However, a lot of the headline discourse on environmental issues is going on at a political level, far away from the mundanities of everyday life. This means it’s easy to wonder why should we care for the environment, especially if you’re not glued to the news.

If you’re looking for the reasons why we should care for the environment, this article explores the seven key reasons why the environment and its care should matter to every person on the planet.

What do we mean when we refer to ‘the environment’?

Put plainly, the environment is the sum of all living and non-living things on Earth (including climate, radiation, electrical phenomena, and weather) and their non-artificial relationships and interactions. The natural environment exists on a continuum with environments that are artificial or at least heavily influenced by man.

The environment spans vast natural ecosystems, including rock, soil, water, and vegetation. Natural resources like fossil fuels and the atmosphere are also part. Constituent ecosystems within the environment consist of various forms of life, ranging from microorganisms to animals.

Of course, the environment we experience today has been shaped by the activity of man. Built environments are the opposite of natural environments and have been completely modified and developed to meet the requirements of man. Examples of built environments are farms and cities where the natural environment has been altered or effaced, and something else is in its place.

The environment has been impacted by the activity of mankind with contemporary challenges that include:

• Pollution
• Biodiversity loss
• Natural resource depletion
• Atmospheric and climatic changes

7 reasons why we should protect the environment?

1. Environmental degradation is destroying our health

The material benefits of the industrial revolution to much of the world are undeniable, but one of the major downsides of industrialization has been the massive amounts of pollution generated, with a catastrophic impact on human health.

Pollution generated by industrial processes such as mining, transportation, manufacturing, energy generation, and even food processing is incredibly pernicious, affecting almost every organ system in the body.

In many cases, such as the Dupont PFOA scandal, the DDT controversy, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the environment has been deliberately damaged through the dumping of industrial waste or negligent operational procedures.

Recognized effects of environmental pollution on human health include:

Respiratory disease

Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental issues and has been suggested by the UN to cause over 7 million premature deaths each year. Urban areas are particularly affected by dense particulate pollution that can cause or exacerbate respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and COPD.

In addition, indoor air pollution due to inadequately ventilated cooking or heating puts over a quarter of the world’s population at risk of developing cardiovascular or respiratory health problems.

Reproductive disorders

In many parts of the world, the environment has been polluted by the persistence of a variety of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. These ubiquitous chemicals, which include pesticides, plastics, heavy metals, and the oral contraceptive pill, disrupt the hormone-controlled reproductive processes of humans and animals.

Reproductive disorders like infertility, subfertility, and menstrual disorders may be driven by the pernicious effects of endocrine disruptors in our environment. Sampled average male sperm counts have decreased significantly since the middle of the 20th century, and the downward trend is accelerating.

Cancer

Environmental pollution has led to the widespread dissemination of cancer-causing chemicals called carcinogens. These substances are incredibly diverse and include byproducts of combustion, pesticides, hazardous waste, and ionizing radiation.

Prolonged exposure to these agents has been implicated in the development of cancers in people of all ages. For example, people living in environments with high levels of PM2.5 particulate pollution are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer.

2. Destruction of the environment puts the global food supply at risk

Environmental welfare is a distant thought when we buy our food from grocery stores and markets, but the effects of environmental damage are evident to the food producers who rely on clean water, fertile soil, and a supportive climate to grow and raise our food.

Agriculture is reliant on the environment but can also be one of the biggest polluters due to the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and the generation of agricultural waste. This essential sector is now being threatened by environmental damage in a variety of ways. Examples include:

• Decreasing biodiversity and soil degradation because of intensive farming techniques.
• Loss of viable agricultural land because of the physical presence of a landfill.
• Long-term land and water contamination from landfill leachate.
• Soil and water contamination due to the improper disposal of hazardous waste.
• Pesticides cause the loss of natural pollinators like bees, wasps, and other insects.
• Land loss because of desertification or flooding, driven by climate change. 
• Loss of farmland to construction to accommodate urban sprawl.

The effects of environmental changes may not be apparent in economically advanced countries because they can afford to import food. But poorer countries have a greater dependence on their domestic agricultural production to supply their food. These countries may also be food exporters, putting pressure on available land and compromising food security.

3. Caring for the environment helps us to live productive lives

The welfare of the environment is also important to our ability to work and the wider economy. Pollution has tangible human and economic costs that impact the lives of communities and nations.

According to the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health pollution and environmental damage cost the global economy up to $4.6 trillion per year, more than 6% of the total economic output of the world! A large contribution to this sum is the loss of human productivity from health problems, polluted land, and population displacement due to environmental changes.

Human activity needs to be sustainable if we are to maintain our environment long-term and lead productive healthy lives. Developing sustainable ways of living and managing the Earth’s resources is, in fact, a major economic opportunity that could lift billions of people out of poverty.

For example, the $65 billion the United States has invested in air pollution control since the 1970s has yielded over $1.5 trillion in economic benefit. New and innovative solutions for the world’s most challenging environmental problems could lead to commercial sectors that every country can access and use profitably. 

4. Environmental integrity promotes peace

Though the causes of war are multifactorial, environmental degradation can be a significant stressor as nations and communities compete for dwindling natural resources. Over the last century, there have been numerous domestic and international conflicts as nations and people fight over water, land for agriculture and grazing, and natural resources.

Environmental changes like deforestation and desertification limit the natural resources available to communities. In pastoral or subsistence farming communities, the integrity and resilience of the environment can be the difference between life and death and increases the potential for struggles for the remaining land.

Wars damage and pollute the environment, exacerbating the scarcity surviving people experience. There needs to be a global effort to ensure that environmental conditions do not deteriorate in the poorest and most challenged regions so that people are less likely to resort to conflict.

5. Protecting the environment prevents the displacement of people 

Migration is a global issue that is heavily affected by environmental degradation. Pollution, drought, and local climate and weather changes are making parts of the earth uninhabitable for existing populations and leading to involuntary migration.

Environmentally displaced people

These people termed ‘Environmentally displaced people’, have no choice but to leave regions that have been degraded by environmental degradation or natural disasters, leaving them unable to pursue their livelihoods.

Large population shifts because of environmental change 

The neglect of environmental issues and subsequent stress and degradation could lead to upward of 200 million people being forced to leave their homeland and resettle by 2050. According to Oxford University’s Refugees Studies Center, countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, and Somalia as well as the Pacific island are already affected by this problem.

6. Future generations will have to survive on the Earth we leave behind 

We are responsible for the environmental legacy we leave to future generations. All human activity affects the environment in some way. Sustained negative impact on ecosystems, will lead to the depletion of natural resources and loss of biodiversity, leaving the next generation to inherit our contaminated land, water, and air.

Unrestrained consumption leads to loss of resources

We are currently in the midst of a massive loss of biodiversity, with 25% of wild species facing extinction. This leaves the world a poorer and ecologically scarcer place with the absence of species that may have performed vital but unrecognized roles.

Industry and governmental stakeholders are already aware that the current rate of consumption of natural resources like oil may become critically diminished as the decades roll on. Future generations may not be able to live a lifestyle similar to the ones we’re used to.

However, the outlook isn’t all negative. Recognizing the need to care for the environment returns us precious time to remedy current environmental problems and find new ways to live more sustainably. With effort and investment, we may be able to leave the Earth better than we found it.

7. We are all called to be stewards of the environment we have received

Whatever your belief system, there is an innate understanding of our sovereignty and the need for us to become stewards of the resources that are in our care. Over millennia, mankind has cultivated and tended to its immediate environment with plant and animal husbandry continuing to be a key means of survival to the present day.

But, the mass production of goods and services and careless consumer culture has robbed many people of the sense of responsibility and moral obligation by which efforts could be made to live in a way that is less environmentally damaging. Not caring for or about the environment often serves the agenda of corporate interests that want to sell products at all costs.

Environmental damage for profit

Much of the damage to the environment has not been committed by individuals but by corporations who have exploited environmental resources for profits and polluted carelessly. Great wealth has been generated and is now held by stakeholders who have taught populations the consumerism that is now condemned. 

Control of populations 

Since the early 20th century, urbanization has accelerated. At the start of the 20th century, half of Americans lived on farms. The number of farms in the US has steadily declined from 7 million in the 1930s to 2 million today.

The impact of this massive shift in how people live, and work is that vast populations are completely disconnected from the land and obligated to be consumers of food and goods with little choice or say in how they are produced. This alienation is often the root of indifference to environmental issues across the world.

Making the individual a stakeholder

Fostering engaged, self-determining communities that care for the environment would require whole populations to regain sovereignty that has been ceded to commercial and governmental interests, with critical thinking and reflection on how the present environmental challenges have arisen. 

Many governments espouse behavioral change, sustainability, and reduced resource consumption as the key solutions to the environmental challenges of the 21st century, but without the reclamation of personal responsibility and equitable access and ownership of land, these changes are likely to be cosmetic.

The environment affects everyone

For many people, their immediate environment in a city or town is completely removed from rainforests, rivers, deserts, and the natural disasters we hear about on the news.

Caring for their environment may involve picking up litter, recycling, or choosing to drive an electric car. It is hard to see how the daily activities of running a household and feeding oneself are connected to famines and droughts.

Many countries are geographically and economically shielded from the stark consequences of environmental degradation, but they cannot be indefinitely insulated. Famine, war, and migration are capable of reaching any shore, and decades of unrestrained pollution affect the health of everyone.

Caring for our environment is a must if we want to guarantee ourselves a healthy life, as well as a good life for future generations. Our environment is life-sustaining and must be preserved for all.

How can we save our Earth?

Across the world, people are rightly concerned about the state of the environment and want to take action to make things better. The are numerous initiatives and protest movements that are pressing for urgent changes to the way we live to mitigate environmental damage. 

However, the steps that need to be taken aren’t specific actions, behavioral or lifestyle changes. These are superficial as long as the stakeholders who undertake the most polluting activities for profit on an industrial scale can continue to do so without meaningful change.

In many countries, a significant amount of the waste the people diligently separate for recycling is landfilled because it costs ‘too much’ money to recycle. Electric vehicles run on electricity generated by cutting down trees and shipping them thousands of miles to be burnt, all for profit. Groceries clock up thousands of air miles when they could have been grown locally.

Here are some thoughts on how the environment can be helped:

Regain individual sovereignty

We’re only going to care for the environment when we cultivate personal responsibility and see ourselves as stakeholders in the environment we live in. We need to push back against the disenfranchisement that comes with consumerism and dig deeper.

Take time to learn about the state of our environment and its root causes, drawing information from a range of sources that you can critically evaluate. Think objectively about the way we live and the true cost of convenience in advanced economies.

Develop productive local communities

Armed with personal sovereignty, people can come together and reason to gain a collective, objective understanding of why environmental change has happened and what needs to be done. With cooperation, productivity can shift from taking place at a national or international level to a local scale so communities become resilient and truly sustainable.

Strengthen national sovereignty

With strong, locally productive communities, nations become better equipped to manage their environment by harnessing the skills and expertise of their population to develop strong domestic economies. 

Rather than selling out to supranational interests, lawmakers and governments can hold these corporate and financial entities to account so that they have to change their polluting activities at their own expense.

As Steve Cohen from the Columbia Climate School states;

“I believe that on a more crowded planet, with instant and inexpensive global communication, a company that engages in wanton acts of environmental destruction will not survive long in the marketplace.”

Develop a less opportunistic global economy

We live in societies that are dominated by the demands of economic systems rather than what is best for individuals, communities, and the environment. This has led to the prioritization of global economic agendas and profiteering at the expense of environmental welfare and authentic sustainability.

Not everything should be done because a profit can be made, but until countries regain their sovereignty, they and their citizens are largely captive to a way of living that damages the environment and generates vast profits for a small group of people.

A step in the right direction would be nations coming together to insist that the crippling debts that prevent poorer countries from developing basic infrastructure for sanitation, waste management, and other environmental problems are canceled.

So why should we care for the environment? Because we need change!

Caring for the environment is really caring for ourselves, but it needs to be done with understanding rather than superficial choices and activities that do not contend with the sources of large-scale environmental degradation.

By making the decision to become an engaged and informed citizen, you can start to build grassroots communities that are truly sustainable and hold the sovereignty and power to hold the corporate polluters to account.

Despite their prevalence, the use of fossil fuels has become a point of contention for many global citizens, because of the many negative consequences of utilizing them. In fact, 69% of U.S. adults say they prioritize developing alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar, over expanding the production of oil, coal, and natural gas.

You may wonder why we continue to rely on fossil fuels when so many Americans want to develop more sustainable energy sources. The truth is, there are some reasons why it’s still advantageous to use fossil fuels today.

In this guide, we’ll fully examine this debate, looking at the pros and cons of fossil fuels, how they impact our planet, and why they are so difficult to transition away from.

What are fossil fuels?

You are certainly familiar with the most common examples of fossil fuels – coal, oil, and natural gas, but how do these fuels come to be?

Fossil fuels are compound mixtures consisting of decomposing plant and animal material from millions of years ago. This material is trapped in the Earth’s crust and contains carbon and hydrogen, which can be burned for energy.

Fossil fuels are created when this decomposed material undergoes extreme heat and pressure in the Earth’s crust – as the matter is compressed over time, the chemicals begin to break down and transform into natural fuels.

Each fossil fuel is a result of different combinations of carbon, hydrogen, and other compounds. Different organic materials form unique fuels: the most common fossil fuels are the result of unique amounts of pressure and materials.

Coal, oil, and natural gas are a result of these unique processes, according to National Geographic: 

Humans extract the stored energy in these materials in a variety of ways. Mining is used to extract solid fossil fuels by digging, scraping, or exposing buried resources. Drilling methods help extract liquid or gaseous fossil fuels that can be pumped up to the surface of the Earth, like oil and natural gas.

Fossil fuels are not renewable, meaning that there is a finite supply of these materials inside the Earth. Over time, as humans have extracted fossil fuels, we have had to drill deeper and deeper into the Earth’s crust to harness these materials.

