, inhabitants attempt to make money from these obsolete items, burning plastic coated wires hoping to extract the minimal copper inside. Both forms of burning release poisonous fumes which pollute their air. Not only do residents breathe in the heavy metal polluted air with the
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