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July 2024: "C" Change is Here!

July 2024: C Change is Here!

Welcome back to C Change!

This month, we will explore more topics in environmental science and sustainability. First, discover the dangers of harvesting and using mica for everyday products and the impact they have on our environment. Next, learn about the balance between managing agriculture and methane emissions and how people are taking steps to create more sustainable farming. Finally, revisit an article highlighting the dangers of harvesting palm oil to remain informed about the potential harmful effects of everyday ingredients within our lives.

Take a look at this month’s topics:

1. Mica, a common ingredient in everyday products like cosmetics and electronics, is causing severe environmental damage through deforestation, water contamination, and industrial pollution. Immediate action from industries, policymakers, and consumers is essential to mitigate these impacts and promote sustainable practices.

2. Agriculture is critical to maintaining the food supply needed to support the increasing population. However, the UNEP has concluded that agriculture is contributing to 32% of human-caused methane emissions. What does this mean for climate change and what can we do to try and reduce methane emissions as soon as possible?

3. Due to certain agricultural advantages, palm oil can be found in a variety of day to day items. Although it is seemingly innocuous, its cultivation comes with boundless side effects that not only lead to the endangerment of living beings, but also release harmful gases into the atmosphere.

Thank you so much for joining us for this month’s C Change newsletter! Keeping up with new developments in sustainability and revisiting past efforts helps to contextualize the world we live in and helps keep us informed. By exploring ways to help keep our world green, we can inspire future generations – and the people around us – to protect our home.

Sources Cited:

1. Bom, S., Jorge, J., Ribeiro, H., & Marto, J. (2019b). A step forward on sustainability in the cosmetics industry: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 225, 270–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.255

2. Methane emissions are driving climate change. here’s how to reduce them. UNEP. (n.d.). https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/methane-emissions-are-driving-climate-change-heres-how-reduce-them

3. “How Fires in Indonesia & Palm Oil Are Killing Orangutans” Green Global Travel https://greenglobaltravel.com/fires-in-indonesia-palm-oil-killing-orangutans/

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JULY HIGHLIGHTS

What We Read (and Learned!) This Month

The Hidden Environmental Crisis in Your Everyday Products

Soham Arekar

In an alarming revelation, it has come to light that mica, a mineral found in countless everyday products, is causing severe environmental destruction. From the shimmer in your cosmetics to the insulation in your electronics, mica is everywhere – but at a devastating cost to our planet.

Mica mining is wreaking havoc on ecologically sensitive areas, primarily in countries like India, Madagascar, and Brazil. Vast swathes of forest are being obliterated, leading to deforestation on an unprecedented scale. This destruction is not just about losing trees; it’s about the collapse of entire ecosystems. As forests disappear, so do countless species that call these areas home, pushing them closer to extinction.

The impact doesn’t stop there. The removal of vegetation results in severe soil erosion, stripping the land of its natural fertility and leaving it vulnerable to landslides. But perhaps most distressing is the contamination of water sources. Heavy machinery and chemicals used in mining operations are leaching toxic substances into riverside and streams, poisoning aquatic life and jeopardizing the health of local communities who rely on these waters for drinking and farming.

The nightmare continues in the production plants where raw mica is processed. These factories are hotspots for industrial waste and air pollution. Toxic emissions released during the manufacturing process degrade air quality and pose significant health risks to nearby residents. Additionally, the non-biodegradable waste generated contributes to the growing crisis of industrial pollution.

Your makeup bag is part of the problem. Mica is a key ingredient in many cosmetics, adding that desirable shimmer to eyeshadows, lipsticks, and highlighters. But once these products are washed off, they enter our waterways, breaking down into microplastics that devastate marine life. The beauty industry’s glittering facade hides a dark reality of environmental degradation.

The electronics sector is equally culpable. Mica’s insulating properties make it indispensable in smartphones, laptops, and televisions. Yet, the rapid turnover of electronic devices is generating mountains of electronic waste. Much of this e-waste ends up in landfills, where it leaches hazardous substances into the soil and groundwater, further endangering the environment.

This situation demands immediate action. Companies must adopt sustainable sourcing practices, ensuring that the mica they use is mined under regulated and environmentally friendly conditions. The development of synthetic alternatives to mica, which can mimic its properties without causing environmental harm, is a promising avenue that must be pursued aggressively.

As consumers, we have the power to drive change. By demanding transparency and sustainability from the brands we support, we can push industries to adopt more eco-friendly practices. Supporting companies committed to ethical sourcing and exploring products that use sustainable alternatives are crucial steps towards mitigating this crisis.

The hidden environmental costs of mica are too significant to ignore. It is imperative that industries, policymakers, and consumers come together to address this crisis head-on. By raising awareness and advocating for sustainable practices, we can ensure that the products we use daily do not come at the expense of our planet’s health.

This is a call to action. The time to act is now. Let’s not allow the glittering allure of mica to blind us to its catastrophic impact on our environment. Together, we can make a difference!