Today, oil and gas wells can range in depth from a few hundred feet to more than 20,000 feet. In some parts of the world, wells go as deep as 30,000 feet.

Why is it important to extract these fossil fuels? 

In short, fossil fuels contain stored energy in the form of carbon and hydrogen, which, when burned, power the mechanical processes we rely on, such as transportation and the electricity we use in our homes every day.

Although there are numerous negative effects of fossil fuel use and extraction, most of the world relies on the energy that fossil fuels produce.

Uses of fossil fuels

Before diving into the specific pros and cons of fossil fuels, it’s important to understand the ways in which fossil fuels are already essential to our daily lives.

While renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy are growing in popularity, the global economy is currently reliant on fossil fuel use. Let’s dive into the numerous ways that fossil fuels are utilized around the world every day.

Transportation

The U.S. spends 29% of its total energy each year to power industrial, farm, rail, and sea transportation with fossil fuels. The main type of fuel used for transportation in the U.S. is petroleum.

These fuels are made from crude oil and natural gas processing, including gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and propane, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Natural gas and electricity are also widely used for transportation in the U.S.

If you drive a car, truck, or motorcycle, you know that your car’s engine burns fuel that comes from crude oil, or gasoline. Distillate fuels are used mainly by large trucks, buses, trains, and ships. Commercial and private airplanes use jet fuel to power their trips across the country.

In 2021, petroleum products accounted for about 90% of the total energy used in U.S. transportation activities. All in all, the transportation of goods, people, and food uses a large amount of fossil fuel.

Household uses

Fossil fuels are used in our homes as well, but their most prominent use may surprise you.

More than half of the energy use in U.S. homes is used for heating in the winter and air conditioning when it’s warm outside. Of course, the amount of energy used varies by season, geographic region, home size, and the fuels used.

Next on the list of household energy uses is water heating, lighting and refrigeration, processes that occur year-round and power pretty much every home in the U.S. Combined, these activities accounted for 27% of total annual home energy use in 2015.

Many stoves in modern-day homes are powered electrically, but gas-powered stoves utilize propane to cook food. Fossil fuels are present in our households in additional ways – plastic containers, toilet seats, telephones, toys, kitchen utensils, and more. Fossil fuels produce the petrochemicals used in the manufacturing of polyester and plastic products.

Medical and pharmaceutical uses

The transportation and household uses of fossil fuels may not have surprised you, but did you know that fossil fuel extracts also have medical and pharmaceutical uses?

For example, processed plastics made with oil are used in heart valves and other specialized medical equipment. Chemicals derived from crude oil are used in radiological dyes and films, tubing, syringes, and oxygen masks. Even MRI scanners are made from fossil-fuel-derived materials.

Additionally, fossil fuel extracts are used in products many of us use every day. The chemical Benzene, for example, is a natural component of crude oil and gasoline. It’s often used to make some types of lubricants, rubbers, and even drugs.

To better understand why fossil fuels are used in so many products and processes around the world and why detractors want to be rid of these fuels, let’s dive into the pros and cons of fossil fuels.

Advantages of fossil fuels

While there are various cons of utilizing fossil fuels in our households and businesses, there are several reasons why fossil fuel use has become so commonplace over the years.

Let’s examine some of the advantages of fossil fuel use.

1. Efficient energy sources

Fossil fuels are among the most efficient sources of energy, because small amounts of oil or gas, for example, produce a large amount of energy. Different fuels carry different amounts of energy per unit of weight, and fossil fuels are more energy dense than other sources.

The energy density of oil, according to a Drexel University study, is about 35 to 45 gigajoules (10,000 kWh) per cubic meter. Alternatively, solar energy has a density of 1.5 microjoules per cubic meter, over twenty quadrillion times less than oil.

While renewables like solar energy may be more sustainable, it’s difficult to deny that fossil fuels make efficient energy sources.

2. Useful byproducts

Fossil fuels also create byproducts that are widely used throughout homes and businesses. In fact, petrochemicals derived from oil and natural gas make the manufacturing of over 6,000 everyday products and high-tech devices possible.

So, how does oil turn into a plastic item like the toothbrush you use every day?

After crude oil is removed from the ground, it’s sent to a refinery where different parts of the crude oil are separated into usable petroleum products. While most of these groups are used for the production of energy, a few chemicals are used to make various items.

Some of the products made from fossil-fuel-derived materials may surprise you:

• Antifreeze
• Artificial limbs
• Umbrellas 
• Backpacks
• Contact lenses 
• Mops
• Glue
• Swimming pools

These everyday items would not be possible without chemicals derived from fossil fuels.

3. Easy to transport

Transporting fossil fuels is easier when compared to transporting the energy gained from other sources like wind, water, or solar power.

Crude oil moves from the extraction source to refineries using barges and tankers, and over land by trucks and railroads, or underground through pipelines. Natural gas is transported by underground pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers. These materials are housed in metal tankards and containers.

While it is generally considered easy to transport these fossil fuels, it’s important to note that oil spills and natural gas leaks occur frequently. These incidents are a large source of various pollutants leaking into our atmosphere and water sources.

4. Generates thousands of jobs

There are millions of people currently employed by the fossil fuel energy sector – in 2019, nearly 1.7 million people worked in fossil fuel industries, conducting activities such as mining, electricity generation, and transportation.

Many countries rely on the economic activities resulting from fossil fuel extraction and use. Because of this, the adoption of renewable energy must include transitioning these millions of jobs that individuals and families rely on around the world.

5. Readily available and relatively easy to extract

Fossil fuel plants and extraction sites require a relatively small amount of infrastructure. For example, offshore oil rigs and onshore oil derricks pump most of the petroleum that is extracted throughout the world. This process involves drilling a hole into a potential oil patch and then pumping the oil out through a long tube.

Most countries that rely on fossil fuels also already have the infrastructure and knowledge with which to mine and drill for these fuels.

In addition, since fossil fuels have powered our world for over 250 years, there is already infrastructure in place to distribute it and utilize it at a relatively low cost. Most of our infrastructure is, ultimately, already built for fossil fuel use, from cars to gas-powered stoves.

Over the last few centuries, large amounts of fossil fuels have been readily available around the world. Rising population has created more and more demand for these energy sources.

To extract fossil fuel resources at a faster rate, global nations have invested large sums of money into the energy sector. In fact, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicted that energy sector investment would rise to over 8% in 2022 to reach a total of $2.4 trillion.

Disadvantages of fossil fuels

Now that we understand the various reasons why fossil fuels are considered advantageous around the world let’s dive into the many disadvantages of fossil fuel use.

1. Environmental degradation

Primarily, the burning of fossil fuels causes air pollution, which makes its way into our soil and water sources. The combustion of these fuels releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gasses, which trap heat in our atmosphere and heat up our planet.

Thus, greenhouse gasses like CO₂ are the primary cause of one of the most existential threats to our planet: climate change. In fact, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that emissions from fossil fuels are the dominant cause of global warming. In 2018, 89% of global CO₂ emissions came from fossil fuels and industrial activities.

Many places around the world are already experiencing the effects of climate change, such as the ever-rising sea level and extreme natural disasters, and weather patterns. If this persists, the consequences will be disastrous for all living species.

Evidently, the use of fossil fuels contributes to environmental degradation and is worsening climate change by the day.

2. Power stations require lots of reserves of coal

Today, we rely on power stations to produce energy. For power stations to keep working, they require vast amounts of coal: it takes about 1 pound of coal to generate one kWh of electricity.

In addition, large trucks are used to transport coal if power stations are not located near large deposits of coal. This transportation also requires a lot of power which can not only damage the Earth but is also very expensive. In turn, fuel prices will keep rising as a result of high transportation costs.

3. Health complications (from fuel combustion)

Critically, fossil fuel combustion causes air pollution, which can lead to serious health complications that are passed down through generations.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burning fossil fuels releases pollutants that lead to early death, heart attacks, respiratory disorders, stroke, and asthma. It has also been linked to autism spectrum disorder and Alzheimer’s disease.

Carbon dioxide emissions have also been associated with global warming and the destruction of the ozone layer. The ozone layer protects humans and animals from the powerful rays of the sun, so degrading this layer exposes us to high levels of radiation, which causes skin cancer.

4. High depletion level

Critically, fossil fuels are not renewable energy sources. Unlike water, sun, and wind energy sources, the level of fossil fuels underground is depleting with each passing day.

In the next few centuries, we will run out of fossil fuel reserves. Experts predict we have 139 years left of coal, 54 years left of oil, and 49 years of gas supply. In our lifetime, we must transition to alternative sources of energy to power our everyday lives and critical processes.

5. Oil spills and gas leaks

When transporting oil, there is a high likelihood of the oil spilling onto land and into the sea. In the U.S. alone, there have been over 44 major oil spills since the 1970s, resulting in severe harm to aquatic life.

Ultimately, oil spills are disastrous to all living things and almost impossible to clean up.

The Horizon oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico released 4.9 million oil barrels into the Gulf of Mexico. The petroleum that had leaked from the well before it was sealed formed a slick extending over more than 57,500 square miles, harming and killing millions of plants and animals in the region.

Natural gas pipelines also leak this harmful fuel into the soil and atmosphere. Leaks are incredibly dangerous because they can kill vegetation and trees, cause explosions and fires, and release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

6. High levels of water usage

Water shortages are a common problem in most parts of the world, especially in developing nations or areas stricken by drought.

In California alone, oil and gas operators used 3 billion gallons of freshwater from municipal sources between 2018 and 2021, an amount equal to what would be used in more than 120 million showers.

Fossil fuel power plants contribute to this problem because they require vast amounts of water for cooling. A study conducted in the U.S. reveals that fossil fuel power plants consume over four times the water that all the water used in homes in the U.S.

The long-term effect of water consumption by fossil fuels is the depletion of finite water resources, and the result is a lack of water. Contaminated water supplies or a lack of water can result in improper sanitation, exposure to chemicals, health issues, and even death.

7. Rising fuel costs

As fossil fuels continue depleting, it is becoming harder and harder to extract them from the Earth. In turn, the cost of extracting fossil fuels has risen. In the U.S., if fossil fuel prices are driven higher, the country could spend more than $30 trillion on fossil fuels between 2010 and 2030.

Also, since only a few countries in the Middle East produce the world’s fossil fuels, there is an increasing fear of war, lower output of fuels, and strikes by trade unions that can lead to fuel fluctuations around the world.

The clean energy transition

While there are clear pros and cons of fossil fuels, it’s clear that the disadvantages of continuing to use fossil fuels far outweighs the benefits. The clean energy transition seeks to make renewable energy sources more reliable and encourage the widespread adoption of renewables over fossil fuels.

Experts agree that switching from more harmful fossil fuels like coal and oil to less emission-intensive fuels like natural gas can result in significant CO₂ and air quality benefits. While it’s not a long-term answer to climate change, switching to natural gas can make a difference in the short term.

However, our supply of fossil fuels will run out soon. Significant investment, private-public partnership, and widespread adoption of renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy must occur before we can successfully phase out the use of the fossil fuels that are harming our planet.

Organizations like the Clean Energy Transition Institute, the United Nations, and the European Commission have identified pathways to decarbonization in the building, industrial, and manufacturing sectors. Like with the domestic use of fossil fuels, these industries must transition away and find alternatives.

Conclusion on the pros and cons of fossil fuels

When we compare the pros and cons of fossil fuels, it is clear that despite their numerous uses, fossil fuels are causing untold damage to our planet, humans, and plant and animal species.

Since human beings have relied upon fossil fuels for a long time, the transition may seem difficult, but it’s necessary for the survival of our planet and species.

However, some countries have begun to generate substantial portions of electric power from renewable sources. Individuals and large organizations and corporations should all join in the clean energy movement, to make the Earth a better home for us all.

6 key environmental issues and movements in Japan

With over 125 million people living on a series of islands, Japan is a densely-populated country. It’s also biologically diverse with a range of climates and types of habitats, giving it a unique set of environmental issues and challenges.

The Japanese government and population are rising to this challenge, with a range of innovative solutions and policies, some of which set an example for the rest of the world to follow. Let’s take a closer look at the key environmental issues in Japan, and how the nation is tackling them head-on.

1. Waste management

Waste is a critical global issue, but managing waste is especially problematic in Japan, thanks to its dense population and high level of development. The country is the world’s second-highest generator of plastic packaging waste, with total volumes of municipal waste increasing exponentially since the mid-20th century, as the island nation rapidly industrialized.

Japan has long relied on incineration to deal with the large amounts of waste its population produces, destroying almost two-thirds of its trash this way. While countries like the US send the majority of their waste to landfill, this simply isn’t an option for Japan, which lacks the space to accommodate large landfill sites.

While sending trash to landfill has its own environmental implications, incinerating trash is perhaps even more problematic. It releases particulate matter, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals into the air which can be damaging to the environment as well as to human health.

This is one of the reasons that Japan has high levels of dioxins in its atmosphere, a group of compounds that are classified as persistent environmental pollutants (POPs). Dioxins can accumulate in the food chain, and threaten human health when ingested via food.

In 2001, the US Department of Justice raised issues with Japan over health risks to American service members stationed in the country. The DoJ claimed these deaths were caused by pollution from the Jinkanpo Atsugi Incinerator, and worked with the Japanese government to close the facility.

In recognition of this issue, local communities and municipalities have started introducing initiatives to slash the amount of waste they produce, mostly through recycling. Governments at various levels are supporting this movement through sponsoring technological advancements in incineration and recycling, as well as better packaging labeling and other policies to encourage recycling.

The town of Kamikatsu, for example, set a goal to become zero-waste by 2020. In 2018, the town reported an 81% recycling rate, which is very impressive compared to just under 24% of US municipal waste.

2. Nuclear power and radioactive waste

Japan was one of the countries that is the most reliant on nuclear power, generating around one-third of its electricity prior to 2011, but this has fallen significantly since then. This creates another critical waste management issue: how to deal with radioactive materials.

