Kate Ng meets individuals who have become more aware of the effects of climate change as a result of catastrophic weather occurrences and increased pollution.
For Brenda Gabriel, 39, from London, the horrific bushfires that destroyed significant portions of Australia from September 2019 to March 2020 were the turning point in her climate consciousness.
When the last fire was doused, an estimated 18,6 million hectares (186,000 square kilometers) of land had been destroyed, along with more than 5,900 structures and residences, three billion animals, and 34 persons.
Gabriel told, “I remember being very upset watching those flames on television, especially when the indigenous people had warned the authorities that they would occur.”
A 2018 BBC documentary on the history of throwaway culture and the harmful effects of massive volumes of trash dissolving into the ocean had already inspired Gabriel to adopt a crisis mentality. “There were also numerous images of plastic trash being shipped to places across the ocean, which made me furious and despondent.
“Here I am, rinsing plastic bottles and containers in the hope that they will be recycled and transformed into something great, but instead we’re passing the buck. It feels extremely unjust, she continued.
Gabriel, like many others, had long performed her role, but she was only now beginning to see how it fit into the puzzle of the once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe confronting the entire globe.
If there is a meme that might capture how it feels to live in the face of the current climate crisis, it would be the image of the dog sitting in a burning room, its blank smile betraying its wide-eyed dread, with the statement “This is good.”
Watching the world (literally) burn as flames rage in Greece, Italy, and Turkey to the east, and in California and Canada to the west. In several places, extreme heat and drought have caused some of the most destructive fires in nearly a decade.
While Britain spends August dealing with its extreme weather: in recent weeks, torrential rain caused flash floods in London, and scientists warn that flooding will become more frequent as the climate problem worsens.
Monday, the world’s foremost expert on climate science delivered a dire warning: time is running out to prevent the imminent climate breakdown, and there is “unambiguous” evidence that people are too responsible for the Earth’s rising temperatures.
The comprehensive study published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations stated that it is “more likely than not” that the world will exceed 1.5C over pre-industrial levels during the next two decades. Long have we been advised not to exceed this temperature for fear of causing irrevocable harm?
Professor Ed Hawkins, a researcher from the University of Reading and one of the 234 experts who contributed to the report, stated at a briefing, “We are already witnessing climate change, including more frequent and severe weather events. For every ounce of warning, the repercussions will continue to worsen, and for many of them, there is no turning back.”
The timing of the report’s release could not have been better, as it provided a solid foundation against which to hang our ever-growing individual and localized experiences of extreme weather occurrences, which have left us all thinking, “Is the weather this bad?”
As subway stations from London to Zhengzhou are submerged and people’s homes are swept away in Germany and Belgium, it is more difficult than ever to ignore the issue.
Billie Pike, who resides in Southampton and is 25 years old, told that she has always been aware of the significance of sustainability, but that she became much more aware of the climate crisis during the first coronavirus lockdown in March of last year.
Last year’s record-breaking August heatwave in the southeast of England was the final nail in the coffin. Temperatures of 34C or higher were recorded on more than six consecutive days, and five nights in which the temperature did not dip below 20C were reported during that month.
“It was an eye-opening experience for me. Since then, there have been forest fires and water everywhere,” said Pike. “It’s quite overwhelming and frightening.” “In March of last year, when I began working from home, I was in the same position as everyone else.
You had so much time to read awful news and think about things while you were stuck at home. It was becoming rather discouraging, and I thought, “I’m just one person; I can’t do anything.” I cannot manage this.”
Gabriel and Pike both reported having had “climate anxiety” in the past year. Climate-related concern, sometimes known as “eco-anxiety,” has increased over the past year, especially among British youth.
To regain some semblance of control over their impact on the world, both have joined the rising number of individuals who are modifying their behavior to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Deloitte’s 2021 consumer sustainability report found that in the past year, more people have adopted various measures to shop and live more sustainably, such as reducing their use of single-use plastics (61%), purchasing seasonal produce (49%), and reducing the number of new products they purchase (35%). (39 percent).
Gabriel stated that she and her family had prioritized making less plastic garbage. “I attempt to purchase items in bulk to reduce packaging waste, and I have switched to reusable water bottles and food containers.
“There are a growing number of stores where you may get items in paper bags, such as grains, seeds, lentils, and pasta, as opposed to purchasing everything prepackaged,” she noted.
She acknowledged that it can be challenging to abandon plastic packaging, especially when it comes to food.
“There are certain items for which you have no choice but to get them prepackaged, and we’re constantly battling this conflict between convenience and doing what’s good for the environment,” she added.
“I try to cook from scratch as much as possible to reduce the amount of packaged foods I purchase. However, this is not always possible with children, and I find it rather challenging to avoid giving them prepackaged snacks.
“I believe we must all be willing to endure minor inconveniences to preserve the world because, at some time, something will have to give,” she continued.
Pike, on the other hand, joined an app called Olio in March of this year, which attempts to reduce food waste, and began collecting leftover food from her local Tesco to distribute within her community, as opposed to sending it to a landfill.
“At one point, I amassed three banana boxes. They were sitting in my apartment, and I thought about how much effort it took to grow these bananas, how much water and resources were consumed, and how they were flown halfway around the world to potentially end up in the trash.
“That struck me hard, and it did not set well with me. Since beginning these collections and redistributions, I feel like I’m genuinely helping, even if it’s on a little scale.”
Changing our consumption habits and demanding action on climate change from governments and corporations is one of the most essential things we can do moving ahead, Gabriel said. She stated, “We all promote consumerism in some way, as we continually buy and produce more goods, which is unsustainable.”
“I believe that we vote with our dollars, therefore if we stop purchasing particular items, firms will be forced to modify their ways. When we demanded more vegan options, people began to create them; therefore, consumers must be more insistent if we want large corporations to change their methods. If not, it will be too late.”
