Plan B 4.0
Chapter One: Selling Our Future
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| Photo Credit to Do Something |
Chapter one had an intriguing take on the whole ‘world is coming to an end’ theory. It is a corollary of global warming, where the changing climates cause the weather to become more extreme and melting ice glaciers are affecting the ecosystem. This theory is suggesting that just like history has showed us, food shortages might be the source of the decline of civilization. History has a way of repeating itself and unlike the past we are aware that these problems exist due to the evolving technology we have today. The statistics given in this book strongly support decreases in harvesting due to droughts, floods, and the harsh conditions that result from our environmental decline.
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| Photo Credit to Ha Tran Bao |
The decreases in the harvests not only occur due to the natural disasters, but the increase in population as well. Farmers are trying to expand the harvest, but the question is will it expand fast enough to keep pace with steadily growing demand. According to the book, food security will deteriorate further unless leading countries collectively mobilizes to stabilize population, stabilize climate, stabilize aquifers, conserve soils, protect cropland, and restrict the use of grain to produce fuel for cars. I think taking measures into our own hands will be the only way to prevent any further damage from happening.
We all know we need to change our lifestyles and become more
sustainable. We talk about it, and some of us actively try to, but honestly,
most of us don't. Living more sustainably needs to be a part of our life. Many
different countries have found innovative and creative ways on how to be more
resourceful. For instance, Europeans get their residential electricity from
wind farms, Chinese homes get their hot water from rooftop solar water heaters,
and Iceland heats their homes with geothermal energy. Here at my school, we
have one of the largest ice-thermal storage plants in the state. If every
school, every state, every nation would make these positive changes like the
ones listed above, our planet wouldn't be in such conditions.