The nation is making moves to establish an underground storage site for radioactive waste, but the high level of seismic activity in Japan has led to a range of concerns over the underground storage of nuclear waste.

Public support for nuclear energy, which was previously very high, has waned since the 2011 incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A tsunami triggered a meltdown at three of the facility’s nuclear reactors when the loss of power caused their cooling systems to fail.

Now only 18% of the Japanese population is in favor of nuclear reactors.

In 2021, Japan attracted international criticism for dumping contaminated wastewater from the decade-old disaster into the Pacific – further highlighting its struggles with dealing with radioactive waste.

Therefore, the long-term solution may be to move towards less problematic sources of energy such as renewables. Japan is already making significant strides in this direction – more on this later.

3. Fishing and whaling

Overfishing is an issue in many parts of the world, but it’s particularly pertinent in the island nation of Japan, whose diet relies heavily on fish and fish products.

The average Japanese person eats around three pounds of fish a day. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the country is one of the world’s biggest catchers of fish, resulting in overfishing in Japan’s waters with consistently declining fish stocks. As a result, Japan has tightened its rules on fishing in recent years.

Whaling is another key environmental issue. Whale meat was an important part of the traditional Japanese diet, served raw and cooked in a number of dishes.

In 1986, Japan banned commercial whaling in 1986, “research whaling” never stopped, and limited commercial whaling in Japan’s own waters resumed in 2018.

On the other hand, the Japanese government emphasizes that it is an important part of their culture and argues that whaling can be conducted responsibly and sustainably. Though they set caps on the number of whales that boats can kill as part of sustainability quotas, this move continues to be met with international outcry.

4. Disappearing coral reefs

In 2016, Japan’s largest coral reef, the Sekiseishoko reef in the Sekisei lagoon experienced a mass bleaching event, destroying around 70% of the coral, with over 90% at least partially bleached.

The reef had been notable not only for its beauty and size, but also its diversity; over 400 different types of coral had been observed there.

The causes of this catastrophic event have been identified as rising sea temperatures due to climate change, as well as the introduction of starfish that eat the coral.

This issue is not unique to Japan, with rising sea temperatures impacting coral reefs all around the world. The world’s largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, has reportedly lost half of its corals over the past 20 years.

The solution also needs to be a global one: scientists argue that we need dedicated, worldwide action to reduce carbon emissions and prevent further rising temperatures, both on land and in the ocean.

5. Protecting biodiversity and endangered species

According to National Geographic, Japan is one of 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world, that is, places where an exceptional number of unique species are surviving under the threat of extinction. Therefore, protecting this biodiversity and preventing important species from becoming extinct is another key environmental challenge the country faces.

Since the 1980’s, scientists have understood the importance of biodiversity and the need to protect every species in order to avoid upsetting the fragile balance of nature’s ecosystems. Japan is made up of nearly 7000 different islands, formed by tectonic activity and spanning a range of climates.

The country’s plants and animals evolved over time, adapting to these conditions, and being left largely untouched in isolation for millions of years. Nearly half of its animals and reptiles and around one-third of its plants are unique to Japan, giving the nation a responsibility to protect them.

It is rising to this challenge, with the Japanese government leading the way with a range of initiatives to protect its unique species and biodiversity. These include working with farmers to reduce their use of pesticides and fertilizers to protect the broader ecosystem, and breeding programs for endangered species.

Many see Japan as setting an example for other countries to follow in protecting their own native species and promoting biodiversity.

6. Japan’s green future: carbon neutral by 2050

In recent years, Japan has become a global leader in carbon neutrality. The world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, in 2020 the country announced that it planned to be carbon neutral by 2050.

This will be no mean feat: in 2018, Japan produced more than one billion tons of greenhouse gases, so reducing this to net zero will be an enormous challenge. It will involve completely reimagining the country’s industrial structures and implementing sustainable practices at all levels, from individuals to large companies.

A big part of the government’s approach is heavy investment in new green technologies, from the research and development phase to full-scale commercialization and implementation. To do this, the Japanese government launched a 2 trillion yen ($15 billion) innovation fund in December 2020 which promises to fund everything from next-generation solar panels to hydrogen planes and cargo ships and fuel cell vehicles.

Another initiative is to make sure 100% of all new passenger car sales are of electrified vehicles by 2035, an area where Japan is already a global leader. Other approaches include building post-combustion CO₂ capture plants and massive offshore wind turbines.

Although the plan is being driven by the Japanese government, the business sector is also stepping up, with many companies and business associations adopting low-carbon action plans as part of a shifting culture towards sustainability.

However, it’s important to consider how much this relies on nuclear power: Japan’s plan involves revitalizing its nuclear industry and even building new plants. Given the concerns of nuclear power, and Japan’s particular issues with disposing of reactive waste, this could lead to further environmental and safety issues in the future.

Final thoughts

Though the country is unique in many ways, many of the environmental issues Japan faces are shared by the rest of the world. From coral bleaching and species extinction to dealing with radioactive waste and striving for carbon neutrality, there are a range of lessons we can learn from the island nation, both good and bad.

In particular, the country is taking amazing strides towards becoming carbon neutral in just a few decades, all the more impressive given its status as one of the world’s biggest emitters. However, this approach relies partly on increased reliance on nuclear energy, which comes with its own environmental concerns.

For more on the nuclear power debate, take a look at this guide to the pros and cons of nuclear energy or learn more about the types of renewable energy.

Our environment is all we have. If we don’t take care of it who will? The following quotes on sustainable development are some of the many ways that we can learn and understand the importance of sustainable development.

I have compiled a list of the best quotes on sustainability to help us understand better the whole concept.

64+ quotes about sustainability

Let’s get into our list of quotes about sustainability and sustainable development. We will break out the quotes into the following categories: famous quotes, food sustainability quotes, hard-facts quotes, inspiring quotes and short quotes.

This will help you find your favorite quotes to live by and use to continually improve your sustainability efforts.

Famous quotes about sustainability

1. “The best way to predict future is to create it.”

– Peter Drucker

2. “Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

– Gro Harlem Brundtland

3. “Sustainability is a political choice, not a technical one. It’s not a question of whether we can be sustainable, but whether we choose to be.”

– Gary Lawrence

4. “There must be a better way to make the things we want, a way that doesn’t spoil the sky, or the rain or the land.”

– Paul McCartney

5. “Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract – sustainable development – and turn it into a reality for all the world’s people.”
– Kofi Annan

6. “No matter how complex global problems may seem, it is we ourselves who have given rise to them. They cannot be beyond our power to resolve.”

– Daisaku Ikeda

7. “The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is the bedrock of our enterprise for a sustainable world.”

– Indian Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

8. “How long can men thrive between walls of brick, walking on asphalt pavements, breathing the fumes of coal and of oil, growing, working, dying, with hardly a thought of wind, and sky, and fields of grain, seeing only machine-made beauty, the mineral-like quality of life?”

– Charles A. Lindbergh

9. “The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them.”

– Paul Hawken

10. “Without environmental sustainability, economic stability and social cohesion cannot be achieved.”

– Phil Harding

Inspiring sustainability quotes

Here is a list of some inspirational quotes on how to adopt sustainable development.

11. “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”

– Edmund Burke

12. “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

– R. Buckminster Fuller

13. “Our ancestors did great work for humanity. What will we do for the next generations?”

– Lailah Gifty Akita

14. “Real human beings take precedence over partisan interests; however, legitimate the latter may be.”

– Pope Francis

15. “We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”

– Howard Zinn

16. “Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations.”

– Jean-Paul Richter

17. “Building a world where we meet our own needs without denying future generations a healthy society is not impossible, as some would assert. The question is where societies choose to put their creative efforts.”
– Christopher Flavin

18. “We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present.”

– Adlai E. Stevenson

19. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

– Margaret Mead

20. “The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.”

– Ross Perot

21. “The sustainability revolution will, hopefully, be the third major social and economic turning point in human history, following the Neolithic Revolution – moving from hunter-gathering to farming – and the Industrial Revolution.”

– Prince Charles

Quotes about sustainable food

If we negatively impact nature, water and food are some of nature’s gifts that will become a luxury. If we can’t take care of nature, nature can’t take care of us.

22. “Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man.”

– Stewart Udall

23. “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

24. “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”

– Thomas Fuller

25. “Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.”

– Cree Indian Proverb

26. “Forests and meat animals compete for the same land. The prodigious appetite of the affluent nations for meat means that agribusiness can pay more than those who want to preserve or restore the forest. We are, quite literally, gambling with the future of our planet – for the sake of hamburgers.”
– Peter Singer

27. “If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from the Wastepaper Age.”

– Jacques Barzun

28. “Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air and drink the water. Don’t sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet.”

– Carl Sagan

29. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien

See Related: Caring for the Environment – Why It Matters

Hard-facts quotes on sustainable development

Sometimes it is not enough to just inspire people; giving them the hard facts, is some instances the best way. These are quotes on sustainable development that will help us be prudent when making some decisions.

30. “The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”

– Albert A. Bartlett

31. “Global warming will not end by Earth finding shade under the trees but under our hands joined together.”

– Agona Apell

32. “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

33. “21st Century choice: Look after our planet, and it will look after us, or don’t and face the consequences.”

– Phil Harding

34. “An act of violence against nature should be judged as severely as that against society or another person.”

– Dr. Michael W.Fox

35. “It angers me when sustainability gets used as a buzz word. For 90 percent of the world, sustainability is a matter of survival.”
– Cameron Sinclair

36. “In America today, you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see, and nobody calls the cops.”

– Paul Brooks

37. “People ‘over-produce’ pollution because they are not paying for the costs of dealing with it.”

– Ha-Joon Chang

38. “Because we don’t think about future generations, they will never forget us.”

– Henrik Tikkanen

39. “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

40. “Sustainable development is a fundamental break that’s going to reshuffle the entire deck. There are companies today that are going to dominate in the future simply because they understand that.”

– Francois-Henri Pinault

Funny sustainability quotes

Although these sustainability quotes may sound humorous, they are as serious as the lack of water can be to our environment. They intend to help us see the sarcasm in what we do in the name of development.

41. “Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge.”

– Thomas Edison

42. “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”

– Ansel Adams

43. “Our life is frittered away by detail…Simplify, simplify, simplify! Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.”

– Henry Thoreau

44. “The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.”

– Ayn Rand

45. “Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites.”
– William Ruckelshaus

46. “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”

– W. H. Auden

47. “Sustainable Development is more than meeting the needs of today and future generations; to my understanding, this definition better fits the sex industry.”

– M.F. Moonzajer

48. “It is not reasonable that art should win the place of honor over our great and powerful mother nature. We have so overloaded the beauty and richness of her works by our inventions that we have quite smothered her.”

– Michel de Montaigne, Cannibales

49. “A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman of the next generation.”

– James Freeman Clarke

Short sustainability quotes

50. “There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.”

– Marshall McLuhan

51. “Sustainability is here to stay, or we may not be.”

– Niall FitzGerald

52. “We have a duty to care for the environment.”

– Lailah Gifty Akita

53. “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”

– Aldo Leopold

54. “We can never have enough of Nature.”

– Henry David Thoreau

55. “We can’t just consume our way to a more sustainable world.”

– Jennifer Nini

56. “He that plants trees love others besides himself.”
– Thomas Fuller

57. “When the soil disappears, the soul disappears.”

– Ymber Delecto

58. “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.”

– Albert Einstein

59. “Consume less; share better.”

– Hervé Kempf

60. “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

– Robert Swan

61. “Treat the Earth as though we intend to stay here.”

– Crispin Tickell

62. “One planet, one experiment.”

– E. O. Wilson

63. “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

– Robert Swan

64. “Ownership is a sine qua non of sustainable development.”

– James Wolfensohn

Want more quotes like these? Check out our list of quotes on climate change.

Sea wall guide: what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Climate change is a serious topic in the 21st century. With its adverse effects on the environment all around the globe, it is something that demands utmost seriousness. One significant consequence of climate change is the rise in sea levels.

A rise in sea level causes an increase in waves and tides, and this necessitates the creation of sea walls to shield various shorelines. In this guide, we will explore the sea wall advantages and disadvantages, both to the sea and land.

Coastal regions are sources of attraction for various activities such as tourism, fishing, trade, and transport. For this reason, numerous coastal management strategies have been put in place to preserve these coastlines. Since sea walls are a part of the various measures taken to protect our coastline, understanding their operation, as well as their creation, is essential.

Seawalls have been in use for hundreds of years, with the earliest spanning back to as early as 195AD. These early seawalls in Constantinople (Istanbul) were used to protect their city from damaging effects of the sea.

This shows that the structures are beneficial, and that’s why they are still in use up to date. Before we explore sea wall pros and cons, let’s first define it.

What is a sea wall?

A sea wall is a manmade system that is constructed parallel to the coastline to protect the shoreline and the land that lies beyond it. The primary aim of many sea walls is to protect the shore from erosion, but they can also be used to defend human settlements and leisure areas from the negative effect of waves, tides, and tsunamis.

Human civilization has been using seawalls for millennia, with the earliest examples going back to 195AD, when these type of structures were built by Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) to protect their city from the damaging effects of the sea.

Because sea walls are solid, stationary structures, they can interfere with coastal ecosystems and block sediment exchange between the land and the sea, along with other negative impacts.

Sea wall construction

Sea walls can come in a wide range of sizes and designs. Some sea walls are completely vertical, while others are curved, sloped, or stepped on the ocean side.

These structures may be constructed from various different materials, including:

• Monolithic concrete barriers
• Bricks
• Blocks
• Rubble mound structures
• Steel sheet pile

A sea wall’s construction and materials can have a significant impact on the its performance, with different designs and textures used to meet distinct purposes. For example, while a smooth surface will reflect wave energy, irregular surfaces can disperse wave direction.

