Today, we face some of the biggest problems in our environment of our lifetime. Now more than ever before, we are at a risk of destroying our planet with our own actions.

Before we discuss what we can do to prevent this on a personal and institutional level, let’s consider the most serious environmental issues to address.

The most acute problems in the environment

Below we are explaining some of the major environmental problems existing nowadays. Keep reading!

Global warming

Global temperatures keep rising each year. Scientists say that the last time carbon dioxide levels on our planet were as high as now was over  4 million years ago. Isn’t it impressive?

What’s the explanation for this situation? The main reason for global warming is increased emissions of greenhouse gases.

Unfortunately, it leads to catastrophic consequences all over the planet, such as devastating bushfire seasons, locusts swarming  decimating crops, tropical storms, and heatwaves.

Plastic pollution

According to some estimates, more than 500 million tons of plastic are produced a year. If you check the reports of a science journal called Nature, you will see that about 14 million tons of plastic make their way into the oceans every year.

The research found that if no prompt action is taken, this number will grow to 29 million tons per year by 2040.

National Geographic revealed that 91% of all produced plastic is not recycled and taking into account that it takes about 400 years to decompose, many generations after us will wait until this substance ceases to exist.

Since plastic harms wildlife habitats and the animals living in the oceans, it must be avoided.

It’s also important to do your best and clean the environment from plastic. However, if you are a busy student with tons of homework, it may be hard to do.

You need to carve out some time in your schedule and devote it to the environment you live in. And it’s all about prioritizing. Personally, I preferred to pay someone to write my research paper instead of doing it on my own. This way I had a few spare hours a day to clean local lakes from plastic and make the world a better place.

Deforestation

Did you know that each hour forests the size of about 300 football fields are cut down? You might be surprised but the Earth might have only 10% of its forests by 2030.

And if deforestation isn’t stopped in the near future, all the forests could be gone in less than a hundred years. Frightening statistics, isn’t it?

Experts say that the leading cause of deforestation is agriculture because farming companies clear land to plant crops. There are no signs that this tendency is going to change soon.

Farmers keep raising livestock to make money. It’s still unknown whether deforestation will be completely tackled one day.

These are just a few issues arising today. Others include biodiversity loss, air pollution, melting ice caps, ocean acidification, overfishing, and more.

What colleges can do for the environment

Nature needs to be preserved, especially nowadays. We witness multiple different problems that destroy our planet. To change the situation, colleges can take part in creating environment warriors. How? Let’s discuss it below.

Environmental clubs

Colleges can create so-called environmental clubs focused on environment preservation. They might include activities like setting up a recycling system in the college cafeteria and planting a small organic garden in the backyard.

Those clubs can also support local wildlife and reduce CO2 levels in the air by planting trees and flowers on campus.

Cleanliness drives

Colleges can have so-called cleanliness drives on campus. That means students must make sure everything around is clean and litter free. Students should feel responsible for keeping all areas, from classes to yards, perfectly clean.

It would also be great to encourage them to participate in cleanliness drives in their communities. By the way, sometimes students who spend so much time helping the planet also need help. With the list of the best online assistants compiled at Fabrikbrands.com, students can find academic help for themselves. Isn’t it great?

Curriculum modification for the environment

Colleges can also make sure that young people start learning about environment preservation within their curriculum. If there is a subject like Environmental Studies and it covers water-related topics, instructors can include information about water scarcity there.

They can ask students to find new, creative ways to conserve water or keep water bodies as clean as possible.

Eco-friendly policies for the environment

Colleges should develop environmental policies to follow and educate students on them. For example, those policies may include installing solar panels, so students can observe and experience sustainable practices every day, not just read about them in books.

Real-world applications are much more important than book theories as they inspire learners to take actions leading to great results.

Final thoughts

Making efforts to save the planet has never been so essential as nowadays. There are so many problems that require prompt solutions, such as global warming, plastic pollution, deforestation, overfishing, ocean acidification, etc. If we don’t address them now, we all may be in big trouble a few years later.

A big role in solving environment-related problems is played by colleges. By creating environmental clubs, launching cleanliness drives, making curriculum modifications and incorporating eco-friendly policies, institutions can help young people embrace a greener lifestyle.

If every single school makes sufficient efforts, we can handle the environmental disaster we are witnessing.

 

Author’s BIO

Mary Spears is a writer, researcher, and bogger. She studies the environment and writes articles about her discoveries for popular science journals. Mary is a social activist that does her best to raise people’s awareness on environmental problems and to promote laws that could help to save the planet.