"Even marine plastic is in large part a fishing issue. It turns out that 46% of the Great Pacific garbage patch – which has come to symbolise our throwaway society – is composed of discarded nets, and much of the rest consists of other kinds of fishing gear. Abandoned fishing materials tend to be far more dangerous to marine life than other forms of waste. "
Quote from the article, "We won’t save the Earth with a better kind of disposable coffee cup" at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/06/save-earth-disposable-coffee-cup-green
The overarching truth contained in this article is one we need to focus on. Do I try and personally live a simpler, greener life? You betcha. But are our individual greener actions enough to clean the planet? Not a chance.
After all, 100 companies are responsible for 71% of greenhouse gas emissions. Even if you and I and a hundred other people offset our carbon, that is a drop in the bucket compared to these guys. "The report found that more than half of global industrial emissions since 1988 – the year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established – can be traced to just 25 corporate and state-owned entities." (quote from second linked article) HALF from just 25 corporations/state-owned entities. Let that sink in. As the saying goes, the people poisoning our planet have names and addresses.
So, what to do? Give in to despair? Live a throwaway life because it's all going to shit anyway?
Or just focus on the tiny steps you personally can take, because you can't control what those corporations do? That's what they would like you to do.
We need to completely change the system. We need to show up for direct actions like they did at Standing Rock. We need to push our local (because that's where shit gets done) governments to become 100% renewable energy-wise ASAP. We need to push entities we do business with, like our banks - to divest from fossil fuels, or take our business elsewhere (and tell them why!). Push our cities and unions and universities and retirement funds to divest. I'm glad to say Denver just recently pledged to go 100% renewable by 2030, but our state governor is pro-fracking.
There is something that everyone can do. Call your city and county and state representatives. Write them hand-written letters. Call your congresscritters. Call your retirement fund. Call your bank. Go to a rally. Help send supplies to direct action folks in the paths of pipelines, if you can (I don't know of any funds just now, I think there is probably one for Bayou Bridge, but I haven't vetted any so I'm not linking any).
And yes, ride your bike or walk, or do meatless Mondays, or compost ...but not at the expense of taking a bite out of the big polluting monsters. If you have to choose one, take a shot at the big guy. If we all do, we might have a chance.
Be good, Steemit.