Sources:

1. Earthworks. (2020). Mica: Mining for Beauty. Retrieved from https://earthworks.org/issues/mica/

2. Amnesty International. (2016). "This is What We Die For": Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Power the Global Trade in Cobalt. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr62/3183/2016/en/

3. BBC News. (2018). The Glitter in Your Makeup Could Come from Child Labor. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46447749

4. Jha, A. (2017). Children in India Are Being Exploited in the Dangerous Search for Mica. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/mar/17/india-children-exploited-search-mica-beauty-industry

5. New York Times. (2019). The Dark Side of Shiny Makeup. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/business/mica-cosmetics-child-labor-india.html

Picture source: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/eye-shadows-with-brushes-gm93000146-10606522?searchscope=image%2Cfilm

Farming Climate Destruction

Autumn Marsh

Agriculture is critical to human survival. Agriculture not only provides us with the food we need but also provides jobs for millions of people when accounting for the entirety of the supply chain. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, agriculture makes up 10.4% of employment and 12.8% of American household budgets. This totals over one trillion dollars spent on food products per year. However, agriculture is standing as one of the biggest threats to our planet, largely because of methane. NASA claims that methane is the second-largest greenhouse contributing to climate change.

As of 2021, the UNEP had found that 32% of human-caused methane emissions came from agriculture. A large portion of the methane emission is from the manure and flatulence of livestock. Another large producer of methane is paddy rice. Additionally, the Environmental Defense Fund has concluded that 30% of modern global warming is caused by human-produced methane; this is paired with the fact that during the first 20 years after methane reaches the atmosphere it has 80 times the power of carbon dioxide.

Agriculture producing one-third of our methane emissions puts us in an interesting position where we have no choice but to create technology, change farming tactics, and make dietary changes where possible. If we cut back on agriculture people will go hungry, and people will lose their jobs, meaning there’s little we can do in terms of reducing agriculture that can be done safely and ethically. It’s a much more delicate system as well. When experimenting with agriculture we need to ensure all new technology is implemented in a way that doesn’t ruin crop yields or hurt animals.

What can be done to reduce methane emissions then? As individuals, we can make the personal decision to cut back our meat consumption. By eating less meat and taking other protein sources into our diet we can make that small effort to change agricultural needs. However, like with most climate change decisions the biggest players are farmers. Changing our demands as consumers can give them more incentive to make changes but we also need to advocate for changes in technology and technique.

UNEP believes that using alternative methods for wetting and drying paddy rice is opposed to the traditional method that floods fields and limits oxygen access. By using this traditional flooding method where oxygen can’t access the soil it increases the viability of bacterial species that produce methane. If farmers growing paddy rice engage in different techniques the UNEP estimates that agriculture-based methane emissions can be cut in half.

Ultimately, methane emissions are an immediate threat to the atmosphere. If immediate action is taken to make reductions now we can see a positive change related to greenhouse gas emissions a decade from now. Agriculture producing one-third of methane emissions when it doesn’t have to is something that needs to be remedied sooner rather than later. Changing our dietary habits in terms of meat and dairy consumption can make a small difference. Those who are capable of making the change to alternative protein sources and nut or oat-based milk will make positive changes. This doesn’t mean we have to quit altogether either, even minor reductions can make a difference throughout our entire lives.

Sources:

AG and food sectors and the economy. USDA ERS - Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy. (n.d.). https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/ag-and-food-sectors-and-the-economy/?topicId=b7a1aba0-7059-4feb-a84c-b2fd1f0db6a3
Methane: A crucial opportunity in the Climate Fight. Environmental Defense Fund. (n.d.). https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-crucial-opportunity-climate-fight
Methane emissions are driving climate change. here’s how to reduce them. UNEP. (n.d.). https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/methane-emissions-are-driving-climate-change-heres-how-reduce-them
NASA. (2024, April 11). Methane. NASA. https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/methane/?intent=121

Consequences of Palm Oil Harvestation

Shagun Juthani

Palm oil is one of the most prevalent crops in the world. It is found in everyday food items, ranging from the most delicious of chocolates to seemingly mundane dried nuts. It is so commonly found in food items because it is the world’s cheapest and most productive oil crop. “Compared to other oil crops like soybean oil or coconut oil”, palm plants yield the greatest quantities of oil with the least inputs–including money, land, and water. However, although palm oil seems too good to be true, it is far from harmless.

For example, the creation of palm plantations has many detrimental effects. Palm plants are grown in humid, tropical areas, often in the vicinity of tropical rainforests. To create the space needed for these vast plantations, an agricultural technique called slash and burn is used. This includes clearing forest vegetation and then setting it on fire to make the soil more fertile. Not only does cutting trees release stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but particulate matter that accumulates in the air as a result of the burning vegetation reduces the air quality in nearby cities.

Moreover, animals, such as the endangered orangutan, are forced to flee the forest they once called home. In most cases, they are killed in the fire, captured to be sold as part of the illegal pet trade, or poached on site. And even if animals successfully relocate, they often perish from complications like upper respiratory tract infections due to the smoke. Orangutans are especially impacted by this process as many of "[their] babies... [suffer] from dehydration and malnourishment through lack of food" as a result of habitat destruction. It is estimated that around “1000-5000 orangutans are killed each year due to palm oil cultivation in Indonesia and Malaysia” alone. In addition, they don't have the plasticity to adapt to suddenly changing environments as they know no other way of living life than the way their ancestors have been teaching their young for generations. And it’s not just orangutans that are impacted; many other species like birds, tigers, and elephants have become increasingly endangered because of this process.

Essentially, despite its common occurrence, palm oil is far from innocuous. That being said, there are many ways that people can reduce their palm oil consumption in day to day life. For example, skipping that spoonful of Nutella and reading ingredients lists–too make sure there isn’t palm oil–more carefully are great first steps!