Science Says People Are Behind Climate Change
Did you know that more than 99% of the peer-reviewed scientific literature on climate change attributes the cause to humans? When I read the title of that article, I really wanted to laugh. Climate change is nothing to laugh about but for anyone to think that the planet got into the condition it is now without the help of the people that live on her just seemed ridiculous.
More than 88,000 climate-related papers have been written since 2012. All but less than 1% acknowledge the major contribution of human beings to climate change. The percentage is greater among our elected officials. Over 25% of representatives and senators refuse to acknowledge the contribution of human beings to climate change. No one is saying that all of the changes are human based but nearly all are in agreement that we have definitely contributed to the situation.
It’s normal that the Earth changes over time. We all learned of the Ice Age in school. Archeologists have found frozen mammoths with buttercup flowers whole in their digestive tract. That would never happen unless the animal died suddenly. The climate changes we are experiencing now are much slower which is one of the reasons the scientists have attributed many of these changes to us.
Maybe if we could stop arguing over whose fault it is and simply agree to all do our part by making personal changes to our lifestyles we could slow down these changes. No one person is going to be able to stop climate change on their own. The following three industries are major contributors to climate change due to the creation of an excess of greenhouse gases, especially methane.
The Natural Gas & Petroleum Industry is the primary contributor at 34%. Changes you can make include moving from a gas powered vehicle to an electric or hybrid one. If that’s out of your financial range, many of these companies have interests in other industries, including cosmetics (like petroleum jelly). You can start buying products made by climate conscious companies.
Most everyone has seen advertisements on television blaming cows for climate change. While it is true that feed animals come in 2nd by contributing 23% to methane based greenhouse gases, it is much more complicated than that. Primarily, it is the factory or confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) for meat, eggs, and dairy. These operations cram pack the animals in together, they have no room to move, they rarely if ever get outside, and they stand around in their own feces all day. On top of that, they are fed genetically modified corn/grain based feed. This means those same chemicals are passed onto you when you eat this meat. Animals treated in this way produce an excess amount of arachadonic acid which is harmful to the human body. If you are a carnivore or omnivore and meat is a part of your diet, there are many other ethical, sustainable options including getting to know your local, small scale farmers, explore regenerative farm operations, consider raising your own, or even ethically hunting and fishing.
You might be surprised to learn that coming in 3rd is the food you throw away. That’s right, landfills actually contribute 20% to the methane expelled into our environment. The American public waste about one pound of food, per person, per day. Surprisingly, vegetarians and vegans are the biggest contributors of fruit and vegetable waste. We toss out about 150,000 tons of food every day. If we spread out all that wasted food over a year, it would amount to about 30,000,000 acres of land, 780,000,000 pounds pesticides, and 4.2 million gallons of irrigated water. Most landfills are piled high with discarded food waste adding up to 55,000,000 tons of methane. Food waste that could be turned into compost and used to grow some really healthy fruits and vegetables. For waste to break down, it needs oxygen. Even after a landfill is closed, the bacteria in that discarded waste at the bottom of the heap with continue to emit methane for years to come – and the smell will remain there too. Compost, if done correctly, has no odor because of aerobic decomposition that comes from the mixing in of oxygen. As a result, the compost produces carbon dioxide, which the trees need, instead of methane.
Hopefully, you are among the majority that understands that we have to take positive action if we are to slow down climate change. Be the change that you want to see. Talk to your family and friends and get them on board too. Start a neighborhood compost pile that everyone can contribute grass cuttings, dried leaves, and food waste too. This includes eggshells and coffee grounds. Make sure they know that no meat products can go in the pile.
One step at a time is the best we can all do. Before you know it, we will see the results. Be more Earth conscious. Your Mother deserves it.
References
Ealy, H. (2018). Biochemistry of Metabolism PowerPoint Presentation. Retrieved from the Energetic Health Institute website, Living In Holistic Balance, Lesson 2, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xHgSx7EN9w
Lynas, M., Houlton, B., Perry, S. (2021). Greater than 99% consensus on human caused climate change in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Environmental Research Letters, Volume 16, Issue 11. Retrieved from the IOP Science website at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2966.
