Avocado
This green fruit is a healthy choice for our diets — but not for the environment. Avocados are grown in dry regions, such as California, Chile, Mexico and southern Spain, but they require vast amounts of water. It’s been estimated that in very dry regions, it can take up to 300 litres of water to grow a single avocado. The special storage conditions and packaging needed for the delicate avocado, plus its transport by air, combine to give this small fruit a large carbon footprint.
Biomass
Biomass is plant or animal material that can be used to produce electricity or heat (bioenergy), or be used as fuel (biofuels). Biomass can be waste materials: wood waste, agricultural waste and even human waste from our toilets. The Spanish city of Seville uses its waste oranges this way. Biomass is classed as a renewablesource of energy and it represents about 70 per cent of the renewable energy used worldwide. While it’s a good way to use waste materials, biomass isn’t without its disadvantages. It releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Also, not all biomass is waste — much of it comes from crops that are grown specially for this purpose.
Carbon capture
Carbon-capture technologies aim to collect carbon dioxide so that it doesn’t escape into the atmosphere. It can be captured from power stations and factories or from the air. The ability to convert carbon dioxide into hydrocarbon fuels has existed for about 100 years, but the two big challenges are how to reduce the cost of the process, and how to power it with clean energy. In 2021, Elon Musk offered $100 million as a prize for the best new carbon-capture technology.
Deniers
Climate deniers are people who deny that climate change caused by human activity is really happening. Even in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, they dismiss the facts. Many of these people prefer to call themselves “sceptics”, portraying themselves as questioning and open-minded, but some of them are unwilling to engage with the science. Unfortunately, complex problems lend themselves to misunderstanding, misinformation and disinformation. And where industry is threatened, there will always be vested interests.
Electric cars
Electric cars are better for the environment than petrol or diesel cars as they reduce air pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases. They’re also cheaper to run and quieter to drive. The main obstacle so far has been the price, but costs are coming down, and many governments are offering financial incentives to go electric. Of course, the environmental impact of an electric car depends on the source of its electricity — whether it’s from an old power station using fossil fuels or a newer source of renewable energy — but studies show that even in the worst case, an electric car is still better for the environment than a car that runs on fossil fuel.
Food security
Food security means that everyone has access to enough safe and nutritious food for a healthy life, in a way that’s sustainable into the future. Hunger is still a problem in developing countries, and around a quarter of the global population has a diet that lacks vitamins or minerals. A growing population will need more food. As countries develop, richer people tend to eat more meat and dairy products, which are more resource-intensive to produce. Agriculturalland is under increased threat from urbanization and from the need to grow crops for biofuels. Climate change only makes things worse, bringing more extreme weatherevents and pests. All in all, food security is a major challenge.
Green economy
Traditionally, we have measured the economy in terms of money, productivity and jobs. The green economy is an alternative vision for growth and development. It has a double aim: to promote both economic growth and environmental sustainability at the same time. Green projects are often expensive, but they can benefit the economy. China has invested massively in wind power and other forms of renewable energy, not only to deal with its own pollution problems, but to gain a competitive edge in a growing international market for clean energy.
Heatwaves and hurricanes
Climate change means that we will see more extreme weather events in the future. The general rise in temperatures will lead to more intense heatwaves and droughts in the summer months or dry seasons. The predictions are that hurricanes will become more intense, and that there’ll be more flooding, particularly with a rise in sea levels in coastal areas. Even if our winters are generally milder, global warming can, ironically, lead to record-low winter temperatures (as changes in the Arctic send cold air south) and to heavier snowstorms (due to the extra moisture in the air).
Invasive species
We move plants and animals around the world, often for agriculture, but sometimes just because we want them in our homes and gardens. But a new species can disturb the balance of an ecosystem. Away from its natural predators, it can quickly dominate its new home and become an invasive species by taking food, water, light and space away from local wildlife. This problem is sometimes created by accident — for example, when tourists unknowingly transport insects in their luggage, or when the Asian hornet was brought to Europe in cargo from China. Some experts fear that the chaos caused by invasive species is a greater threat to biodiversity than climate change.
Java
The Indonesian island of Java is known for its rich biodiversity, with many species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. However, like every tropical rainforest, its biodiversity is under enormous threat. The Javan tiger is now extinct and the Javan rhinoceros — the world’s rarest rhino — is critically endangered. Several national parks have been set up in Java to protect the island’s remaining fragile wildlife.
Koalas
Images of burned, dying koalas were a powerful symbol of Australia’s devastating bushfires in 2020. The pictures provoked concern — and misinformation. The “news” that koalas had lost most of their habitat and were functionally extinct spread faster than the bushfires themselves. “Functionally extinct” would mean that there weren’t enough koalas left to produce a next generation. Fortunately, this was incorrect, although the koala population is still at risk. The main threats to koalas are loss of habitat, the lower quality of eucalyptus leaves (due to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere), drought, dog attacks and the chlamydia infection.
Locusts
Last year saw massive swarms of locusts in East Africa, the worst for a generation. More than three times the size of New York City, the swarms destroyed crops in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda, leaving food supplies at critical levels. Heavy rainfall and flooding had provided ideal conditions for the insects; it’s feared that climate change will make locusts and other pests even more problematic in future.
