Reflection to go with my non-written piece
For this Global warming and climate change
unit, my investigation topic is to: Discuss how the consumption of material
goods contributes to global warming and climate change.
I was inspired by IKEA advertisement that
we watched in class to focus on consumerism. I was really intrigued by how irrelevant
the two issues are if you first think about it, but then I realized after doing
some research that they are definitely connected.
I looked at this comparison in a global and
local perspective first. I found out about e-waste and how the landfills are
piling up emitting methane, which is directly linked to global warming. I had
figured that most of the things that we purchase and throw away, for instance,
phones, laptop and electrical appliances are produced using a lot of energy and
natural resources which require burning fossil fuels. I realized that many of
the forests have been cut down in order for paper packaging to be available.
Deforestation affects the carbon dioxide levels because there are no trees to
absorb it, which further worsens global warming. The lack of trees will affect
countries because the trees are there to block extreme floods that happen due
to climate change. Hong Kong is a very materialistic society because of the overwhelming
amount of shops and malls that attract people to purchase things that they want
but don’t necessarily need. Due to this being the case for Hong Kong, the waste
that we produce is also taking up a lot of the space that we have limited
of. I also analyzed some of the effects
that this is actually having on the climate, the temperature has definitely got
warmer compared to the past decade. There has also been some extreme weather,
for example stronger typhoons, scorching hot summers and increased rainfalls.
I’ve outlined many solutions to this
problem from the government’s, company’s and the consumer’s perspective. I’ve
suggested that the government can pass certain laws that involve this issue
such as the environmental levy that is basically a tax for plastic bags. Since
this was introduced in Hong Kong, it is successful in encouraging people to
bring their own shopping bags instead of relying on the store’s plastic
bags. In the company’s perspective,
developing a more eco-friendly packaging for their products is seen as the most
effective solution. Biodegradable packaging is certainly a much better
alternative to regular packaging, even though it might take longer and cost
more to produce. However if more companies start using biodegradable packaging
then it will help this situation significantly. The weakness of this solution
is that many of the companies will not put in the effort or not have enough
money to develop this type of packaging therefore not being able to fulfill
this solution. They can also start investigating more efficient transport for
the products because the amount of carbon emissions that those vehicles produce
is also a contributing factor to global warming. From a consumer’s perspective,
we need to think twice before buying something that you might already have,
because commercials and other people can really make you want something that
you don’t need. Also we need to put more effort into reusing or recycling the
things that we no longer need. Selling it online, recycling it, giving it to
charity are only some of the ways that we could make a difference. Raising
awareness is also really important because it helps spread the message to
educate others about this issue. I never considered that you could raise
awareness in so many different ways. I discovered a photographer called Chris
Jordan that uses his photographs to illustrate the waste that we are producing.
This is an interesting way to get attention and to educate others about this
problem.
My overall opinion is that the amount we
consume and throw away can be re-evaluated and reduced. Every one of us can
make a difference if we just think twice before making an impulse purchase or
research on the packaging of the products we buy. After I’ve seen how much over-consumption
actually affects global warming and climate change, I’ve been more conscious of
what I buy and how I can reduce my waste. In the future, I would change the way
I make decisions on what to buy because personally shopping gives me
satisfaction, therefore I need to think twice next time I buy something. If
people started put a little effort into reducing the amount they buy, then this
issue can definitely be resolved.
