Sustainability: a Multi-sided Argument
First, effective measures of sustainability must happen on a large scale. Individual efforts such as reducing plastic bag usage, reducing car and plane mileage, and using solar panels are only helpful if more than half the population do them. Environmental activist Bill McKibben claims that enormous scale efforts would be more effective because "Movements are what make 5-10 percent of people and make them decisive - because in a world where apathy rules, 5-10 percent is an enormous number." However, whatever measures are put into place need to be practical and immediately beneficial for the average individual, or else the economy could suffer. Former Secretary of State James Baker suggests that the Social Security Administration implement a carbon tax that would refund Americans and gradually increase over the years, which would both help the climate and financially support Americans (Baker).
Another reason that sustainability efforts should be large-scale is that the damages from climate change will damage future economies; therefore, implementing protective measures now will save money in the future. Joseph Aldy, professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, claims that "climate change causes outcomes that can be measured in monetary terms. For example, rising carbon pollution will increase the likelihood of lower agricultural yields, threaten public health through heat stress, and damage infrastructure through floods and intense storms" (Aldy). However, these measures must be implemented in a way that hurts the current economy. Writer David Roberts believes that the most effective way is to tax producers based on the amount of externality they produce; doing so takes advantage of the economy in a way that will ensure only the "greenest" companies thrive, benefitting the consumer, the companies, the economy, and the environment. This principle is called the Pigouvian tax (Roberts).
-Annika V.
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Sources:
Aldy, Joseph. "Curbing Climate Change Has a Dollar Value - Here's How and Why We Measure It." The Conversation. March 12, 2017.
Baker, James A. "The Conservative Case for a Carbon Tax and Dividends." Dallas Morning News. February 15, 2017.
McKibben, Bill. "The Question I Get Asked the Most." Communities. Spring 2017.
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Here is a Ted Talk on "What to do when climate change feels unstoppable."
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Climate change and carbon pollution are two enemies in the fight for sustainability. These two areas have seen an increasing growth for concern in the past century, global temperatures have risen 1.8° F, and carbon pollution has increased tenfold (Lindsey, Dahlman 2021). Sustainability is under attack globally; the direct dangers of not maintaining sustainability are rising sea levels, thawing permafrost, and increased weather phenomena. Indirect side effects from not maintaining sustainability are increased food and water shortages, changes to coastal countries and cities, and extinction of different species. A global initiative must be launched between the world's leaders to stop or reduce pollution in any capacity.
The first goal of sustainability that holds the most concern in the public eye is climate change. Climate change originated with the industrial revolution, with some studies speculating it began as early as the 1830s (Abram 2004). The problem stems from the byproducts and waste produced from industrial facilities and power plants. Factories produce greenhouse gas by burning coal or fuel for power. The driving force behind climate change is the greenhouse effect, trapping the sun's warmth in the planet's atmosphere. The emission of greenhouse gases has dramatically risen since the 1850s, with statistics showing an increase from 0.2 billion metric tons to 34.81 billion metric tons of emissions, taken in 2010(Tiseo 2021). A study from Statista revealed
China is the most polluting country worldwide, having released 10.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020. This was more than the combined CO2 emissions of the United States, India, Russia, and Japan. These five countries are the world's top polluters and were responsible for 60 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2020.
This finding puts the crisis in perspective if one country alone is responsible for 1/3 of the world's greenhouse gas pollution, then changes must be made to protect our planet. The fight to combat pollution aligns with the principles of maintaining sustainability; some methods include: introducing a carbon tax, dismantling the fossil fuel industry, and introducing requirements for renewable energy for big corporations. If the world is united as individuals and collective entities, we could maintain sustainability and combat pollution/climate change for all.
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Abram, N. (2004). Global warming began earlier than we thought. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://reporter.anu.edu.au/global-warming-began-earlier-we-thought
Lindsey, R., & Dahlman, L. (2021, March 15). Climate change: Global temperature. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature
Tiseo, I. (2021, November 05). Global historical CO2 emissions 1750-2020. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/264699/worldwide-co2-emissions/
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