“We are on a highway to [a] climate hell, with our foot still on the accelerator,” said the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference where world leaders met to discuss climate change policies.Though the statement may seem dramatic, the direction we are heading towards is going to be a very dangerous journey. When we think of climate change, many don’t understand there are steps that can be taken to help reduce the impact. Though individual actions may not seem significant, the steps we take as an individual are critical to sustainability of this planet. 

     If everyone took steps, we can make a difference in the world. More than half of the total carbon emissions have occurred from 1988. As of 2023, there are eight billion people living on this planet and carbon emissions are on the rise. Annually the planet emits nine gigatons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. To provide an illustration of just how much it is, one gigaton itself is the weight of two hundred million elephants! Nine gigatons is the weight of one billion eight hundred million elephants! Taking steps to reduce emissions are critical to making the world sustainable for generations to come. It’s up to us to help. Often, we want to take steps to reduce our carbon-footprint, but are unsure of what to do.  

     An surprisingly easy step to take is to switch search engines. Typically browsers use Google. But there are many other search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Bing, and Yahoo. One search engine that delivers an environmentally benefiting experience is Ecosia. Ecosia is a carbon neutral website that is a not for profit organization that donates eighty percent of its funds to planting trees. Trees benefit the environment by taking in carbon dioxide and converting it into oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. By planting trees, you’re helping reduce carbon emissions because plants intake carbon during photosynthesis. The carbon footprint on this earth will be significantly reduced after planting trees. Just planting one hundred trees can remove fifty-three tons of carbon dioxide and four hundred and three pounds of other air pollutants such as methane. As of February 22, 2023, Ecosia has planted 168,722,380 trees around the world.  Not only is Ecosia helping the environment, it's reliability is no question. According to techrader.com, “Ecosia looks, feels, and delivers results in a manner befitting of a safe and well-designed search engine. For those looking to give back to the universe in some way, the company’s green initiatives are inspiring, making you feel like your every query is going towards a good cause.” By using Ecosia, you know whenever you are searching for something, you're planting trees. 

     Another step that anyone can take, is to plant trees.  There are many ways to do this, and one way is to plant trees yourself. An average tree can cost around 150 dollars. Though it is expensive, planting trees can also add value to your home and give your yard a new look. There are options other than planting a tree in your yard,  such as gifting a tree. Foundations such as Arbor Day Foundation allow you to plant a tree in honor of a special someone’s name for five to ten dollars. Planting trees is a step in the right direction to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. 

     Composting is another step you can take. According to Wikipedia, “Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure.” Composting requires very few resources. In order to compost, you first must put organic waste into a jar. Organic waste is any material that is biodegradable and comes from either a plant or an animal.  Common examples of organic waste include food scraps, yard and garden trimmings, food-soiled paper products and biosolids. Once the sufficient items are placed into the jar, you must wait anywhere from two weeks to two years, to create nutrient rich soil. Composting is super important because when wasting food, you are wasting all the resources that were used to grow the food. For instance, you waste all the water that used to help the plants grow, all the nutrient rich soil, and all the resources that were used to grow the plant. By reducing the amount of waste, we reduce the amount of resources wasted. According to growensemble.com, “By composing your resources, you are reducing the amount of resources that are getting wasted. When you compost, you are creating the perfect environment for beneficial microbes to thrive so that the decaying process actually becomes very life-giving.” Soil benefits greatly from composting. By adding compost to your soil, you are allowing beneficial bacteria to enhance your soil, which will in turn positively affect  plant growth. Composting not only affects plant growth, but with more plants air quality is improved and can help with other hazards in the environment like negative effects of urbanization. 

       Urbanization refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas. In urban locations, plastic pollution is on the rise. Fourteen million tons of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year. Plastic dumped into the environment takes a toll on the wildlife population. One million marine animals die every year due to plastic pollution. The act of not recycling or littering might seem insignificant, but by taking steps to recycle or not littering is significant to the benefit of society. According to epa.gov, only 8.4% of all plastic gets recycled every year. By just putting plastic into the recycling bin when applicable, you can help increase 8.4% percent of recycled plastic to possibly 100%. 

     Another step anyone can take to help reduce plastic pollution is to use less single-use plastics. Reports conducted by the UN in 2021 stated that just nine per cent of the world’s nine billion tons of plastic has been recycled. By taking steps to switch out your plastic water bottles with metal ones, you can help reduce your plastic usage. Not only plastic harms the environment, but it harms humans. Using plastic water bottles can be dangerous too. According to saferstates.com, plastic is made with many chemicals such as heavy metals, flame retardants, phthalates, bisphenols, and fluorinated compounds that can run off into your water. Though the risks are not extreme, scientists recommend you should stay away from plastic water bottles for your own health and safety of the environment. In addition, the use of utensils and other forms of plastic products should be avoided whenever possible. The steps that you take to reduce your plastic waste is beneficial to the environment as a whole. 

     Another choice we can make is clean transportation. Clean transportation is necessary for a better world. Emissions through transportation account for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. Whenever it’s possible, try to walk or bike as a source of transportation. Using types of transportation that use less energy is critical to the benefit of reducing carbon emissions. If you cannot walk or bike to the location you are trying to get to, use carpooling. If you are going to get somewhere with a group of people, use the same vehicle to get to your desired destination. Taking these steps for clean transportation is a sustainable way to secure the environment. 

     When we think of climate change, we often fail to comprehend that there are steps we can take to help stop climate change. We often don’t see it as what we contribute, eight billion people in the world emitting carbon dioxide. Acknowledging that you as an individual have the responsibility to take steps to reduce your carbon footprint, is critical for the sustainability of life on this planet for future generations. The steps you take now are essential to secure the pathway of life in the future. By laying a foundation for a cleaner world, we can maybe take the exit off the highway. As Albert Einstein once said, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything”. These steps will help anyone reduce their carbon footprint. 

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