Climate Change Overview
You’ll be shocked to know that the last decade was the hottest in 125,000 years.
Yes, the past decade is likely to have been the hottest period in the last 125,000 years, says IPCC‘s sixth assessment report on the state of our climate. Though we’ve been oscillating between glacial (ice ages) and warmer interglacial periods like the one we currently live in for about 100,000 years, yet this is the warmest multi-century period we have had in this timespan.
Now the question is — Who’s responsible for it?
We’ve dug deep to find out the answer, and it was obvious as expected — Humans.
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) kicked off its 2021 report with the following statement: “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.”
The continuous emissions of Greenhouse Gases as a result of our activities are making our surface temperature hotter.
What causes greenhouse emissions?
Increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is at the core of this phenomenon of global warming and climate change.
A greenhouse gas is any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that traps & holds heat in the atmosphere by absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere. Take it as a blanket around the planet, trapping heat from the sun and increasing temperatures.
In short, greenhouse gases increase the heat in the atmosphere and thereby are responsible for the greenhouse effect, which ultimately leads to global warming.
Here are the most significant greenhouse gases, as per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are: water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
Among these, carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) are the highest potent greenhouse gases respectively.
There are more shocking facts to come.
Global annual mean CO2 concentration has increased by 50% since the start of the Industrial Revolution, from 280 ppm during the 10,000 years up to the mid-18th century[2] to 421 ppm as of May 2022. -Source: Wikipedia
Also, The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled since preindustrial times, reaching over 1,800 ppb in recent years (see the range of measurements for 2019 in Figure 2). -Source: EPA
One of the key contributors to this significant increase in GHGs emission is landfills.
Landfills are a significant source of methane, the most potent greenhouse gas & 2nd largest emitted GHG gas.
Infact “India is one of the world’s largest emitters of methane from landfills, currently
producing around 16 Mt CO2 eq per year, and predicted to increase to almost 20 Mt CO2 eq per
year by 2020” – says National Solid Waste Association of India (NSWAI)
Read Also: Importance of solid waste management to make the environment better
How does composting affect global climate change?
You’ll be shocked to hear that almost 69% of waste in landfills is organic in nature.
If managed wisely, this can be put to good use. And, one of the most effective methods to do it is COMPOSTING!
Yes, you heard it right!
It’s time to revive this centuries-old art of waste management as it is one such method of waste management that has least to no drawbacks.
From a responsibility-perspective, let’s divide Composting in 2 parts: Individual and Institutional.
Individual Composting
Though it is not that significant for other countries, when it comes down to a nation with 138 crore population, composting at an individual level becomes apparently significant.
Afterall, at an individual level, it is our responsibility to do as much as possible to keep our environment healthy.
If you have some backyard space or a big balcony, you can start with composting.
There are several ways of composting out there for individuals and you can choose one based on your space & ease. Some of the commonly used composting methods at individual level are: Pit composting, Compost pile, Compost bin, Tumbler composting, Vermicomposting, etc.
By composting your organic waste, you not only cut-down on your waste disposal cost but the resulting compost also makes your garden green.
Even if you don’t have a dedicated area for composting, you can still do your bit by segregating your waste as per the Municipal guidelines before sending it to landfills.
Read Also: How to Reduce the Impact of Wasted Food?
Institutional Level
Traditional Composting becomes a challenge for institutions (Schools/colleges, Offices, Restaurants/Hotels, Temples, Tourist places, etc.), especially medium & large ones, because of the following factors:
- Space Required: Traditional Composting requires so much space. And if your waste production is significantly high on a daily basis, it gets hard to keep up with space requirements.
- Time Taken: Tradition Composting methods take months to convert waste into compost.
- Resources Required: Tradition Composting is all manual. Hence, institutions need to invest heavy resources in it.
GoClean Composter – Do composting the modern way!
Our GoClean Composter is helping organizations to reduce their carbon footprint, and also fulfill their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by composting their organic waste into compost.
It overcomes challenges of Traditional Composting, as it
- Compact: It takes way lesser space than the traditional composting
- Superfast: Compared to months-long waiting periods of traditional composting, it only takes 24 hours to turn organic waste into compost.
- Automatic: No need to turn your compost pile again & again.
To know more about salient features of our GoClean composter, click here.
2-way Action Of Composting On Climate Change
Composting organic waste into compost is far more beneficial than just saving on waste disposal cost.
Here’s how Composting helps reversing the effects on Greenhouse emissions on our atmosphere & climate:
Reduces Methane Emission
Organic waste at landfills goes through anaerobic reaction and releases methane.
Composting is one sure-short way to cut-down methane emissions. By preventing organic waste ending up in landfills, and composting it instead, we can significantly lower methane levels from the atmosphere.
Reduces Carbon Levels
Composting helps lower down carbon levels.
How?
Compost helps replenishing soil with essential nutrients to support plants’ growth. Plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere to prepare their food, and release oxygen as a by-product.
This way it not only helps lower the carbon-levels from the atmosphere but also ensure a clean & healthy air to breathe.