Typically, seawalls also require deep, strong foundations for stability. They may feature earth anchors to help the wall withstand pressure from the land side: these are structures buried deep into the ground and connected to the wall with rods.

Financial needs for sea wall construction

Since sea walls need to protect the shoreline from strong waves, erosion, and even tsunamis, they need to be built with robust materials with very sturdy construction. This requires precision engineering: their design and construction demands specific expertise and can be very costly.

According to one survey conducted by the City of Ft. Lauderdale, sea walls can cost between $650 and $2000 per linear foot, depending on the location and the depth of the waterway. This doesn’t include expenses such as permitting and engineering services which cost from $2000 to $5000 per job.

Costs can also vary depending on the type of sea wall and the materials used.

Factors that influence the cost of building a seawall include:

Interesting facts about sea walls

Sea walls have long been used to protect coastal cities, beaches, and shorelines. Some key facts about sea walls you probably didn’t know:

• Sea walls can have a range of uses, from preventing waves from eroding the shoreline to protecting coastal areas from flooding.

• One of the longest sea walls in the world can be found in Guyana, which spans over 280 miles, covering most of this small country’s coastline. It was built by the Dutch in 1855 after a flood almost completely destroyed Camp House colony.

• Perhaps the most dramatic demonstration of the benefits of sea walls can be found in the city of Pondicherry, India. Built in 1735 by the French and subsequently maintained by Indian authorities, this sea wall is two kilometers in length and up to 27 feet above sea level in some sections. Thanks to the wall, the city was unflooded and suffered minimal casualties during the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, where 24-foot waves hit the coast.

• Sea walls can be built at both an individual and community level. There are many examples of adhoc sea wall construction to protect communities and individual properties.

• Sea walls may be part of a larger coastal region management plan, in conjunction with other technologies such as managed realignment and beach nourishment.

So are sea walls beneficial overall, or do they add more harm than good? Let’s weigh up sea wall advantages and disadvantages.

Sea wall advantages and disadvantages

Sea walls come with a range of both benefits and drawbacks for people, animals, and the natural environment. Let’s take a closer look at pros and cons analysis of using a sea wall along the coast, starting with their main advantages.

Advantages of sea walls

Sea walls can be extremely useful when coastlines are at risk of further erosion that may cause extreme damage, as well as to protect the shoreline and inland areas from flooding. They are a long-term solution that offer the following advantages.

They prevent coastal erosion

The most notable benefit of sea walls is that they provide excellent protection against coastal erosion and flooding.

The sea wall forms a permanent, stationary barrier between the sea and the land. Unlike other approaches like soft beach nourishment, they offer a long term solution to shoreline erosion.

They can be used to generate renewable energy

Sea walls also allow us to harness the power of the tides and turn it from a destructive force into a source of renewable energy. Tidal wave energy can be used to generate clean, reliable and renewable energy, and tidal energy facilities can be easily incorporated into sea walls.

They have a small footprint

Unlike other types of coastal defense such as dykes, sea walls require very little space to build. These structures are largely vertical with a compact footprint, and so take up minimal space on the sea and land sides.

Land in most coastal regions is a highly sought-after commodity, and buying the necessary land is one of the major expenses associated with constructing coastal defense systems. The minimal footprint of sea walls helps to keep construction costs low.

They are very flexible

Sea walls can generally be expanded or upgraded easily. In the context of a changing climate, as new threats develop, sea walls can be modified to meet these new needs and address new problems.

They add value to coastal areas

Sea walls make coastlines and the areas beyond more secure, which in turn maintains land values, as well as promoting local investment. Sea wall projects can also incorporate building promenades and leisure zones, helping to promote recreation and tourism.

They last a very long time

The sea walls are extremely strong and durable, and will last for centuries as long as they are maintained properly. A sea wall in Galveston, Texas, for example, was built in 1903 and continues to protect the city from coastal erosion and flooding.

Disadvantages of sea walls

Sea walls are typically used in areas where other approaches to preventing coastal erosion are inadequate, or have already failed. In many cases, they’re build as a last resort, as they come with a number of costs, financial and otherwise.

High cost of construction and maintenance

Because they need to withstand incredible pressures and forces, sea walls can be pretty expensive to build as well as maintain.

In particular, curved sea walls are designed to reflect the waves’ energy back into the ocean, and this can take its toll. Over time, the wall itself will start to erode, and so needs to be maintained, which can be costly.

Having said this, as sea walls are a permanent solution that last for centuries, they may turn out to be the most affordable solution over the long term.

They disturb marine and coastal habitats

Building any large, permanent structure will have an impact on the natural environment. Sea walls can disrupt marine and coastal ecosystems and interfere with habitat migration.

They act as a physical barrier that blocks birds, fish, and other animals, preventing them from accessing food and other vital resources. These walls also restrict tidal flows and affect water levels, eliminating coastal rock pools or other areas that normally fill with water at high tide, and therefore destroying these habitats.

They restrict sediment flow

Another environmental impact associated with building sea walls is that they restrict sediment flows and can lead to sediment starvation in extreme cases. In simple terms, the sea side of the wall experiences rapid erosion, but the sediment isn’t replaced through hinterland erosion because the flows are blocked by the wall.

Equally, sea walls hinder natural shoreline erosion, where sediment moves along the coast, supplying beaches further along. Sea walls get in the way of this, reducing or even destroying other beaches.

If they’re too low they can lead to overtopping

Overtopping is another issue that can arise, especially if the sea wall is too low. This is when sea water flows over the wall and to the other side.

In extreme cases, this can lead to significant soil and sand erosion, weakening the wall. As sea levels rise, existing walls may need to be built up or updated to avoid overtopping.

They disrupt the natural line of the coast

Although the sea wall will prevent erosion, as soon as the wall ends, the coastline will be subject to natural conditions again. At this point, the coast will often erode, sometimes in a dramatically-stepped line.

They can restrict accessibility

Sea walls may restrict access to beaches and recreational areas, especially for disabled people or the mobility-impaired. They may also get in the way of emergency services and so could cause safety risks.

Some sea walls can also be an eyesore, threatening tourism and adversely affecting local communities.

Barriers to sea wall implementation

There are a number of challenges that can threaten sea wall construction, with cost arguably being the biggest hurdle. These projects need to materials and construction that are strong enough to stand up to strong waves and high pressure, which can be expensive.

Additionally, not all local authorities are willing to invest in the preparation that is an essential part of building a sea wall, such as engineering consultation and in-depth research around environmental impacts.

This data is often unavailable, especially in developing countries, and collecting it can be expensive, making this a hindrance to some projects.

Equally, a lack of expertise can be a significant barrier in developing countries, as well as other locations. Sea wall construction demands specialist expertise, from planning and engineering to skilled labor, which may need to be imported at significant cost.

Finally, some areas may lack the specialized machinery, raw materials, and labor needed for sea wall construction. Having to import all of this, along with skilled labor and expertise, will further add to the cost.

Final thoughts on sea wall advantages and disadvantages

Sea walls have long been used to prevent erosion and protect coastal areas from flooding. With scientists predicting sea levels will rise because of climate change, these structures may become even more vital in the future.

However, while sea walls can be beneficial in a range of ways, they also have their drawbacks, including potentially disrupting local ecosystems and harming wildlife. Whether at a individual, community, or government level, it’s important to weigh up the sea wall advantages and disadvantages before embarking on any sea wall project.

If you’ve found this article interesting, you’re sure to like our posts on improving human-environment interaction , how to reduce your environment footprint and key environmental issues in Japan.

In the 21st century, the negative effects of environmental destruction brought about by the interplay of social and planetary systems (physical, ecological, and biological) are catching up to humans. Our climate crisis is becoming more severe. People are experiencing it through widespread drought, flooding, heatwaves, polar vortices, and wildfires, just to name a few.

Soon, experts predict food and water shortages — largely due to our climate crisis — will strain already compromised global supply chains, wreaking catastrophic economic strife everywhere on Earth.

Over time, the changes to Earth’s systems wrought by humans lead to more — often unexpected — impacts on both the environment and human populations. And there are unanticipated shifts to these mutually affecting changes as well.

Human-environment interactions may suffer and worsen as a result.  

Unfortunately, there is no end in sight as long as humans continue to burn fossil fuels.

In this article, you will find extensive descriptions of all the major types of human-environment interactions with plenty of examples of the ensuing environmental damage stemming from those interplays.

But you will also learn about a few cases in which human-environment interactions have been positive — for both humans and the environment. 

Using these examples as starting points, it’s possible to recreate the future of human-environmental interactions such that more — or most — of them are mutually beneficial with only minimal environmental devastation.

The Anthropocene: an overview of human-environment interactions

In 2000, Nobel Prize-winning chemist Paul J. Crutzen and his esteemed colleague, ecologist Eugene F. Stoermer, popularized the term Anthropocene to describe a new geologic period on Earth.

Taken from the Greek language, “anthropo-” means human. “-Cene” refers to a new epoch in geologic time. 

To date, there is no formal acceptance of this term by the scientific organizations which officially classify geologic time periods. There is, however, a lot of vigorous debate over the word among scientists and lay citizens alike. 

Anthropocene has become mainstream, even trendy. Books, articles, podcasts, and videos about the Anthropocene are commonplace now.

The Anthropocene Reviewed (Signed Edition): Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

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What is the Anthropocene?

The word Anthropocene refers to humankind’s direct and indirect impacts on planetary systems including physical, ecological, chemical, and biological systems. These impacts are due to frequent and substantial human-environmental interactions.

Crutzen and Stoermer developed this idea of the Anthropocene based on data available to them in 2000. They cataloged a long list of human-environment interactions before announcing their concept. Based on these data, they placed the beginning of the Anthropocene at the end of the 18th century (late 1700s). To update their list found in the previously cited newsletter, here are more recent statistics on human-environment interactions:

Human population growth

Over the last 12,000 years, almost all human population growth has occurred since 1800 when industrialization accelerated substantially. This date is used as a benchmark since it corresponds roughly to James Watt’s steam engine invention in 1784.

In 1800, the human population was approximately 1 billion. A little more than two centuries later, it has increased almost 8-fold to 8 billion people.

To place this in perspective: twelve millennia ago, the human population was about 4 million. Today, it’s around 2,000 times that number.

Here’s what it looks like:

The small print under the graph’s title states that United Nations demographers predict the human population will level off at 11 billion by 2100.

The burning question, however, in light of our climate crisis precipitated by human-environment interactions is: Will humanity survive to 2100?

All those people demand natural resources to live: food, water, clothing, shelter at the bare minimum. To extract those resources, people must interact with the environment. 

Will there be enough to go around in 78 years? Babies born today will confront this issue during their lifetimes.

Fossil fuel consumption

Crutzen & Stoermer state that humans are consuming in a “few generations” the fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) generated through decayed animal and plant matter. The decomposition process took over several hundred million years.

Counting back to 1800 — the approximate start of the Industrial Age — that’s equivalent to 10 generations (20 years = 1 generation).

The rapid consumption of fossil fuels — compared to how long it took to form them — results in a huge influx of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Like a blanket around the Earth, these gases hold in heat. The average temperatures of land and oceans increase.

The major greenhouse gas released from the combustion of fossil fuels is carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Historically speaking, the United States is the biggest emitter of (CO₂).

The U.S. is responsible for about 25% of all CO₂ emitted — ever — by humans. The U.S. is only 246 years old.

Although China overtook the U.S. in annual CO₂ emissions in 2005, China is historically responsible for emitting only half as much as the U.S. 

By the numbers on a global basis (CO₂ emissions in tons):

• 1950: 6 billion  
• 1990: 22 billion
• 2021: 36 billion

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the largest annual increase in carbon dioxide emissions occurred in 2021.

Apparently, the world rebounded from the Covid-19 lockdowns with fury.

Experts predict the peak in carbon emissions has not yet been reached.

Here’s a graphical interpretation of what carbon emissions resulting from fossil fuel burning looks like:

Land use changes

The way humans interact with the environment through land use is a dramatic illustration of how deep and wide the human footprint on the planet really is.

As Dr. Erle C. Ellis states in his 2021 article:

“By transforming Earth’s ecology, land use has literally paved the way for the Anthropocene.”

Dr. Ellis uses the term land use to refer to “human cultural practices that alter terrestrial ecosystems for a societal purpose…”

Land use includes:

• Conversion and fragmentation of native ecosystems
• Introduction of new animal and plant species to a region  — many of which become invasive
• Soil and water pollution caused by land use altercations

Although this definition alludes to an apparent dichotomy between nature vs. culture, it is beyond the scope of this article to delve into the robust discussions on this supposed difference. 

For sure, there is plenty of evidence for the dynamic interplay of cultural humans enmeshed in natural environments. The interactions — both positive and negative — are ongoing.

Suffice it to say for this article on human-environmental interactions that people transform the environment when they alter it for a reason related to human society.

Massive land use changes for agriculture is the major “societal purpose” humans have engaged in for over 10 millennia.

What is astounding is that “only” one thousand years ago, less than 4% of the ice-free land surface was used for agriculture.

Today, half of all “habitable” land — excluding the 30% of Earth’s surface which consists of uninhabitable glaciers, deserts, rocks, etc. — is devoted to agriculture.

Of that agricultural land portion, almost 80% is associated with livestock (grazing, feed crops). Yet, that large segment yields only 18% of all the calories produced by agriculture. It represents merely 37% of all protein supplied by agricultural practices.

Here is a graphical illustration of land use devoted to agriculture:

Excluding agricultural land, here’s the breakdown of the rest of ice-free land:

• 37% forests
• 11% grasslands
• 1% freshwater bodies (rivers, streams, lakes)
• 1% urban areas 

As an infographic with terms defined:

You may be surprised by the low percentage for cities and towns. The United Nations predicts urbanization will grow rapidly in the 21st century. In fact, 68% of the human population is expected to live in cities by 2050.

How long will the Anthropocene last?

