Our Planet
What changed?
Mankind evolved and progressed. Technologies advanced. Industrialization occurred. Businesses and markets boomed. And so did the state of our planet.
As a result of human industrial activities, the balance in our natural atmospheric compositions has shifted. The dependency on fossil fuels such as coal and oil for energy increased the concentrations of greenhouse gasses: Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (M2), Nitrous Oxide (NO), Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, resulting in the average rise of global temperature of 2 degrees fahrenheit.
A quick rundown:
- CO2 levels in our air are at their highest in 650,000 years
- 2018/19 of the warmest recorded years are since 2001
- In 2012, Arctic summers’ sea ice shrank to a record low
- Satellite data reveals that Earth’s polar ice sheets are losing mass
- Global average sea level has risen nearly 7″ over the past century
What has the fashion industry got to do with this?
Here’s the thing, our water bodies are polluted. Heard of the plastic crisis? 12.7 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the Ocean annually, threatening the biodiversity of marine life. It is worrying to think that in a mere five years, for every three fishes in the ocean there will be one plastic weight equivalent, and by 2050, this ratio is projected to be 1:1. Our flippant relationship with our environment comes back full cycle because by poisoning our ecosystem, we are harming ourselves.
35% of microplastics that enter the ocean come via synthetic textiles.
Synthetic fibres make up about 60% of clothing materials worldwide and is valued for its cost, durability and accessibility. Unfortunately, the tradeoff is that in its production, wash and wear, these textiles shed plastic microfibers onto the environment. Every piece of garment you send to the laundry releases approximately 9 million microfibers into water streams that end up in our water bodies.
Plastic is not truly biodegradable. Instead, it breaks down into smaller plastic fragments, which is too small to be retrieved. As a result, these microplastic particles accumulate in our oceans, ultimately ending up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Let’s not forget that these microplastics affect marine life too. Approximately 73% of fish caught at mid-ocean depths in the Northwest Atlantic has microplastic in their stomachs. These microplastics continue to travel upstream along the food chain and ends up in our bodies – be it through the water we drink, the food we eat, or even the air we breathe in. The average person consumes a credit card worth of plastic in a week.
How are we affected by the plastic diet? That is a question scientists have yet to figure out an answer to. One thing’s for sure – we cannot afford to sit around and wait to find out.
Our Land
Closer to home, how is Singapore is implicated by the fashion crisis?
In 1970, we were producing some 1,200 tonnes of waste each day. Today, the amount has grown to more than 8,700 tonnes per day. The equivalent of more than 1,000 truckloads.
Our Future
The scientific research and implications on our lives have been around for decades, so why the urgency now?
People trust what they can physically see and feel, and we are living the effects of climate change right now. These changes happen gradually and what we are experiencing is just the beginning.
Fun facts:
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Earth Overshoot Day: 29 July 2019 — It marks the date when humankind’s demand for natural resources exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in a given year.
- Humanity is currently using up resources 1.75 times faster than the Earth’s ability to regenerate. That means need 1.75 Earths to provide for our current resource demands. If people consumed resources like how we do in Singapore, we need 3.5 Earths to meet our needs.
Climate change is real and it is here. In Singapore, we are considerably cushioned from the calamities elsewhere. Looking at the climate crisis through a global lens, we realise that many other communities might be defenceless. This is especially so for those who rely on the weather for their livelihoods.
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The impact of climate change is expected to cause widespread declines in crop yields of up to 25% by 2050.
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Today, 663 people million do not have access to improved water sources (i.e. where human waste is separated from human contact hygienically).
- By 2040, almost 600 million children are projected to live in areas where the demand for water will exceed the amount available.
“Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact.”
The effects of global warming will ripple through decades to come, impacting the lives of our children. This is with us being optimistic because given the rate of change, it is more than about just saving the Earth. It is about saving our future generations and our way of life as we know it.
A little mindfulness can go a long way. Let’s do our part for our planet and the people around us.