How to overcome environmental issues

Mahatma Gandhi once said: Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but
not every man’s greed.

We all know that environmental issues have aggravated to quite a great extent, but it
does have a solution. It’s just that we will have to keep faith in ourselves that we can
do something for our planet.

Well, the first step towards living a more planet-conscious life is by stopping over-
consumption. According to National Solid Waste Management Department, statistics
have shown that the largest contributor to solid waste in Penang is food waste, at an
average of 3,000 tonnes daily. 3,000 tonnes is a large amount, and do you know that
when food waste goes to landfill, which is where the vast majority ends up, it
decomposes without access to oxygen and creates methane, which is 23 times more
deadly than carbon dioxide. Other than just food, every flyer, every pen and every
straw you use creates a demand to create more and more of them and eventually,
they turn to trash. Hence, take only what you need.

Apart from that, we should avoid excessive meat consumption to avoid climate
breakdown. A swathe of research has laid bare the hefty impact that eating meat,
especially beef and pork, has upon the environment by fueling climate change and
polluting landscapes and waterways. According to an article of The Guardian, experts
have even stated that giving up beef will reduce carbon footprint more than cars. I
mean, we all know that agriculture is a significant driver of global warming and
causes up to 15% of all emissions, but do you know that half of which are from life
stock? I’m not trying to force anyone to go green go vegan, because eating meat is a
natural part of the cycle of life. I’m saying that meat consumption, especially red
meat should be reduced and controlled to prevent environment devastation.

Likewise, save your energy consumption. Switch off the power button when no one is
in the room. Avoid using personal vehicles when public transportation can be used. In
fact, you can even use bicycles for small distances and protect your environment
from harmful release of gases. Thus, through these simple yet effective measures you
can contribute greatly towards saving our mother nature from further exploitation.

Let’s take a look at one of the latest news, according to Strait Times, a total of 475
educational institutions, including 111 schools, in Pasir Gudang were closed for three
days from 25 June due to air pollution. The recent air pollution incident, which was
discovered on June 20, caused more than 100 students from over 30 schools to fall ill
last week. Officials have yet to determine the cause of the air pollution and the
students' symptoms. The crux of the matter was the fact that this was the second
time in three months that the authorities had ordered all schools in Pasir Gudang
district to be closed due to pollution. In March, schools were closed when thousands
were overcome by toxic fumes from Sungai Kim Kim after chemicals were illegally
dumped into the river. Even until now, this problem has yet to be solved.

Nevertheless, sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in

the problem. I’m only a teenager and I don’t have all the solutions, but I want you to
realize, neither do you!

I mean, you don’t know how to fix holes in our ozone layer. You don’t know how to
bring salmon back up a dead stream. You don’t know how to bring back an animal
now extinct and you can’t bring back forests that once grew where there is now
desert.

If you do not know how to fix it, please stop breaking it.

We are going to face challenges dealing with environmental issues, but with your
help, we will meet them together and make the world great again as we are not
apart from nature but rather a part of nature.