Experts who theorize about the Anthropocene can only predict if and when this geologic epoch will end. Crutzen & Shoermer, the originators of this concept, state in their landmark writing that:

humans “…will remain a major geologic force for many millennia, maybe millions of years to come.”

That is, unless there is a major catastrophe that renders humans extinct such as:

• Volcanic eruptions
• Asteroid hitting Earth
• Nuclear war
• Pandemic (Incidentally, they wrote 20 years before SARS-CoV-2.) 

Are you surprised by their projection of millions of years? 

Keep in mind that most non-anthropogenic planetary shifts in temperature in response to changes in greenhouse gas concentrations occur very slowly on a geological timescale. (Although volcanoes and asteroids are special cases.)

So it is quite possible that the effects of certain human-environment interactions on planetary systems could last that long.

It’s mind boggling to think that what humans do today can affect the Earth for millions of years. 

But it’s quite possible.

The power of nature in human-environment interactions

From the previous section, it’s clear that humans have heavily influenced the environment. People may think they are the masters of the universe when they survey the sheer scope and scale of how they have harnessed nature’s power to serve their own ends.

But that is just one side of the story. 

Has the environment wrought its power over humans in any significant way? In other words, in coupled human-environment systems, does nature ever get the upper hand?

There is no doubt that the environment has — and continues to — affect humans and human societies significantly. In fact, the environment limits humans in important ways.

For example, one way to understand the notion of environmental constraint on humans is to consider natural catastrophes. The power of nature over humans becomes evident. 

Here are a few cases of nature’s control over humans in human-environment interactions.

Fires in human environment interactions

Remember the massive grassland fire that seemed to erupt spontaneously at the end of 2021 in Boulder, Colorado, destroying one thousand homes and leaving monumental environmental devastation in its wake?

Reasons offered to explain it describe the perfect scenario for this natural hazard to occur: 

• Unusually wet spring promoted grassland growth
• Followed by prolonged drought in the summer
• Unseasonably warm weather in the fall prior to the blaze
• High, sudden winds when the fires erupted

Now cities and towns experiencing similar weather patterns — intensified by our climate crisis — must prepare for possible catastrophes like it — or pay a heavy price later in lives and livelihoods lost.

Flash flooding in human-environment interactions

Just as the fires whipped up rapidly in Boulder last year, numerous places around the globe experienced sudden onslaughts of water everywhere with little or no warning in 2021.

Germany. Brazil. China. To name just a few.

When the water is pouring in or seeping up from the floor, there is no escape.

In addition, there will be toxic mold issues to deal with later.

Given the sheer power of nature, it comes as no surprise that scientists remain stunned at the flooding, coming up short on explanations. 

Here are a few ideas to explain the flooding:

• Inadequate disaster preparedness plans focusing only on major waterways (not minor streams)
• Slow-moving storms that linger over flood-prone areas, gathering more moisture over time
• Building too close to rivers rather than maintaining broad floodplains (i.e., a human encroachment problem)
• Lack of public awareness about what to do upon hearing a flood warning

Except for the second reason listed above which is linked to our anthropogenic climate crisis, human hubris (false pride) has some role to play in explaining the flooding.

When people think they understand nature’s power, or think that nothing bad could happen to them in an affluent area, nature may surprise them about where the control really exists.

Environment: 1. Humans: 0 in this human-environmental interaction.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and human-environment interactions

Although there is some dispute over the origin of the virus that causes Covid-19, it is true that microorganisms like bacteria and viruses can spill over (or cross over) from other animals — wild and domesticated — to humans.

Wildlife habitat encroachment by humans sets the stage for the crossovers to occur. The closer contact that ensues between other species and humans makes it easy for microbial jumps to happen.

Government leaders have been forewarned by virologists and public health officials about the real possibility of future pandemics. Unfortunately, politics tends to work in election cycles. The U.S. congress, for example, in April 2022, eliminated all global support for Covid-19 eradication from its budget.

The science is clear that pandemics will not end unless the entire world has resources to tackle them. Again, human arrogance or selfishness may result in a prolonged Covid-19 pandemic or a greater likelihood of future pandemics due to inaction today.

In this human-environment interaction, the environment (as represented by a virus) will have the final say unless humans act quickly and wisely.

Prolonged drought due to human-environmental interactions

The entire western half of the United States is experiencing an extended, severe drought. Not only is California, a major agricultural state, affected.

The drought is spreading eastward, making growing conditions in the country’s breadbasket (the Midwest) also difficult.

The extreme, persistent dryness lengthens and expands the wildfire season.

Here are some examples of the controlling effects of drought: 

• Food prices are expected to rise significantly this year 
• Tourism plummets 
• Ski resorts have shorter seasons (unless they make artificial snow which is costly)
• Residential wells dry up
• Water wars between farmers, ranchers, and residents
• Subsidence (land sinking due to underground water table falling from over-irrigation)

The problem of water scarcity coupled with intense and lengthy wildfires is forcing California and neighboring states to make difficult (and costly) decisions concerning environmental governance over water allocation.

What is environmental governance in human-environment interactions?

As you’ve seen from prior sections in this article, human-environment interactions — just like human-human interactions — function like coupled exchanges. As people influence each other during interactions, so, too, do humans and the environment affect each other.

In other words, humans affect the environment during their interplays, and the environment impacts humans in turn.

It is a two-way street.

In cases where nature exerts its power and humans are forced to work within the parameters set by nature, people must address questions about how to manage the environment. If not, humans could get overwhelmed. They and their societies would suffer immensely.

So, issues of environmental governance come into play.

In other words, questions about who makes the decisions and sets the policy about environmental matters come into sharp focus and demand immediate attention.

The multiple stakeholders (farmers, ranchers, utility companies, private citizens, etc.) in these and similar situations of environmental governance will answer these and similar questions differently. Yet they all must be addressed and decided upon before the next natural catastrophe befalls humans. 

If not, the consequences could be even more dire.

Furthermore, it’s important to remember that environmental governance concerning human-environmental interactions is even more complex than the above questions suggest.

In order to make such decisions about environmental governance, environmental constraints that limit the options available to decision makers and stakeholders must be taken into account. There are external factors (land features, climate, availability of water sources, etc.) that cannot be dismissed.

In this way, too, the environment has the upper hand in these (and many other) types of human-environment interactions.  

There is no getting around it. 

Keep in mind, too, that whatever policy decisions are formulated to govern human-environmental interactions, they will further affect those social-ecological relationships. The two are inextricably coupled together through positive and negative feedback loops.

There may be expanded impacts from the governance decisions impacting:

• Ecosystems
• Species
• Waterways
• Climate

Affecting just one part of the environment from the list above will undoubtedly impact other parts as well. All things in nature are inter-connected.

Insofar as humans are a part of nature, they, too, are impacted by human-environment interactions.

What does ethics have to do with human-environment interactions?

Readers may notice from the list of questions in the previous section that many of them began with the word “should.”

This word signifies that the question is a moral one, concerning how humans ought to act.

Although scientific facts may help inform decision making concerning environmental governance in terms of human-environment interactions, they’re not enough for a full response to the question.

In ethics, the stand off between facts and values is called the “is-ought dilemma.”

When it comes to human-environment interactions in the 21st century, there is a growing list of ethical issues that humans across the globe must collectively and individually respond to.

Some of the realms of human civilization touched by human-environment interactions include:

• Politics
• Economics
• “Development” (of poor countries)

In these and other areas, fundamental questions concerning equality and justice persist.

For example, since only a handful of wealthy individuals (the “ultra-rich”) and less than 100 fossil fuel companies in the world are responsible for the majority of carbon emissions, serious questions face humans today about:

1. moral responsibility;
2. who should make lifestyle changes in order to reduce emissions;
3. (3) who should pay for the environmental and climate damage experienced by innocent people in poor countries because of those lifestyles supported by fossil fuel companies.

Glaring income disparities in countries around the world raise issues about climate and environmental justice.

Ironically, there is plenty of evidence that Indigenous peoples have done the most to preserve and protect nature through their human-environment interactions for centuries.

Today, Indigenous peoples represent 5% of all humans on Earth.

Yet over 200 Indigenous were killed in 2020 while defending the land and ecosystems that have enabled them to thrive through millennia. 

With them dies Indigenous knowledge about maintaining healthy human-environmental interactions. 

Incidentally, this entire discussion on human-environment interactions as it pertains to climate and the environment applies equally well to global Covid-19 vaccine equity.

If countries decide to do little or nothing to change the status quo, especially regarding our climate crisis, it is likely that humanity won’t make it to the 22nd century. 

What is certain, based on the best climate models, is that unless carbon emissions are drastically cut by at least 45% this decade, Earth in 2100 likely will not resemble the planet we call home today.

This is not over-exaggeration.

Collective responsibility in human-environment interactions

A pressing ethical dilemma known as the “tragedy of the commons” occurs in human-environment interactions.

In economic terms, this dilemma results from externalizing the costs of manufacturing or of fossil fuel extraction while a few companies and their shareholders reap huge profits.

The natural resources shared by all — held “in common” — are used up or polluted by a few.

While countries have precisely defined borders, water pollution and air pollution do not. All people suffer, especially the poor and minorities.

Thus, it’s understandable that Canada would be angered at its maple trees and pristine lakes dying from U.S.-generated air pollution causing acid rain.

Or African countries facing the worst effects of an anthropogenic climate crisis with millions on the verge of famine due to extreme, prolonged drought, believe that the United States is largely to blame and should help them adapt — let alone survive.

So, in these and similar circumstances, humans have to address human-environment interactions collectively — across borders.

Sadly, despite “globalization,” cooperation among nations is rare. But it is absolutely essential for remedying the global climate crisis.  

The supposed legally binding 2015 Paris Agreement is not enough to curb our climate crisis as recent “natural” catastrophes the world over — and increasing carbon emissions — make clear.

Few signatories are actually reducing their carbon emissions today. In fact, the opposite is occurring along with an alarming number of new oil and gas projects planned for the near future.
Equitable Covid-19 vaccine distribution as a way to control the pandemic is another case in point as mentioned previously.

Individual responsibility in human-environment interactions

Large corporations which profit from extracting environmental resources to make huge profits while externalizing costs through the tragedy of the commons (see previous section), often try to shift responsibility to individuals.

Thus, Shell Corporation, a global fossil fuel company, introduced the notion of a personal carbon footprint. With this idea, individual consumers are tricked into blaming themselves for our climate and ecological crises.

“Maybe I’m not doing enough to help heal human-environment interactions,” is the mindset intended by a focus on personal carbon footprints.

However, the monumental alterations and modifications to the environment made by big businesses and governments — especially since the start of the Industrial Age around 1800 — are not the responsibility of individuals.

While it is true that individuals are complicit in environmental degradation — including our climate crisis — this is so only through purchasing and using the products dependent on fossil fuels for their manufacture.

In many cases, until very recently in human history, humans have not been given a choice between buying and using:

• Renewable energy vs. nonrenewable energy
• Sustainable products vs. single-use products
• Organic foods vs. foods produced with chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Despite significant upfront costs for residential renewable energy, the costs are coming down. 

The same can be said for many sustainable products and organic foods.

So while it’s helpful to consider your personal environmental footprints and make lifestyle changes, keep in mind that systemic changes are necessary to improve human-environment interactions permanently.

To assist in the process of making systemic changes to energy and food production, for example, individuals can get involved politically by running for office or electing candidates who support environmental issues and are willing to legislate in favor of the environment and climate.

Changing the politics that maintains the status quo and is destroying the environment and the climate in the name of wealth creation for the elite only is a major part of the way to equilibrate human-environment interactions.

Then — and only then — can people truly say they’ve achieved a sustainable way of living on Earth and coexist in harmony with nature through healthy human-environment interactions.

How can humans improve human-environment interactions? 

Experts predict that if people do not make drastic improvements in human-environment interactions before 2030 regarding fossil fuel use and drastically reduce emissions, children today may suffer terribly in a hostile environment and climate not conducive to human existence by the time they are in their 60s and 70s.

Let that sink in for a minute.

That’s less than eight years from now.

Fortunately, there are several instances of businesses or groups actively engaged in restoring the balance in human-environmental interactions. These may be used as models for others to emulate. 

When they are, a greater number of improvements to human-environment interactions will result.

Here are three examples:

1. Ocean fisheries and human-environment interactions 

To prevent overfishing and depletion of fish stocks, researchers documented cases of the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program on the West Coast of the U.S. that incentivized fishers to harvest fish sustainably using principles of a rights-based fishery (RBF) also called a “secure-access system” or a “catch-share” program.

The IFQ program came about as a result of national legislation that prohibits overfishing and necessitates rebuilding stocks through a catch limit. If not followed, the fishers would suffer severe consequences.

In this program, there is no “race to catch.” Rather, each fisher is allotted a certain share of the catch in advance, or a specific area in which to fish. 

As a result of these programs:

• Reductions in bycatch 
• Fewer depleted species
• Increased profits for fishers
• Establishment of no-fishing zones that are respected
• Elimination of the catch of nontarget species
• Fishing only under safe weather conditions

Thus, the human-environmental interplays between the fishers and the fish in their marine ecosystem are healthy, balanced, and sustainable.

2. Tropical biodiversity and agriculture in human-environment interactions

Researchers in Costa Rica and in Brazil documented environmentally sound practices that maintained natural forest ecosystems and their inherent biodiversity along with agriculture.

In Costa Rica, nearly half of forests are integrated with farms. This arrangement preserves the biodiversity of the forest ecosystems while providing food for the local human community.

The success of this way of farming depends on economic incentives (that is, monetary compensation) to farmers. In this manner, the community shows its appreciation for the preservation of the ecosystem services these farmers make possible through their land stewardship practices.

A similar scenario exists in certain parts of the southern Brazil highlands. Farmers develop a mosaic of agricultural lands and silviculture (cultivation of trees) embedded in the preservation of natural grasslands and forests. 

