The World Is (Not) Ending

Climate change has been brought to our attention since the 1960s. First, it was the ozone layer, concerning carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation, and coastal erosion. Bangkok is going to sink. Antarctica is melting. Now we are on the cusp of the global temperature rising up to 3 celsius. This would cause devastating heatwaves, drought, and major floods that could leave the population vulnerable especially those from a lower socioeconomic level. Life as we know it is changing and has been doing so for a very long time.

It has been an overwhelming year for everyone to say the least. The people in Thailand have long since been accustomed to the pm 2.5 coating lungs while simultaneously shortening our life span as something to live with. The adults are beaten down living paycheck by paycheck. The youths are antsy with the need for change. There is political turmoil within the country. Infographics of how to help the environment flood Instagram stories, even trending on Twitter. It’s easy to fall into a rabbit hole. How the world feels like it’s ending every other day. Feeling like you are the person responsible for the rundown state of the Earth. So you follow the checklist: delete your emails, shop less, then even try to go vegan for a bit.

Here is a reminder that in 2017 a report from the Climate Accountability Institute showed that 71 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas could be traced back to 100 companies. That was in 2017, and climate change has been taken more seriously since then. Once consumers start holding companies accountable.

The upcoming COP27—a conference of world leaders and private sectors—held in Egypt will be increasingly vital with a focus on adaptation to better prepare and fund developing countries. A sentiment held by activist, Asad Rehman who organized the COP26 Coalition, said “the very people who created the crisis are now positioning themselves as the people who will solve it”. Change for the better is coming albeit slow because those in power recognize a planetary crisis would not be profitable.

Renewable energy accounts for 28 percent in 2020 and is expected to continue to grow further. Businesses are also following suit by building facilities such as solar panels on roofs, farms to harvest wind energy, or purchasing green energy through agreements. For example, Intel uses 100 percent green energy from generating some of its own renewable electricity through wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. This is only the bare minimum for large corporations. We as consumers must also do better by opting to buy from brands that can afford to and are actually trying to be responsible for the planet.

For those who still feel apprehensive about the state of the world, there are initiatives being done to help mitigate the damage. Carbon capture technology and storage have been around for a century. It can potentially help reduce 80-90 percent of emissions when attached to a power plant than without. The reason it is not implemented on a wider scale is due to the lack of incentive as there is still no taxes on carbon. The U.S recently invested 2.3 billion dollars in the technology in the upcoming years, in hopes to help drive innovation and lower the cost.

Hand in hand with the move toward clean energy, and CCS technology in development, albeit slow. the world is not going to head into complete destruction. Keep doing whatever you can to help the planet whether that be thrifting, or consuming less. Stay informed, make better choices, and hold companies accountable as there are strengths in collective action, and remember at the end of the day the weight of the world is not completely all on your shoulders. The world is not ending just yet.