There are a few things that Americans have strong disagreements about. One of them is the direction the human race is headed in terms of our environment.

Welcome To Earth Day.

It is always on April 22nd. It was started in 1970.

Its purpose is to serve as a reminder that we all have a collective responsibility to safeguard the environment and our own future.

Today you'll read most things on how to participate in Earth Day but I would like to spend some time discussing some facts (or not) I have hunted through the internet.

After all, we have to “leave a place better than how we found it”.  Isn’t this what we were all taught?

The 2 Big Concerns

The 2 biggies are 1) environmental temperatures and 2) plastics (i.e. Pollution).

I think we can all agree that every country is no longer just an island unto itself but that we have to look at the world view of what we are all doing and how it is impacting our Earth.

With resources in hand, I will let you decide to agree or disagree on these topics. 

Questions about the Earth:

Hasn’t the Earth warmed and cooled naturally?

Yes. Earth has experienced cold periods (informally referred to as “ice ages,” or "glacials") and warm periods (“interglacials”) on roughly 100,000-year cycles for at least the last 1 million years. The last of these ice age glaciations peaked* around 20,000 years ago. Over the course of these cycles, global average temperatures warmed or cooled anywhere from 3° to perhaps as much as 8° Celsius (5°-15° Fahrenheit).

We are currently at the end of an ice age and naturally warming up into Earth’s next cycle. 

How hot will the Earth be in 2050? 

2.7° degrees Fahrenheit warmer than now.

How does CO2 emission affect temperature?

Ice ages are triggered and ended by slow changes in the Earth’s orbit. But changing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 also play a key role in driving both cooling during the onset of ice ages and warming at their end.

The global average temperature was around 4C cooler during the last ice age than it is today. There is a real risk that, if emissions continue to rise, the world warms more this century than it did between the middle of the last ice age 20,000 years ago and today.

While the Earth experienced an ice age lasting for tens of thousands of years, before in the past million years, the ice ages seem to be relatively shorter periods and of warmer temperatures.

Think of CO2 as a finetune “control knob” for the Earth’s climate.

Now let’s look at plastics and pollution…

Which countries account for over 80% of all ocean waste?

Philippines, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka

Top 10 countries with the highest amount of plastic pollution in the oceans since 2022.

• India (126.5 million kg).
• China (70.7 million kg).
• Indonesia (53.3 million kg).
• Brazil (38 million kg).
• Thailand (22.8 million kg).
• Mexico (3.5 million kg).
• Egypt 2.5 million kg).
• United States (2.4 million kg).

What country produces the most plastic waste? China. Is this because most consumer products are made in China? 

Which country is plastic-free?  Rwanda. (6 months in jail if caught with plastic)

Why is plastic so harmful to the environment?

• Threatens wildlife by choking or ingestion 
• Damages soil with seepage of chemicals
• Poisons underground water by releasing chemicals
• Takes 1000 years to break down
• Plastic is derived from fossil fuels, including natural gas and crude oil, and also contains chemicals that are known endocrine disruptors and threaten human and animal health.

Easy ways to help reduce plastic use

The best way to reduce the impact of single-use plastics on climate change is to stop using this type of plastic. This task can seem quite tricky in a world full of plastic packaging. However, even small changes can have a significant impact. Here are some things to do to limit your single-use plastic waste. 

• Use a reusable water bottle. 
• Bring a reusable bag to the store. 
• Avoid overly packaged items at the grocery store, such as pre-cut fruits and vegetables. 
• Grocery shop at a bulk foods store. 
• Repurpose old bottles, plastic wrapping, or containers. 
• Cook at home instead of ordering takeout, which often includes extra plastic packaging. 
• Get a travel cutlery set, instead of plastic forks, knives, and spoons. 
• Use bar soaps and shampoos instead of liquids in plastic bottles. 
• Buy products that are not wrapped or protected in plastic. 

Oh, and as an added P.S.  Did you know that our birds are pecking away at cigarette butts? Yep, they are getting addicted to the nicotine.