Economic incentives for the farmers, representing the high valuation of maintaining and preserving natural landscapes and ecosystem services, are key for the success of this type of human-environment interaction.

3. National Carbon Exchange in human-environment interaction

Using AI, Zack Parisa and Max Nova, co-founders of the National Carbon Exchange (NCX), developed a database of every tree in U.S. forests. Size, species, and precise location identified and cataloged.

NCX provides economic incentives to farmers and landowners with both large and small amounts of forest acreage to maintain the forests on their property through carbon offsets purchased by corporations. 

Although buying carbon offsets as forest credits to enable companies to continue to pollute isn’t the ultimate answer to our climate crisis, high-quality carbon offset programs may result in a net reduction of carbon emissions.

As a result, the forests thrive. Wildlife in those ecosystems flourish. The forests continue to act as carbon sinks.

Win. Win. Win.

The takeaway message from these human-environment case studies is that when plans are put in place in cooperation with local stakeholders, and economic incentives for the maintenance of natural systems are present, human-environment interactions can thrive for both people and the environment.  

Top ten ways to improve human-environment interactions

With the goal of improving human-environment interactions, this article surveys several major human impacts on nature. Energy production and land use are the most central issues in most human-environment interactions. 

Based on the analyses presented here, the race against time to maintain a habitable Earth requires (among many other things):

1. Switch to 100% renewable energy
2. Decarbonize transportation to 100% electric (homes, too)
3. Increase efficiency of renewable energy generation, HVAC, and appliances
4. Invent a eco-friendly alternative to plastic — the scourge of oceans and marine life
5. Discover methods of energy production and storage that do not require precious mineral extraction
6. End deforestation for livestock and palm oil
7. Stop new construction that encroaches further on ecosystems and wildlife habitat, potentially leading to pandemics
8. Convert to regenerative agricultural practices and agrivoltaics to eliminate fossil fuel-derived pesticides and fertilizers as well as to restore healthy soil
9. Reduce or eliminate meat and dairy from your diet
10. End food waste by buying less, supporting local farmers, and composting

FAQs on human environmental interactions

Human-environment interactions are complex. This article describes many aspects of them. If you still have questions, these FAQs may help answer them.

Is there “built-in” future global heating from today’s carbon emissions?

Many media reports suggest that carbon dioxide emissions will have long-lasting, “locked in” effects on global heating by continually raising the temperature long after they’ve been released from fossil fuel burning.

However, recent research — as well as research published in 2008 — throws doubt on the truth of this speculation. Most scientists believe that global heating will stop once net zero carbon dioxide emissions is achieved.

However, the situation is not that simple. The long-term effects of other greenhouse gases (notably methane and nitrous oxide) are not well understood.

Furthermore, the temperature is expected to remain high for hundreds of years after all anthropogenic carbon emissions have ceased. 

This is partly because of the influx of “natural” methane from permafrost thawing (already widely occurring due to human-caused global heating). 

Also, the reduced ability of the oceans to absorb more carbon dioxide (since it’s already close to capacity) means CO₂ will remain in the atmosphere to sustain the higher temperature.

In order to reverse the trend of global heating — which will take hundreds of additional years after climate stabilization under net zero conditions — there must be a net negative of carbon emissions on a planetary scale.

What does sustainability have to do with human-environment interactions?

Central to the complex notion of sustainability is balanced coexistence among humans and other animals, integrated in or dependent on multiple ecosystems, including urban ones.

So, human-environment interactions — through social-ecological couplings — are foundational to sustainability.

Above all, the concept of sustainability refers to humans’ ability to maintain a steady supply of natural resources through healthy ecosystem functioning for future generations through wise use today.

Human stakeholders involved in human-environmental interplays or impacted by them (that is, both living and future generations) debate whether and to what degree they should enact the following with the goal of achieving genuine sustainability:

• Preserve large segments of nature, making them off limits to humans
• Restore natural ecosystems to how they were in pre-industrial times
• Make reparations to Indigenous peoples, including returning their lands and waterways to them or removing oil and gas pipelines that run through them
• Reject capitalism in favor of democratic socialism
• Create a circular (non-linear) economy 
• Place a ceiling on wealth accumulation
• Ensure a basic income to all people
• Redefine gross domestic product (GDP) to center on health and happiness in a clean environment instead of on money

Unfortunately, the environmental components of all human-environment interactions do not speak any human language. They cannot defend themselves in a court of law. Ecological systems cannot speak up for themselves in the debates over the issue expressed in the points above.

Human defenders — and many nonprofit groups — of the land, water, wildlife, ecosystems, etc. voice their concerns on behalf of the environment. Some advocate for legal standing of rivers, ecosystems, animals, etc.

Defining a river, for example, as a legal person will bestow rights that must be respected in a court of law.

Similarly, calls for making environmental degradation an international crime of ecocide are based on elevating the environmental side of human-environmental interactions.

These legal strategies are intended to make human-environment interactions more balanced. Their ultimate goal is genuine and permanent sustainability.

Bottom line on human-environment interactions

Ever since the dawn of industrialization, humans have dramatically reshaped the world through human-environment interactions.

Except for a few cases, this human-caused transformation has resulted in astonishing levels of environmental devastation accomplished at alarming rates.

The biggest driver of the environmental damage evidenced everywhere on the planet is the burning of fossil fuels.

Because the carbon emissions released today will continue to wreak havoc on both human civilization and the planet for generations to come, it is imperative to stop burning fossil fuels as soon as possible.  

In order to continue living on a planet conducive to human civilization, humanity must quickly transition to renewable energy. Also required is a moral shift in values toward sustainable living and away from capitalistic consumption.

Accomplishing these goals through productive human-environment interactions will ensure human survival in functional and thriving planetary systems — physical, ecological, and biological.

Kyoto Protocol vs Paris Agreement: Key Differences to Know

Taking care of our environment is no longer a choice. It is something we must do if we want to guarantee a habitable environment for our future generations. That’s why countries around the world are coming together each passing day, to identify ways, and enact laws that can help preserve our planet.

Some of the famous agreements that have been made in an attempt to address the issue of climate change are the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. These two agreements were set up as a result of the rising global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions.

They are both fruits of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), which was adopted in 1992 during the United Nations Conference in Rio de Janeiro. The UNFCCC was formed to help establish strategies that would help stabilize the greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.

The participant states of the UNFCCC meet regularly at the “Conference of the Parties” (COPs) to determine the next step towards climate protection. 

But what exactly is entailed in these two agreements, and what are their key differences? In this article, we dig deep into the Kyoto protocol vs Paris agreement and see what they are all about. However, we must understand what each of the agreements means before we go any further.

See related: 13 Important Health & Environmental Benefits of Solar Energy

What is the Kyoto Protocol, and What Does it Entail?

The Kyoto Protocol is a brainchild of the 1997 UNFCCC meeting, which took place in Kyoto, Japan. But due to the complex endorsement process, this document came into effect from February 2005. It currently has 192 signatory parties.

Kyoto Protocol is the first document to be approved by signatory countries, and that has legally binding obligations for greenhouse gas emission, reductions, and limits. The applicability of this document was set for the periods 2008 to 2012, and 2013 to 2020.

Typically, this document operationalizes the UNFCCC by requiring developed countries to reduce and limit greenhouse gas emissions as per the agreed terms. The participant countries are required to assume mitigation policies and measures that will help reduce and limit the GHG emission and report regularly.

This Kyoto Protocol is founded on the provisions and principles of the UNFCCC and works as per the convention’s annex-based structure. Also, the document is only binding to the developed countries, placing on them a heavier burden under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities.”

This is because the convention recognizes that these countries are primarily liable for the high levels of greenhouse gases present in our atmosphere.

In its first commitment period (2008 to 2012), the Kyoto Protocol set emission reduction targets that added up to an average of 5% reduction in the emission. This was in comparison to the 1990 levels.

Kyoto Protocol, Doha Amendment

In December 2012, some changes were added to the Kyoto Protocol. These changes, known as the Doha Amendment, were adopted after the conclusion of the first commitment. The amendment was meant to add some new GHG emission reduction goals for the subsequent commitment period (2013 to 2020).

Thirty-seven developed countries, together with the European Community, were part of the initial commitment, which had a 5% GHG reduction target. In the second commitment period, participating countries committed to an 18% GHG reduction in comparison to the 1990 levels.

The Doha amendment includes:

• New commitments for the countries who take part in the second commitment period
• A revised GHG list which parties must report on, during the 2013-2020 commitment
• Changes in the various Kyoto Protocol articles, especially those that pertain to the 2008-2012 commitment, and needed an update.

The endorsement of these changes to the Kyoto Protocol was a valuable move in the intended purpose of maintaining sustainable GHG levels during the second commitment.

What is the Paris Agreement?

Even beyond 2020, which is the end of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, climate change will still need to be addressed. This is why, the UNFCCC’s 21^st Conference of the Parties, held in Paris in 2015, adopted the Paris Agreement.

This agreement is a momentous environment accord whose idea was approved by virtually every nation, to handle climate change and its impacts. The agreement intends to reduce global GHG emissions in order to prevent global temperature rises. It aims at limiting the increase in global temperatures to below 2°C beyond the pre-industrial levels.

The Paris Agreement offers a chance for the developing countries to take part in the fight against global warming, hand in hand with the developed countries. The agreement requires all the major GHG emitting countries to reduce their emissions and gradually strengthen their commitments.

World leaders from 195 nations approved the accord, which included commitments from every country. All this aims to combat climate change, and enabling us to adapt to its impacts. Currently, every nation on the planet, (197 in number) is part of the Paris Agreement.

Of the 197 countries, 180 of them have formally joined the Paris Agreement. Only two nations (Iran and Turkey), have not officially joined the agreement as of the end of 2019.

Goals for the Paris Agreement

• Limit the rise of global temperatures- through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement aims at minimizing the adverse effects of climate change.
• Provide a more transparent and accountable framework that will help achieve even more ambitious targets.
• To marshal support in developing countries, for the mitigation of climate change, and adaptation to its negative effects.

See related: 15 Eco-Friendly, Sustainable Shoes that Help the Environment

Kyoto Protocol vs the Paris Agreement

Although both were set to help in combating climate change, there is a considerable difference between the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Climate Agreement. Some of the key differences between the two documents include:

• Signatories

The Kyoto Protocol was intended for developed countries only and involved legally binding targets for GHC emissions reduction. The whole burden was put on the developed countries, which made it lack ratification from various countries like the US.

Paris Agreement, on the other hand, was drafted with every nation on the planet in mind. It requires every nation (whether developed or developing), to take part in saving our environment. Each country ought to play its part. This made 195 countries to endorse the document right from the beginning.

• Goals and Targets

The Kyoto Protocol had established targets for the signatory countries to adhere to, and they came with penalties for noncompliance.

In comparison, countries in the Paris Agreement have the liberty to set up their NDCs (Nationally determined contributions). Also, it’s a non-binding document where signatories don’t incur any penalties if they fail to hit their targets.

The Paris Agreement, however, requires monitoring and reporting, as well as a reassessment of a country’s emission reduction targets over time. This helps to attain the document’s broader, long-term goals.

• Requirements

Kyoto Protocol set the targets to be achieved, although it didn’t specify a timeline for achieving them.

Paris Agreement, on the other hand, requires each nation to declare its next set of targets, after every five years.

• Nature of the Document

Kyoto Protocol was legally binding to the participating nations and had fewer countries as signatories.

But, the Paris Agreement is a flexible, non-binding agreement that is globally adopted. Almost every nation is a part of the climate accord.

And, with every nation having the liberty to set their goals, the Paris Agreement ensures that even the developing countries can be included. It also makes it easier as the world is now handling the climate change issue through collective efforts from everyone.

The Paris Agreement allows everyone to contribute to finding opportunities to slash global warming contributors and promote green living. This can be done through individual efforts, as well as local and national efforts.

Less greenhouse gas emissions mean a safer and cleaner environment for us and our future generations. As we don’t have an alternative planet to run to, everyone must take the initiative to preserve what we have.

See related: 6 Cool Renewable Energy Projects That Will Shape the Future

Withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement

President Trump announced the exit of the US from the Paris Agreement during his first year in office. But, the US is still not yet out of this agreement. This is because a country can only start the withdrawal process if the agreement has been in force for at least three years.

In the case of the US, the three years ended on 4^th November 2019. Also, the withdrawal notice takes another full year to become official. This means that the US will formally be out of the agreement in 2020, one day after the presidential election.

However, even with the US out of the Paris Agreement, the accord can still go on and succeed. While the withdrawal of the US and Canada from the Kyoto Protocol brought the treaty to an end, experts say that it might be different for the Paris Agreement. They attribute this to the differences present between the two treaties, as well as the increasing concern for the dangers posed by climate change.

As Chris Field put it, the Paris treaty was made to correct the flaws that were present in the Kyoto Protocol. Since the Paris accord is purely voluntary and presents fairness, the exit of the US may not make the accord to crumble.

Cost implications were the major reason why Trump wanted out of the Paris climate accord. The president argued that the US economy would incur around 3 trillion dollars by 2040. He also claimed that the accord would bring a loss of 2.7 million jobs by 2025.

These he claims would make the US less competitive against its rivals, China and India. But, experts say that all these statistics were exaggerated. They point out that the effects of global warming are far expensive than controlling carbon emissions.

Conclusion on Kyoto Protocol vs Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement’s ultimate goal is to cap the rise of global temperature at 1.5°C in the 21^st century. However, based on the commitments made by individual nations, studies show that these targets won’t be enough to accomplish the 1.5°C CAP. In fact, the cumulative targets will only achieve to cap the rise in global temperatures, somewhere between 2.7°C and 3.7°C.

But, with the collective effort and continued awareness, the goal can someday be achieved. And, even the 1.5°C shouldn’t be a static one. It should represent only the floor but not the ceiling. This way, we can do even better in the future.

I hope that as we continue to preserve our environment, this Kyoto Protocol vs Paris Agreement article offers you everything you needed to know about the two documents. 

