It's hard to be optimistic when we are inundated by news of our rapidly deteriorating planet every single day. Sometimes it's hard to shake the feeling that everything is on fire, because some days it literally is.
Last year, dozens of wildfires burned through California, changing lives and ecosystems forever. Some of those fires are still burning today. When it's not fire, it's an onslaught of other extreme weather conditions. Climate change will continue to heighten events like heat waves, extreme rainfall, droughts, and tornadoes. We've already seen an increase in these occurrences across the world.
As humans go about life as usual, the environment continues to suffer. Global warming is just one of the issues we've contributed to over the last few centuries. Also on the list is deforestation, ocean acidification, and the most infamous issue, pollution. Projections of what our world could look like in just a few decades is anything but completely apocalyptic, and even then, that's still the future many of us have painted in our heads.
Air pollution in certain parts of the world is so bad it's cutting people's lives short. China has decreased their smog levels, but most of the damage has already been done to the current population. Even with improvements to air quality, they will see a rise in deaths as the population gets older. Scientists are even projecting that certain cities may be unlivable within the next 80 years.
This isn't the first time we've been warned about the "point of no return". Al Gore warned us that the "point of no return" could happen in ten years unless drastic measures were taken.
That was in 2006. A U.N. environmental official told the Associated Press that rising sea levels would wipe entire nations off the face of the Earth by 2000. A Harvard University biologist claimed that civilization would end in 15 or 30 years if we didn't take drastic measures. That was in 1970. I could keep going.
This isn't to say that we shouldn't be taking environmental measures seriously. The planet is undeniably in jeopardy. But alarmism is hurting more than it's helping. Instead of inspiring action, it's cultivating indifference. If you hear the boy-who-cried-wolf narrative enough, you're either going to sit back and let life happen to you because the cataclysmic language makes it seem like there's nothing you can do anyway, or you've heard this failed narrative so often you believe it holds no substance.
But it's not all doom and gloom. A comfortable, sustainable, and livable planet is still possible if we choose to incite action rather than paralyze ourselves with fear. Below are some of the initiatives being taken to save the planet.
Environmental remediation efforts
Saving our environment is possible only when we prioritize reversing and stopping the damage. Environmental cleanup efforts are now one of the most prominent parts of conservation and restoration campaigns. The federal government has gotten more involved with remediation efforts, like focusing more on industrial waste, which we know is a huge factor in climate change and habitat pollution.
Cleanup projects range from small-scale efforts like asbestos removal to large-scale environmental disaster projects. Removing pollution and contaminants from the air, soil, and water is critical because they are harmful to both humans and the environment.
With the help of new systems and machinery, environmental remediation will govern a new era of environmental conscientiousness. Revolutionary inventions like Seabin, which collects garbage from the sea, and AIR-INK, which turns air pollution into ink, are already making an impact.
Today's initiatives are unlike ever before. While organizations, individuals, and government agencies are doing their part to make the world a better place, there are still some people who aren't sure what their part looks like in all of this.
Education breeds understanding
Educating yourself on these issues may not seem monumental, but awareness is the necessary step before action. Being informed about the most pressing environmental issues today will help you make better choices about appropriate actions.
Making environmental education a priority can help promote a more informed, thoughtful, and altruistic mindset that benefits single lives and the world at large. Resources like ENVIRO Wiki provide articles written by environmental professionals and industry experts. Organizations like the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council offer training, documents, and even accept project proposals from various environmental teams that help cultivate a greater sense of community.
Even just understanding the environmental impacts of your products can be profound. LEGO, for example, recently launched their first set of sustainable building bricks that were made from sugarcane plastic. By 2030, they want the majority of their products and packaging to be environmentally friendly. This may seem inconsequential, but LEGO sells 75 billion bricks annually — this one small change will have a significant impact.
But even as a unified community with one mission, we still can't influence change all on our own.
A tech-lead revolution
We praise technology for its convenience and accessibility, but it also helps us live better and longer lives. Take gene editing, for example. Molecular 'scissors' can now remove inherited diseases and cancers from a person's genes to help them live longer.
The more we learn about technology, the more we've come to view it as a protector of sorts. Innovations in medicine have literally saved lives. Now, it can do the same for our planet.
We've already seen first-hand the positive — and powerful — influence of artificial intelligence. Environmentally friendly AI is now gaining traction as a way to reverse the damage that's already been done to our planet, while proactively working to halt any future destruction. In what's being called the Fourth Industrial Revolution for Earth, experts have outlined 80 ways that AI could realistically save the planet, and sooner rather than later.
Companies like Microsoft have already implemented environmental programs to make a difference. Their AI for Earth program gives grants to researchers to help solve environmental challenges. So far, over 200 grants have been handed out to teams that are using artificial intelligence to oversee four key initiatives: biodiversity, climate, water, and agriculture.
There are other tech inventions that have been created to help clean up the planet, like tree root protection, which focuses on preserving root growth in urban areas, and organic batteries.
Restoring the Earth, undoing the damages of pollution, and protecting wildlife ecosystems requires unwavering diligence from people and technology. We can't lose hope; instead, we must inspire action.