Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/garbage-on-body-of-water-2480807/
Hello, in the past few weeks we have covered various types of pollution, like plastic and noise pollution. We have largely covered the impacts of these pollutants on our environment and most importantly on our health. We have also covered some of the solutions that have been implemented to remove the pollutants created by our activities.
Many of these solutions rely heavily on the creation of new technologies. For example, the use of new technology like DyeCoo to reduce the usage of water to reduce the amount of pollution created during the fabric dyeing process. But it is necessary to know that some technologies are insufficient to remove all of the pollutants that we release as a result of our activities. In the process, there is also the potential for the creation of new pollutants. Some technologies like DyeCoo can also be expensive for producers to adopt.
Another solution is to develop or use an alternative to a harmful pollutant. One example of this is the replacement of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) with hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). But using substitution can still be problematic sometimes. In the case of HCFCs, just like CFCs, it contains chlorine that can react with ozone. It is also projected to have a longer atmospheric residence time and higher global warming potential.
As we can see, just relying on technology and substitutes are insufficient to reduce the number of pollutants that we produce. Perhaps the best way to reduce the pollutants that we emit is to reduce the production of these pollutants in the first place.
This can be done by reducing our demand for different goods and services. One way to do so is to change our consumption behavior. One issue that we can do so is for the fast fashion industry. As mentioned in a previous article, the fashion industry is one of the most pollutive industries. To produce large amounts of cheap, fashionable clothes a lot of chemical pollutants are released during the water dyeing process. By reducing the number of fashionable clothes that we consume we can reduce the demand for cheap clothes. This in turn will lower the production of pollutants in the process of dyeing.
We can also change our lifestyle choices. For example, reduce the number of plastics that we consume in our daily life. By eliminating unnecessary plastic, we can decrease the amount of plastic waste that is burned, plastic that is released into our water bodies. This means we can decrease the amount of plastic and its related to plastic pollution that would have occurred without a change in our lifestyle habits.
From the following examples, we have briefly illustrated how a change in our consumption habits and lifestyle choices can have a big impact on the problem of pollution. The implementation of the circular economy model is challenging. But it is important for us to strive to achieve it to reduce the pollution problems that we are creating and have created.
Source:
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2020). The circular economy solution to plastic pollution https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/The_circular_economy_solution_to_plastic_pollution_July_2020.pdf
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation. What is a circular economy?. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/concept
