Have you noticed that this winter almost feels like summer?
Environmental issues are reshaping our seasons, and these issues are driven by human choices, like burning fossil fuels, clearing forests, and using more energy. Heat that should be leaving our atmosphere is being trapped, and the planet is getting hotter by the second as a result.
Many people, including students like us, do not think about clothes when they think about climate change, but fast fashion is a huge part of the problem. Affordable, cheap, and easy-to-find brands make trendy clothes that are usually 100% polyester.
Polyester is a type of plastic that takes hundreds of years to break down. Whenever polyester is broken down, small particles escape and land in the ocean and rivers, but usually they end up in huge landfills in other countries where they take years to break down.
Technology also adds to the environmental problem. AI runs on huge computer systems that use enormous amounts of electricity, and much of the electricity still comes from our fossil fuels. Therefore, using AI is quickly ruining our environment.
Fossil rules are still the biggest contributor to the current environmental issues. However, solutions like nuclear energy (one of the best renewable energies) can cause dangerous and costly incidents to happen, such as the Chernobyl incident, which is why people are hesitant to change energy sources.
With our current, problematic energy system, there are solutions like solar, wind, and modern nuclear energy that are cleaner ways, and if enough people use them they could make a real difference.
Although, strong political leadership matters. Without better policies and global cooperation, the problem will get worse, and it will never be able to get fixed.
We are failing our planet by not making small changes like burning less fast fashion, supporting clean energy, and not staying informed.
Action needs to start now.