Related Resources

• How Human-Environmental Interaction Works
• 9 Best Ethical, Sustainable Gifts for Eco-Lovers
• 64 Best Quotes About Sustainability (Including Inspiring, Funny & Short)

Green Coast is a renewable energy and green living community focused on helping others live a better, more sustainable life.

We believe that energy and green living has become far too complicated, so we created several different guides to build a sustainable foundation for our future.

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What is Greywater: A Complete Overview to Everything You Need to Know

Several sectors around the world are fighting water wastage.  This is a call to everyone as a way to conserve our water resources. Different households are therefore diverting to the use of greywater to irrigate their flowerbeds. But what is greywater? This piece will explore everything you need to know about greywater, including essential tips for greywater management.

Water is life. What it means is, living things cannot survive without water. However, water resources are depleting at an alarming rate.

In the recent past, most Americans have received water restriction orders from water supply companies. This is happening because there is a decrease in the water supply, not just in the country but around the world.

Therefore, we need to devise ways to conserve this scarce and valuable resource. To reduce water wastage, we can divert to greywater techniques. These techniques can help us reduce water consumption and conserve water resources. Want to know more about sustainability? Read our in-depth guide to sustainability.

We can reclaim greywater and use it for irrigation purposes. Greywater can provide year-round water for the irrigation of various vegetables. That will ensure that we have a year-round harvest.

Also, our yards, lawns, and flowerbeds will have that fresh green look throughout the year. The greywater can also be an effective way to provide water for irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions.

Before we explore how it works and setting it up, let’s look at what is greywater

What is Greywater?

Greywater is domestic wastewater which is produced from the recycling of laundry, shower, and hand basin water. When treated, this water can be used to irrigate a garden. Greywater makes 50% to 80% of the wastewater from a household.

Any household wastewater, including water from washing machines, dishwashers, baths, and sinks is greywater provided it doesn’t get into contact with sewer.

Since greywater contains nutrients from soap and other residues, it can be treated and reused to nourish the soil, which in turn produces lush and healthy plants.

Greywater vs. Blackwater

Greywater excludes sewage water which can have a presence of harmful fecal matters. Sewage water contains more organic loading than greywater.

Some studies categorize kitchen wastewater as blackwater. They indicate that kitchen water it contains high-levels of organic loading.

Also, reports reveal that kitchen wastewater includes fats that are likely to damage instead of nourishing plants.

So, where does greywater go?

Greywater Common Uses

These are some of the most common uses for greywater.

• Greywater is making use of the wastewater that would end up in the septic and sewer system and can eventually end up in water bodies. The wastewater can then pollute the water bodies, and therefore, using greywater helps curb this form of pollution.
• Greywater is excellent for watering your garden. Studies prove that this water contains phosphorous and nitrogen nutrients from biological matter, dirt, and grease, which is a good source of soil nourishment. When doing irrigation, make sure that there is no water puddling or pooling on your garden.
• You can use it to water fruit trees, ornamental plants, and the edible plant’s roots. However, it is not safe for use on root vegetables such as radishes, carrots, and potatoes or the plant’s consumable parts.
• The treated water can also be used to flush toilets and in laundry work.
• Use of greywater minimizes freshwater uses. If we save on freshwater, we can cut on the household bills.
• Also, recycling this water benefits the whole community because it helps reduce the demands directed on the public water supply. Greywater use can save up to 70 liters/person/day of potable water in households.

How to Set Up A Greywater System

The complexity and the size of setting up a greywater system depend on the intended use. For example, a single-family unit needs a simple single-family system unless the yard is very far from your home. With a single-family system, you may not require to use a pump. Water will work with gravity unless the yard slopes uphill.

The first step of setting up a greywater system is to divert the water from the washing machine by connecting the washing machine hose with a diverter valve. The valve directs the wastewater into a drum which is outside your home. The tube is linked to the bottom of the drum. You can use the water to water your plants in the garden.

Also, you can set-up a system that diverts water from the shower and other sinks apart from the kitchen sink. You can invest in a greywater system that can connect the wastewater to the outer pipes.

The wastewater will go through a lint and hair filter just before pumping it out using an irrigation pipe to the garden.

Another simple greywater system is a bucket that you can customize to collect and carry wastewater outside manually to water your yard.

If you set-up a greywater system in your household, avoid detergents and soaps that contain boron, synthetic fragrances, artificial dyes, bleach, and preservatives such as polyethylene glycol and phenoxyethanol. Sodium is also said to inhibit the growth of plants, and so, you should make sure that your greywater is free from it.

Greywater Treatment Methods

Treating of greywater depends on the contaminants present in the wastewater. Most of the so-called contaminants in greywater are beneficial nutrients to plants. However, you must adhere to specific guidelines that have been set to ensure that your greywater is wholly free from any harmful substances and contaminants.

It’s recommended that you use wastewater within a single day after you collect it to avoid being charged a stinky water vat. Also, you need to ensure that your greywater is not getting into contact with animals and people.

Here are some of the various ways to treat greywater depending on the intended use of the water.

See Related: Rainwater Harvesting Pros and Cons

Methods of Treating Greywater

1. Direct-Use Systems

Direct-use system is the simplest and the most affordable system. It involves siphoning greywater directly using a drought buster. Alternatively, you can fit a valve to an external waste pipe which will direct the wastewater to a water tank. The water will then be used to irrigate flowerbed or garden when need be.

If you opt for this system, then make sure that you use all the water within a day. If you let it stay for more than a day, the bacteria present in the wastewater may feed on the present organic matter such as hair, skin particles, and detergents and thus multiply quickly.

When the bacteria use up all the oxygen gas available, the water will start to emit a foul smell. Also, it may have some presence of human pathogens from the anaerobic bacteria.

2. Biological Systems For Wastewater Without Food Debris

This biological method may include sand filter and wetland techniques.

When it comes to the sand filter method, the greywater is filtrated to get rid of large particles using a sand filter. After the pretreatment process, the greywater is then filtered using a soil box.

A soil box is a simple four-layer material box. The top layer, which is around 2 feet deep, contains topsoil rich in humus. This top layer sits on top on another layer of fine buildings sand that in turn, sit on a layer of course sand. At the bottom is a layer of pea-shingle which helps achieve perfect drainage.

Initially, the greywater is pumped at the top, and then it travels down to the bottom of the soil box due to gravity. However, most filtration processes occur on the topsoil. At the topsoil level, soil organisms feed and reproduce using the nutrients present in the soil in effect purifying it.

The wetland process, on the other hand, involves treating the wastewater using wetland. The water is usually retained at the top level, thus enabling the aquatic plants like bulrushes and reeds to flourish.

The subsurface wetlands are the best for treating greywater. That is because it reduces the likelihoods of odors escaping. There is also a lower likelihood of human contact, which poses a high potential risk of transmitting diseases and also lowers chances of freezing especially during the winter.

Both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria can treat greywater. Also, plants roots can absorb any organic matters dissolved which can help speed the process up.

3. Biological Systems For Wastewater With Food Debris

If the wastewater has any food debris, then it requires anaerobic treatment using a septic tank. The treated water that comes from the septic tank can then be treated again using the soil box filter or wetlands method, as explained above.

4. Mechanical Filters For Treating Water For Toilet Flushing

You can easily undo the U-bend under any sink to capture and direct wastewater in a bucket. Then, you can pour the water into the toilet cistern. Since this is a tedious and time-consuming technique, you can automate it.

Invest in a greywater pump that can pump the wastewater vertically and can be used when necessary. The wastewater is treated while in a storage tank which is mostly through adding chlorine before it is directed to the toilet cistern or a washing machine.

Chlorine use has a few disadvantages because it can harm or kill your plants if put into excessive use. Also, it can impact the quality of the soil negatively. Disinfect the waste water before you use it for flushing the toilets.

Is Greywater Dangerous?

Some of the world killer illnesses are waterborne. Therefore, it is crucial to treat greywater before use. Do not use any wastewater that has been used to wash raw meat, underwears, and wounds as it can increase the levels of harmful bacteria that can produce a stench after some time.

This type of water is not safe for human consumption. Therefore, never use this water to do dishes, drink or cook even after treatment.

The Cost of A Greywater System

The cost of a greywater system depends on several factors. In California, for example, the cost can range between $3,500 and $6,000, which is just a rough estimation. The installation cost mostly depends on the size of your yard, the complexity of the irrigation system, and the cost of plumbing in your region. Therefore, to get the exact pricing, consult an expert in your area.

Some of the expenses of setting up a greywater system include installation, plumbing, and maintenance costs. You will need to invest in materials such as valves, pipes, among other components used to connect your tank and the sinks. The cost of buying the tank itself is another initial cost that you must consider.

Also, the cost of buying a filter and a pump is another necessary additional expense. Last but not least is the cost of the irrigation tubing expense. The tubing should be able to accommodate your garden or at least the landscaping parts that you desire to spray with water.

How to Use Untreated Greywater

You can siphon the untreated greywater to irrigate the ornamental trees and plants. Use the water quickly or as soon as possible to reduce the bacteria growth.

Untreated water does not include black water because the use of black water can spread waterborne diseases. Direct the black water to a septic tank.

Untreated wastewater should never be used on edible plants or fruits. The water has high levels of harmful pathogens which can pose a health risk if consumed by humans.

Conclusion on What is Greywater

Installing a greywater system in your household helps you play a role in saving the water resources and planet. However, always get a permit before you install greywater system in your home. I believe that now you know what greywater, and everything else you need to know about it is.

How much are you doing about water preservation? Share your methods with us in our comments area.

Top 13 Sustainability Influencers on Instagram

Do you know any sustainability influencers on Instagram? The effects of climate change harm our lives and that of the future generation.

Different individuals have taken it upon themselves the task of sensitizing the world on environmental matters using social media platforms.

Different influencers are using social media platforms to share their message with the world. Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms that has attracted a multitude of users in recent years.

Sustainability influencers have embraced this platform to inspire change in green living. The platform is today ranked number three after Facebook and YouTube.

Therefore, it’s an excellent platform that influential voices of the current generation can use to make a positive impact on the planet matters.

With the use of different sustainability hashtags such as #plasticfree, influencers share tips on how to live a waste-free or zero-waste lifestyle.

Indeed, there is a considerable rise in public awareness of environmental issues thanks to bloggers and social media influencers who are teaching the public about climate change.

These influencers are passionate about sustainability and ethical living and are promoting the growth of slow fashion by creating slow living movements.

This article is an exploration of the topmost Instagram influencers that you should follow to join in their good cause.

Top Sustainability Influencers on Instagram

Without much further ado, let’s explore the 13 sustainability influencers on Instagram:

1. Greta Thunberg @gretathunberg

Greta Thunberg is 16-year old environmental campaigner and influencer from Sweden. The girl has been leading UK schools in climate strikes. She began activism in August 2018. She initiated the school strike for the climate movement in November 2018 that heaved globally in December same year during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24).

In September, she went on a three-week long strike from school. The strike was to push the Swedish government to act fast on issues of climate change.

She did this because she was too young to get into the voting process in the general elections. Greta Thunberg actions inspire young people around the world who follow her in her mission to save our beautiful planet.

2. Elizabeth Farrell @glacier996girl

Elizabeth Farell commonly called the glacier girl is another young lady aged 22 and an eco-warrior hero. She uses her Instagram account to raise awareness of the effects of climate change.

Recently, she held an exhibition at the V&A that helped translate academic research into photography and installations about the planet.

3. Tolmeia Gregory @tollydollyposh

Since the tender age of 11 years, Tolmeia Gregory has been running her ethical fashion blog. Also, she runs an Instagram account that gives more insights on having an ethical wardrobe.

Her Instagram account emphasis on sustainable collections by the likes of G-Star RAW. She is one of the best and enthusiastic ethical influencers on Instagram.

4. Phil Torres @Phil_Torres

Phil Torres who is also called the jungle guy or the bug enthusiast is a sustainability ambassador. He grew up examining snakes and bugs behind his house in Colorado.

He later pursued environmental science in the Amazon Rainforest. Phil advocates for sustainability in the food we consume, purchases that we make, and on the sources of our products. Phil shares inspirational comments on being mindful of our future generations.

5. Immy Lucas @sustainably_vegan

When searching for environmental influencers on Instagram, you can’t miss the name Londoner Immy Lucas. She is the founder of the Low Impact Movement and uses her Instagram account to advocate for veganism, environmentalism, zero waste, and more.

She teaches people how to cut down on wastes by using them to make something useful like cosmetics and snacks.

6. Blue Ollis @blueollis

UK-based Blue Ollis is an ethical vegan that uses her Instagram account to promote intentional living. She is an ambassador for living sustainably and cruelty-free. Blue Olli shares insights on sustainability, veganism, zero-waste, and holistic wellness.

She offers inspirational yoga shots and details on how to reduce plastic consumption. Also, she has an ebook on how to be a vegan. You can get her ebook on vegan recipes if you are looking for healthy, delicious vegan meals.

See Related: Best Solar Panels to Buy Now

7. Alex and Tyler Mifflin @thewaterbrothers

Tyler and Alex are sustainability influencers that share an eco-adventure documentary series. You can follow them on Instagram @waterbrothers and explore the world together as they share different environmental issues.

The brothers have been doing a documentary series that cover multiple topics including climate change, plastic pollution, overfishing and water in space and more.

They find the problems affecting the planet as well as the solutions to help protect our precious resources.

8. Madeleine Olivia @madeleineolivia

Using her Instagram account to share insights and exciting recipes, Madeleine is a perfect person to follow if you want to learn sustainability tips. Based in Brighton, Madeleine gives her followers exciting recipes that they should try.

She also shares sustainable vegan insights and how to lead a minimalist lifestyle. Vegans believe that they reduce CO2 emissions by going dairy and meat free.

