Dawon Shin
The year 2022 has ended but before we celebrate, 2023 awaits us. There are many things to consider for the year 2023: economy, education, poverty, and lastly, environment. Climate change is expected to be formidable in 2027. From the catastrophic flooding in Pakistan and Tropical Storm Megi in the Philippines, extreme weathers are a major problem all around the world. Long periods of rain caused disastrous food shortages in Ethiopia and Somalia. By 2050, Earth will lose its coral reefs and millions of marine species. We are a step closer to 2027, and so now it's time to force a step away.
Fortunately, 2022 was the “super year” of the ocean. Various commitments were promised worldwide to continue these aspects in 2022, such as the COP 15 to protect at least 30% of the biodiversity by 2030. However, the World Meteorological Organization’s Provisional State of the Global Climate states that emissions will further rise in 2023. Studies further show that humanitarian crises are taking place this year due to climate change. Therefore, what are some of the actions that we can take for a fresh, meaningful start to 2023?
Before celebrating New Year, we individuals must consider the small actions we can take to reduce the horrible impacts we cause on climate change. The United Nations introduced some solutions for families to keep in mind. Did you know that eating more vegetables can reduce our environmental impact? New Year is when families gather around and share food and memories. To reduce carbon footprints, having a more vegetarian diet helps to result in less greenhouse gas during the production of plant-based food. Furthermore, families tend to make way more food than is needed during celebrations. Throwing away food is wasting the resources people put in to produce this food. Thrown-away food tends to land in landfills, where the leftovers rot and produce greenhouse gas, especially methane. In addition, holidays are when we travel to meet our family members. If possible, choosing trains over flights is way more helpful to our environment. A huge amount of greenhouse gas is produced when going on airplanes due to the enormous mass of fossil fuels being burnt. If it’s short-distance travel, why not take the train and make a step towards changing climate change?
These are only just a few attempts you can make to reduce your carbon footprint. Just like some of our resolutions for New Year, why not add a few more to the list that improves our environment? It has been decades since climate change was announced and now it's time for all of us to make a move. It will surely take years or even several decades to resolve climate change, but just a step shouldn’t be too hard if we all commit to it. Each of our efforts will make 2023 better, safer, and healthier not only for ourselves but for future generations.
