Earth Day: Awareness Day of Unintended Consequences

Did you know?
On April 22, 1970, was the first ever Earth Day.  The late Walter Cronkite, a CBS News correspondent, reported on protests, clean up efforts and calls to action from all over the USA.  This broadcast aired the start off the modern environmental movement

Learning about this, it made me wonder how this all started got started in the first place? Where did this massive growth in “greenhouse effects” come from?  How did that hole in the ozone layer ever get there again?

The sad truth is: Unintended Consequences

In the past 100 years humanity has progressed tremendously,  but it is unfortunate that some of these inventions came with “fine prints” that were blindlessly skipped over as discoveries grew in popularity and made profound impacts on almost everything and every life around the world

One main issue that resulted, was the increase in greenhouse gases, now known as the Greenhouse Effect.  This is simply when the atmosphere becomes really thick with gases and substances which traps the sun's warmth in the Earth’s lower atmosphere


So what are these gases and substances and how have they contributed to the Greenhouse Effect?

I'm glad you asked! They are 


Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Ever heard of Freon?  In the late 1920s, the components that were used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems with highly flammable, explosive and POISONOUS causing many deaths in households!  Manufacturers of these systems sought for an effective, non-toxic, non-flammable substitute. An engineer and chemist named Thomas Midgley Jr developed this compound, the first CFC, calling it Freon!  CFCs/Freon went on to be used in items like refrigerators, asthma inhalers, aerosol spray cans, just to name a few.

Interesting story: During a demonstration for the American Chemical Society in 1930, Midgley confidently demonstrated all these properties by inhaling a breath of the gas and using it to blow out a candle.

It was not until the 1970s, over 40 years later, two scientists Mario Molina and F. Sherwood Rowland predicted that chlorine atoms, produced by the decomposition of CFCs, acted as an ongoing catalyst for the destruction of the ozone.


Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Carbon dioxide is released naturally through breathing and volcanic eruptions - you’re probably thinking, you know this, it’s a minor but important part of the atmosphere!  The problem is, through human activities like deforestation, changes in land use, and the increase of burning fossil fuels for energy and producing other items. We have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began.

Here’s a fact:
Conventional plastic is made from fossil fuels.  So not only does plastic pollute oceans, kill wildlife, and take at least 1,000 year to decompose.  The creation of it is contributing to the increase in greenhouse gases!

Methane
In comparison to CO2, methane is a far more active greenhouse gas but fortunately is much less abundant in the atmosphere (kind of good thing). This gas is produced both naturally and through human activities - some of which have increased dramatically in the past 100 years:

• Decomposition of Wastes in Landfills
• Agriculture/Manure - associated with increase in domestic livestock as our meat devouring population grows.

Nitrous Oxide
Another powerful greenhouse gas, 300 times more powerful than CO2.  The process that removes nitrous oxide from the atmosphere also depletes ozone. Nitrous Oxide is in fertilize and is produced from inefficient farming - which has also increased to meet the demands of the growing population.

Water Vapor
Before this (not going to lie), I did not know Water Vapor was a greenhouse gas!!  I am discussing this one last but it is certainly not the least: Water Vapor is the MOST abundant greenhouse gas (95%) and more importantly, it acts as a feedback to the climate.


As the Earth's atmosphere warms, water vapor increases which directly increases humidity, the possibility of clouds and precipitation.  What’s so bad? It’s more than bad hair days - water vapor traps heat in the air, making it a critical component of climate change.

As we celebrate Earth Day and continue forth in 2019, I hope you keep these facts in mind.  There have been changes in our climate and weather patterns over the past 100 years and learning about how our lifestyles have changed in that time period, we can see the direct correlation between the two.

Most of these changes in our lifestyle were done with good intention!! But unfortunately, they have had unintended consequences. (As mentioned, plastic makes an impact from its creation (burning fossil fuels) to its disposal (taking at least 1000 years to decompose)).

So if you’re a skeptic that the atmosphere is being impacted and climate has or is changing, Id hope that you at least begin to take into consideration the products and waste that we have accumulated in this time as well, that is directly impacting the environment in which we live.  

Some Suggestions

• Moderate your meat intake, and find sustainably farmed produce
• Practice Recycling and Composting
• Use less Plastic! Carry your reusable bags
• Walk or bike
  
• Use Energy Efficient Appliances

I know, this effort is not going to be easy, people don’t like change - but every little bit of consideration counts.  Forty-nine (49) years later, we are still pushing for cleaner practices to live sustainably in our environment.  I hope today, you begin to think about how you can make a change in your life, to live more sustainable for our future and the greater good!




Signing Off,
Kristin Alanna 



Sources:
Surfrider Foundation
Global Citizen
Nasa.Gov
TedX: Leyla Acaroglu
Iowa State University