9. Tim Silverwood @Timsilverwood

Tim Silverwood runs a non-profit organization called Take 3 for the sea. He challenges people to take three pieces of garbage with them when leaving a waterway, the beach, or any other place they visit.

According to Tim, these small actions can help us reduce waste and pollution. He uses social media and particularly his Instagram account to advocate for these.

10. Jen Brownlie @jen.brownlie

Based in Scotland, Jen Brownlie uses her Instagram account to showcase how people can follow a sustainable fashion lifestyle and still possess a great wardrobe.

She focuses on slow fashion and teaches how to integrate your closet into a way that works for your lifestyle. She is one of the best sustainable influencers on Instagram to follow.

11. Clare Press @mrspress

Best known as the author of “Wardrobe crisis: How We Went from Sunday Best to Fast Fashion,” Clare Press advocates for ethical fashion and sustainable living. Besides that, she uses social media accounts and podcast to shed more light on the history as well as ethics behind what we wear.

Recently appointed “Australian Vogue’s Sustainability Editor-at-large,” she ensures that Vogue Australia maintains an environmental focus in different aspects.

12. Dave Coulson @_davecoulson

Based in Toronto, Canada, Dave Coulson is a photographer and filmmaker that use images and videos to tell people stories that connect them to nature. He aims to help translate the complicated conservation issues in a more emotional and relatable way.

He collaborates with the NGOs, publication, and other organizations to use the power of story-telling to drive change and action towards sustainability and conservation.

See Related: Best Practices for Vertical Indoor Farming

13. Ed Kashi @edkashi

Ed Kashi is a photojournalist, educator, and filmmaker who use the power of social media to document different issues that affect us, including environmental issues.

Also, he contributes to @everydayclimatechange’s and shares various matters regarding our lives and nature. He is a sustainability influencer to look out for in Instagram.

See Related: What is Sustainability?

Best (And Largest) Instagram Accounts on Sustainability and Climate Change

After we look at the 13 topmost sustainability influencers, let’s look at some of the best Instagram accounts on climate change. These accounts are ones that you probably already follow that are some of the most influential people and brands around the world. These Instagram accounts will help you realize the importance of climate change.

Here are some of the best Instagram accounts on climate change:

@the_press_tour

This is an Instagram account by Emma Watson. She was a famous actress that rose into fame in the Harry Potter movie series as Hermoine Granger. She also featured in different roles in various movies.

However, what is strikingly beautiful about her is that she uses her fame to run this Instagram account @the_press_tour that focus on teaching sustainability issues. The account displays her as an eco-conscious lady who strives to be eco-friendly in all aspects of her life.

This UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and leader in eco-fashion use her account to teach her followers about making sustainable fashion choices. She has over 500, 000 followers and tours the world as she leads in being as much as eco-friendly and ethical as possible.

@natgeo

@natgeo Instagram account is run by the National Geographic Society, which is famous in TV specials and magazine. It has inspired people to take care of the planet since 1888 and is one of the most extensive non-profit educational center as well as a scientific organization.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzBbtFsFnYd/

This account focuses on natural science, geography, cartography, archaeology, and exploration. Importantly, they have been on the front line promoting historical and environmental conservation.

@ecowarriorprincess

@ecowarriorprincess account teaches followers about eco-beauty, green technology, sustainable fashion, wellness, and other environmental issues.

Founded by Jennifer Nini, this Instagram account focuses on feminism, conscious business, social justice & policies. Jennifer is a writer, activist and a certified organic farm owner.

@leonardodicarprio

Among the list of the best sustainability Instagram accounts, we can’t leave out @leonardodicarprio. The owner of this account is an environmentalist famous from his roles in hit movies including the Titanic, Shutter Island, The man in the Iron Mask and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

He founded a non-profit organization called the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998 dedicated to the long-term overall wellbeing and health of our planet as well as its citizens.

The foundation has been in support of over 200 projects across 50 countries and five oceans since its inception. Leonardo received an award of more than $100 million in grants for supporting 132 organizations.

The grant is dedicated towards six areas such as climate change, marine life and oceans, innovative solutions, the environment, indigenous rights, and the wildlife & landscapes.

@mindbodygreen

The @mindbodygreen is an Instagram account that shares inspirational quotes and advice on living an eco-friendly life. This account helps the followers understand that they are well placed to take care of the planet only if they have taken good care of themselves first. You can find all things related to green beauty and wellness, among others.

The account which is part of their website that goes by the same name is about taking a 360-degree approach towards wellness in physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and most of all, environmental wellbeing. According to mindbodygreen, all these issues are interconnected.

Conclusion on Sustainability Influencers on Instagram

Sustainability is a hot topic, and these individuals are doing inspirational and incredible things for the earth every day of the year. They are the best sustainability influencers on Instagram today that you should follow.

Their actions are helping more and more people become aware of the issues facing our planet. Therefore, people will start taking action to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change on us and future generations.

What are you doing to save our planet from the effects of climate change? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

Related Resources

• A Guide to Ecological Pest Control, Including Ways to Manage Pests
• Pros and Cons Of Bottled Water: Should It Be Banned?
• 7 Best Greywater Systems for Homes

Leaders all over the globe, scientists, as well as a good number of the world’s population have realized the need to talk and act upon this issue.

Brilliant minds have come up with incredible quotes on climate change that may help people to understand the need for change.

List of best quotes about climate change and the environment

If we don’t take charge of our actions and continue destroying our environment, nature will surely hit back. That’s not a secret anymore.

We need to find sustainable ways to save nature. Here are some quotes about climate change written by various individuals from all corners of this beautiful planet.

Inspirational quotes about climate change

This section will include some of the most inspirational quotes on how to save the environment and combat climate change.

1. “Even if you never have the chance to see or touch the ocean, the ocean touches you with every breath you take, every drop of water you drink, every bite you consume. Everyone everywhere is inextricably connected to and utterly dependent upon the existence of the sea.”

– Sylvia Earle

2. “If you really think that the environment is less important than the economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.”

– Guy McPherson

3. “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

– Albert Einstein

4. “One of the biggest obstacles to making a start on climate change is that it has become a cliché before it has even been understood.”
– Tim Flannery

5. “Twenty-five years ago, people could be excused for not knowing much, or doing much, about climate change. Today we have no excuse.”

– Desmond Tutu

6. “Climate change is the environmental challenge of this generation, and it is imperative that we act before it’s too late.”

– John Delaney

Quotes on saving our planet

These quotes are directly related to how to save our planet.

7. “Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth… these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security, and women’s empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.”

– Ban Ki-moon

8. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”

– Native American Proverb

9. “We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we are the last generation that can do something about it.”

– Jay Inslee

10. “All things share the same breath – the beast, the tree, the man. The air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.”

– Chief Seattle

12. “Climate change is happening, humans are causing it, and I think this is perhaps the most serious environmental issue facing us.”
– Bill Nye

11. “We must face up to an inescapable reality: the challenges of sustainability simply overwhelm the adequacy of our responses. With some honorable exceptions, our responses are too few, too little, and too late.”

– Kofi A. Annan

13. “Climate change is sometimes misunderstood as being about changes in the weather. In reality, it is about changes in our very way of life.”

– Paul Polman

14. “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

15. “Climate change does not respect border; it does not respect who you are – rich and poor, small and big. Therefore, this is what we call ‘global challenges,’ which require global solidarity.”
– Ban Ki-moon

16. “Wind and other clean, renewable energy will help end our reliance on fossil fuels and combat the severe threat that climate change poses to humans and wildlife alike.”

– Frances Beinecke

17. “If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.”

– David Suzuki

18. “We can be thankful President Barack Obama is taking aim at one of the prime causes of climate change and extreme weather: air pollution. The EPA’s carbon pollution standards are the most significant step forward our country has ever taken to protect our health by addressing climate change.”

– Donna Brazile

Real but shocking quotes on climate change

Although many people don’t take climate change seriously, there is a significant portion of the population who know and realize its devastating effects.

Here are some famous quotes on climate change said by great minds and which may help us realize what our actions affect our existence.

19. “The cost of our success is the exhaustion of natural resources, leading to energy crises, climate change, pollution, and the destruction of our habitat. If you exhaust natural resources, there will be nothing left for your children. If we continue in the same direction, humankind is headed for some frightful ordeals, if not extinction.”

– Christian de Duve

20. “Climate change, in some regions, has aggravated conflict over scarce land, and could well trigger large-scale migration in the decades ahead. And rising sea levels put at risk the very survival of all small island states. These and other implications for peace and security have implications for the United Nations itself.”

– Ban Ki-moon

21. “When all the world appears to be in a tumult, and nature itself is feeling the assault of climate change, the seasons retain their essential rhythm. Yes, fall gives us a premonition of winter, but then, winter will be forced to relent, once again, to the new beginnings of soft greens, longer light, and the sweet air of spring.”

– Madeleine M. Kunin

22. “If you don’t act against climate change, then no matter how much money you leave for your children, it’ll not even cover their healthcare bills, due to living in an unhealthy planet.”

– Abhijit Naskar

23. “I have long understood that climate change is not only an environmental issue – it is a humanitarian, economic, health, and justice issue as well.”
– Frances Beinecke

24. “As human beings, we are vulnerable to confusing the unprecedented with the improbable. In our everyday experience, if something has never happened before, we are generally safe in assuming it is not going to happen in the future, but the exceptions can kill you, and climate change is one of those exceptions.”

– Al Gore

25. “Climate change is a global problem. The planet is warming because of the growing level of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. If this trend continues, truly catastrophic consequences are likely to ensue from rising sea levels to reduced water availability, to more heat waves and fires.”

– Malcolm Turnbull

26. “There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable point is what part humans are playing in it.”

– David Attenborough

27. “The shift to a cleaner energy economy won’t happen overnight, and it will require tough choices along the way. But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact.”
– Barack Obama

28. “The world that you and I live in is increasingly challenged. Population growth, pollution, over-consumption, unsustainable patterns, social conflict, climate change, loss of nature… these are not good stories.”

– Jack Dangermond

29. “Climate change is destroying our path to sustainability. Ours is a world of looming challenges and increasingly limited resources. Sustainable development offers the best chance to adjust our course”.

– Ban Ki-moon

Horrifying but true climate change quotes

These are some climate change quotes that are truly eye-opening.

30. “Anybody who doesn’t see the impact of climate change is really, and I would say, myopic. They don’t see the reality. It’s so evident that we are destroying Mother Earth. This is not the problem of one country or a few countries: it is the problem of mankind. We need to work together to stop this. Otherwise, our future generations will simply disappear.”

– Juan Manuel Santos

31. “The warnings about global warming have been extremely clear for a long time. We are facing a global climate crisis. It is deepening. We are entering a period of consequences.”

– Al Gore

32. “We are all living together on a single planet, which is threatened by our own actions. And if you don’t have some kind of global cooperation, nationalism is just not on the right level to tackle the problems, whether it’s climate change or whether it’s technological disruption.”

– Yuval Noah Harari

33. “The clear and present danger of climate change means we cannot burn our way to prosperity. We already rely too heavily on fossil fuels and we need to find a new, sustainable path to the future we want. We need a clean industrial revolution.”

– Ban Ki-moon

34. “Climate change, if unchecked, is an urgent threat to health, food supplies, biodiversity, and livelihoods across the globe.”
– John F. Kerry

35. “Climate change is a result of the greatest market failure the world has seen We risk damages on a scale larger than the two world wars of the last century.”

– Sir Nicholas Stern

36. “By the time we see that climate change is really bad, your ability to fix it is extremely limited… The carbon gets up there, but the heating effect is delayed. And then the effect of that heat on the species and ecosystem is delayed. That means that even when you turn virtuous, things are actually going to get worse for quite a while.”

– Bill Gates

37. “I play fictitious characters often solving fictitious problems. I believe mankind has looked at climate change in the same way, as if it were fiction.”

– Leonardo DiCaprio

38. “We can’t take climate change and put it on the back burner. If we don’t address climate change, we won’t be around as humans.”
– Conrad Anker

39. “We cannot compromise with the earth; we cannot compromise with the catastrophe of unchecked climate change, so we must compromise with one another.”

– Gordon Brown

40. “To put it in more shocking terms, it doesn’t matter if the skeptics are right or not, because the assumptions on which the debate is based are already enough to doom us to a dystopian future.”

– Charles Eisenstein

41. “The general population doesn’t know what’s happening, and it doesn’t even know that it doesn’t know.”

– Noam Chomsky

Short thought-provoking quotes on climate change

Lastly, here are some intriguing short quotes on climate change.

42. “The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.”

– Ernest Hemingway

43. “We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.”

– Terri Swearingen

44. “I’d be stunned, shocked, and amazed if there were a human being on the planet in 2030.”

– Guy R. McPherson

45. “The Earth should not be a worse place after my life than it was when I was born here.”
– Rob Stewart

46. “God gave us the earth, to till and to keep in a balanced and respectful way.”

– Pope Francis

47. “Climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism.”

– David King

48. “A planet being pushed to the edge will eventually turn on us.”

– Marco Lambertini

49. “The planet will continue to cook.”
– Paul Krugman

50. “Climatism is the belief that man-made greenhouse gases are destroying Earth’s climate.”

– Steve Goreham

51. “The facts are there that we have created, man has, a self-inflicted wound that man has created through global warming.”

– Arnold Schwarzenegger

52. “We are running out of time, and we must have a planetary solution to a planetary crisis.”

– Al Gore

53. “The future will be green or not at all.”

– Jonathon Porritt

54. “There is no such thing as ‘away’. So, when we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.”

– Annie Leonard

See Related: Best Books on Renewable Energy

Conclusion on quotes on climate change

To sum up the list of quotes on climate change we can only say that, there is much that has been said about climate change, but less has been done.

Therefore, I believe there is still much to do, and these quotes on climate change will help us all take nature with the seriousness it deserves. Move to wind and solar energy for free?

Like these quotes? Check out our favorite quotes about sustainability.

What are you doing to help save our planet? Please let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.