Microbeads
Microbeads, or microplastics, are tiny pieces of plastic used in personal care products, such as face washes, toothpaste and shower gels. These particles end up in the water system, where they affect plants and fish. From there, they enter our food chain and our drinking water. They’re even found in the air. In 2020, microplastics were found in the placenta of unborn babies. The World Health Organization has said there’s no proof yet that they’re harmful to humans but has called for more research. The EU is in the process of banning them.
Noise pollution
We tend to think of noise pollution as a problem for people living in cities or near airports — unpleasant, but not the most serious form of pollution. But according to the World Health Organization, noise is one of the most dangerous forms of pollution. Although it doesn’t particularly harm humans, the noise we make affects many animal species. Animals rely on acoustic signals to communicate, to navigate and to hunt. Migration is also affected, as birds avoid areas with heavy noise pollution. Even fish in the sea are negatively affected by noise from ships.
Overpopulation
The global population is growing at about 1.05 per cent — around 82 million people — per year. This growth rate has slowed down, so although the number of people is still increasing, it’s doing so more slowly now than in the past century. The concept of overpopulation is a problematic one. Do we have too many people? “Too many” in what sense? It’s a complex issue. We certainly have a situation of overconsumption, in which our current population is consuming the earth’s resources at a rate that’s unsustainable.
Palm oil
Palm oil is found in a lot of products — from chocolate and pizza to shampoo and toothpaste. It’s an efficient crop, providing many times more oil per square kilometre than alternatives like coconut or soybean. It’s also an important source of income for small farmers in developing countries. The problem is that it’s also a major cause of deforestation, destroying the habitat of endangered species, such as the orangutan. Fortunately, action is now being taken towards more sustainable production methods. (To check out the sustainability of your favourite palm oil brands, go to the website of the World Wildlife Fund.) In 2020, a biotech company announced it had developed a synthetic alternative to palm oil.
Quality of life
A good, clean environment is one of the many factors that keeps us happy and healthy. When the UN established the International Day of Happiness (20 March) back in 2012, its then secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said: “Social, economic and environmental well-being are indivisible. Together, they define gross global happiness.”
Renewables
Renewable forms of energy, often simply called renewables, are at the heart of the transition to a more sustainable way of life. They include solar power, wind power, hydropower, tidal energy, wave energy, geothermal energy and biofuels. Renewables now supply over a quarter of the world’s electricity. Iceland already generates practically all of its electricity using renewable energy.
Sustainability
The unsustainable way we have been treating our environment until relatively recently can’t be allowed to continue. If things don’t change, we’re risking the future of the planet. Sustainability is the concept of methods that work well in the longer term, by causing less harm to the environment. If we choose more sustainable forms of food production, energy production, building and so on, we can leave the planet in better shape for future generations.
Tipping point
A tipping point is a critical moment when a change or an effect can no longer be stopped or reversed. In other words: the point of no return. Imagine you’re using a pair of old-fashioned kitchen scales, with a pan on one side and weights on the other. You can keep adding sugar or flour to the pan until it reaches the balancing point, but if you put in too much, it will tip down — you’ve gone too far. In terms of the environment, there are key measurements that are seen as potential tipping points. If we go past them, the environmental damage will be permanent and irreversible. These include the melting of the ice sheets and the loss of the Amazon rainforest.
United Nations
Tackling climate change is a planet-size problem, so the United Nations (UN) has a key role to play in dealing with it. The UN brings nations together to agree targets, set up mechanisms to achieve them and monitor their success. When we talk about “Kyoto” and “Paris”, we mean the international protocols established at UN conferences in those cities.
Veganism
A plant-based diet significantly reduces our environmental impact. Meat production, particularly cattle farming, uses vast amounts of land and water, produces greenhouse gases such as methane and causes more environmental damage than any other food. Reducing meat consumption and considering a vegetarian or vegan diet are two of the best environmental choices we can make in our daily lives.
Water security
Water security means having enough clean water for everyone, so we can stay healthy, grow enough food, run our industries and carry on our daily lives. In absolute terms, we have plenty of water on our planet, but the problem is often the lack of access to clean drinking water, and the availability of water for agriculture in water-stressed areas. Water security can be a political problem when two countries share a water source, such as the conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia over the damming of the Nile River.
XR
XR, or Extinction Rebellion, is an environmental movement that promotes non-violent civil disobedience as a way of forcing governments to take action to protect the environment. Inspired by Greta Thunberg’s school strikes and Fridays for Future, XR was founded in the UK in 2018 and demands that the government declares a climate emergency, acts to halt the loss of biodiversity, legislates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and creates a citizens’ assembly to inform national decisions. It’s now a global grassroots movement, and anyone who takes action in line with its goals and principles can claim to do it in the name of XR.
You — the environmental citizen
Environmental citizenship is the idea that we should all take responsibility for how we interact with the environment. Most of us care about green issues, but let’s be realistic: we don’t all have the time or energy to blockade the streets or be a candidate for the Green Party. Luckily, we can do our bit these days without leaving our homes, by being armchair activists. Add your name to an online petition, retweet green messages, follow campaigns on social media, start a hashtag... You can stand up for the environment without even standing up!
Zero
Zero is the big number. It’s the target of many aspects of environmental change — in that we need to move towards “zero carbon”, “zero emissions” and “zero waste”.