Find Areas To Change You Believe

Find Areas Where You Believe That You Could Change One Of Your Habits

Find areas where you believe that you could change one of your habits and have an impact on an Environmental Science related issue. For each area of impact, you should have several slides. The assignment involves identifying a personal habit change, explaining its connection to environmental science, detailing the environmental impacts, discussing potential environmental effects, and considering how to inspire others to adopt the same change.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction: Changing Personal Habits for Environmental Benefits

One significant habit that I believe I can modify is reducing my use of single-use plastics, such as plastic water bottles and dispose of them responsibly. This change is intended to decrease plastic waste and its detrimental environmental impacts.

Connection to Environmental Science:

Single-use plastics are a critical issue in environmental science due to their contribution to pollution and harm to marine and terrestrial ecosystems. They are made from non-renewable fossil fuels, contributing to resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions during production. Furthermore, plastics take hundreds of years to decompose, leading to long-term environmental pollution. Marine animals mistake plastics for food, causing injury or death, and plastics accumulate in the ocean, threatening biodiversity. The production and disposal of plastics involve significant energy consumption and release pollutants, affecting air and water quality.

Impact Connections:

Approximately 300 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide each year, with at least 50% being disposable, single-use items (Geyer et al., 2017). Of this, an estimated 8 million tons end up in oceans annually, forming extensive plastic patches such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (Lebreton et al., 2018). The breakdown of plastics into microplastics further contaminates water sources, fish, and other marine life, impacting entire food chains (Andrady, 2011). The energy used in manufacturing single-use plastics is substantial, with estimates indicating that plastic production accounts for about 4-8% of the global oil consumption (Shen et al., 2021). Reducing plastic use directly decreases the demand for fossil fuel extraction, lowers carbon emissions, and mitigates environmental pollution.

Potential Environmental Effects of My Change:

By committing to reduce my use of single-use plastics, I could significantly decrease the amount of plastic waste I generate annually. For example, replacing plastic water bottles with reusable ones could save hundreds of bottles per year. This change would result in less plastic waste ending up in landfills and oceans, reducing pollution and its harmful effects on wildlife. Furthermore, decreasing plastic production contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with manufacturing and transportation processes. This collective reduction supports efforts to mitigate climate change, preserves marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and promotes sustainable resource use. Small individual actions, when adopted widely, can lead to meaningful environmental improvements.

Inspiring Others to Make the Change:

To encourage others, I could organize community awareness campaigns highlighting the impacts of plastic pollution and demonstrating practical alternatives. This could involve partnering with local schools, businesses, and environmental groups to distribute reusable water bottles and educate about waste reduction. Creating engaging social media content and hosting workshops would amplify the message and foster a culture of sustainability. By sharing my personal success story and emphasizing the collective impact, I can motivate others to reconsider their plastic consumption habits. When more individuals adopt these behaviors, the cumulative effect will be substantial, leading to cleaner environments and a healthier planet.

References

• Andrady, A. L. (2011). Microplastics in the marine environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62(8), 1596-1605.
• Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of plastic waste. Science Advances, 3(7), e1700782.
• Lebreton, L. C. M., et al. (2018). Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic. Scientific Reports, 8, 4666.
• Shen, L., et al. (2021). Plastic waste management and environmental impacts: An overview. Journal of Cleaner Production, 294, 125157.