What Can We Do To Help Save Earth?

“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”
—Aldo Leopold

Today marks World Nature Conservation Day, observed globally to raise awareness of the conservation of the environment and bio-diversities of our forests, some of which are on the brink of extinction. On this day, people all around the globe collectively promote the conservation of nature and Earth’s natural resources for a sustainable future and a healthy, stable society. On second thoughts, what better day than today to highlight the solutions for global warming?

We can already witness some of the effects of global warming around us. In the UK, temperatures surpassed 40 ºC for the first time. Natural disasters are at an all-time high, and we hear about hurricanes, flash floods, and massive wildfires in the news every day. In such times, this quote by Aldo Leopold, the famous conservationist, fits in perfectly, “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”

It is still not too late to rectify our mistakes. Together, we can tackle climate change and make our planet healthy again.

We need to alter our lifestyles for a better, sustainable future. There are many proactive measures we can take individually and as a nation that will, ultimately, aid us in the battle against global warming. Remember, every effort counts.

Choose a Sustainable Method of Transportation

Almost 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions globally are because of transportation. Governments all around the globe are proactively encouraging the use of public transport and electric cars to reduce carbon emissions. Instead of driving your car, opt to either use public transport or walk/cycle if the distance to your destination is not too great. This will not only help the environment but your pockets as well. If your only option is to drive, opt for an electric car.

Conserve & Save Energy

One of the major ways to deal with global warming is by buying fewer things. Because fossil fuels burn to facilitate any product’s production, packaging and shipping, it impacts the global climate in many ways we cannot fathom.

Go Plant-Based

Cows and cattle generate high amounts of methane and release it into Earth’s atmosphere. When demand for beef and dairy products rises, forestlands are cut down to make space for pastures and farmland.

Promoting plant-based foods and shifting to a plant-based diet is not only a healthy initiative but also helps the environment. Moreover, it takes less energy and resources to produce plant-based foods.

Reduce Wastage & Throw Less Food

The waste you throw out ends up in landfills that produce high levels of pollutants in the atmosphere. Furthermore, when you throw food and other products, you’re wasting the resources spent to produce and transport them.

Try to throw as little as you can in the waste. Examine before you buy a product. Refrain from buying products that come with a lot of packing, since the extra is going to end up in landfills. If you have any leftover food, compost it, and buy only what you’ll need.

Reduce, Reuse, Repair & Recycle

To meet the high demands of today’s living trends and styles, organizations mass produce products, which burn fossil fuels and generate carbon emissions at each stage of the production line. All these emissions harm the environment and worsen global warming.

Protect our planet by buying things that you require, and try and reuse them. If any product gets damaged, repair it instead of replacing it, if possible. Nowadays, good-quality clothes and products can be purchased from second-hand clothes shops, which is a good and environment-friendly alternative.

Switch to Renewable Electricity

Around the globe, people spend a lot of money on electricity, when they can cut down their costs by a significant margin. Fossil fuels like coal are burned on a massive scale to generate electricity.

Instead, choose renewable energy like solar, which produces zero carbon, to generate electricity. When buying electronics and appliances, choose the most energy-efficient products. When not in use, switch off or unplug appliances and devices. Not only will these measures help the environment, but they’re also efficient and money-saving techniques.

Reforestation

Reforestation is the best way to tackle global warming and help reduce carbon emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere. Trees are naturally excellent at capturing carbon dioxide from the air and storing it. They also use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and release oxygen, acting as natural carbon filters. Apart from these, trees help restore nutrient-rich topsoil and restrict it from erosion. Forests also impact the rainfall on Earth.

Reforestation refers to replanting trees and restoring forestlands destroyed due to deforestation and other natural occurrences. Reforestation can occur in certain circumstances naturally due to the surrounding trees and seed dispersion. Unfortunately, some forestlands are extremely destroyed and are unable to revive themselves. The alternative is to manually plant trees and revive the forestlands back to their lush, green state. Hope is always there.

Benefits of Reforestation

With hectares of forestlands lost, it will take many years, even decades, to revive forests completely. However, reforestation is one of the first steps in the right direction. Reforestation is important to cope with mass global deforestation and restore the balance of the ecosystem on Earth. Ultimately, this will subdue the rising global temperatures and overcome climate change.

Home to nearly 75% of all living species in the world, forests play a crucial role in improving the quality of the air we breathe every day and in the battle against climate change. Reforestation will help reduce pollution in the air and purify it, as they deplete carbon dioxide from the air and store it. As a result, less heat is trapped in Earth’s atmosphere, making it easier for the planet to cool down. Reforestation will revive the forestlands lost, ultimately reducing carbon emissions from the atmosphere. Naturally, with time, global temperatures will reduce.

Forests are responsible for maintaining a balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere, the most crucial aspects of forests. Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, without which life would cease on Earth.

Furthermore, forests are home to various species of plants and animals and a source of living for millions of people. Forests also aid in preventing soil erosion and maintaining the water cycle of the planet. Reforestation will help grow the biodiversity in the forestlands that are lost due to mass deforestation over the years. Unfortunately, we might never be able to restore those species lost, but we can protect and conserve those that are on the brink of extinction.

How Effective is Reforestation?

Reforestation is a very cheap but extremely effective long-term solution to tackle climate change and overcome global warming, unlike other solutions.

One of the main reasons for global warming is the presence of pollutants in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat and warm the planet’s temperature. Reforestation helps overcome this hurdle by depleting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, releasing oxygen.

Methane, a very harmful emission present alongside carbon dioxide, combines with oxygen in a few years and perishes. Forests convert carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Overall, it’s a win-win situation for humanity. Reforestation is the key to overcoming global warming.

We need to stop deforestation and start protecting our planet’s rainforests as soon as possible. It is about time we stopped deforestation and prioritized growing trees back along with mass afforestation — be it an individual planting a single tree or an organization planting a whole clump. One tree can absorb nearly a ton of carbon dioxide in a year, so you can imagine what planting billions of trees would result in.

Together, we can make our planet green again. It is our duty to save, love and conserve our nature. The Earth is what we all have in common.

To highlight World Nature Conservation Day, we are excited and proud to announce Project Forest, our NFT-based Grow-To-Earn project on Web-3, to give your environmental goals a platform and reward you for it. To know more about Project Forest, stay tuned to our Medium channel for future updates and reveals.

Happy World Nature Conservation Day!