It has been more than 50 years since the first Earth Day demonstration. Every year on April 22, the world commemorates Earth Day, reminding us of the importance of environmental protection.

Earth Day was proclaimed by Gaylord Nelson, a former governor of Wisconsin, in 1970 in response to the oil spill in California.

Half a century later, we experienced the hottest winter in history last year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Meteorological winter was the warmest winter on record for the contiguous U.S., with an average temperature of 37.6 degrees Fahrenheit – 5.4 degrees above average,” from last December to this February. Seoul, Korea, recorded its hottest November last year, with the highest temperature in 116 years reaching 66℉, as did Tokyo, Japan, in 100 years. In Europe, Spain suffered from the heat during early winter, with December temperatures reaching 86℉.

The patterns of abnormal climate are becoming more diverse. One of them is increased wildfires across the Earth. The Guardian reported that the Midwest regions in the U.S. experienced the strangest winter with multiple instances of unseasonal wildfires. El Niño, “a climate pattern characterized by warmer surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean” is pointed out to supercharge the active fire season.

As ground-surface temperatures rise and humidity decreases, forests become hotter and drier. This leads to frequent wildfires, accelerating the climate crisis with massive amounts of carbon emissions. Wildfires are not just a singular problem but are part of the endless loop of global heating.

I could also feel the effects of climate change firsthand. During the summer of 2022, I was in London when the city reached its highest temperature of 104℉, marking the hottest year on record. I remember seeing signs warning citizens to avoid prolonged sun exposure, and I ended up with heatstroke after spending the entire day outside. When I was younger, I learned about “global warming,” but now people are using the term “global boiling” over warming and heating.

Food waste and recycling system

There are numerous causes for global boiling, but today I would like to focus on methane. While carbon dioxide has been regarded as the main villain for many years, methane has emerged as a new force accelerating global warming, which is generated in large quantities from cattle and when organic waste or food decomposes.

Methane is one of the three major greenhouse gases designated in the Kyoto Protocol, with an 81 times higher greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide. Gina McCarthy, a former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, emphasized in an editorial for The Guardian that “Slashing methane is the most efficient way to slow global warming in our lifetimes,” advocating for waste prevention, composting programs, better landfill covers, more methane monitoring, among others measures.

While I have been working with the San Diego Community Newspaper Group, I had several opportunities to learn about campaigns taking place in local schools related to food waste. They primarily focused on food recovery and establishing a new recycling system.

The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) operates a food recovery and rescue program called Love Food Not Waste to feed students instead of landfills. SDUSD cooperates with local school kitchens, hunger relief organizations, and more to reduce food waste. I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD) is also collaborating with local schools to contribute to sustainability. For example, ILACSD worked with Helix Charter High School this year to implement a new recycling system during lunchtime.

The one thing I was shocked at in American culture is the recycling system. In my observation, the trash sorting system varied slightly among restaurants and cafes. I noticed that some had separate bins for recycling and landfill waste, while others had bins for recycling, landfill, and compost. However, many people simply throw all food waste along with disposable plates and cutlery into the landfill, even when there is a compost bin right next to it. In particular, it is challenging to dispose of liquids properly. Most places don’t have a designated area to pour out leftover liquids, so I often have to discard bottles or cups with liquid still in them into the landfill.

It is a positive phenomenon that many people and organizations are making efforts toward carbon neutrality by reducing food waste and recycling it properly. However, a large-scale change is required globally to establish a fundamental system for achieving net zero emissions.

From small contributions to the big tide

The international community set a goal through the Paris Agreement to limit the rise in global mean temperature to within 1.5℃ (2.7℉) by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels. According to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we must reduce carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 compared to 2019 unless the average temperature of the planet increases by up to 4.4℃ (8℉) in 2100.

People often say that the Earth will be destroyed, but I would like to say that it’s not the Earth that will be destroyed, but the human beings. The Earth will continue to exist within the solar system, albeit without us.

The plans to fight the climate crisis are essentially what I learned back in kindergarten. This implies that we ultimately know the answer. We already understand what needs to be done to slow down the boiling of our planet. It is easy to lose heart and become pessimistic, thinking, “What difference will my small efforts make?” Yes, it may seem challenging to effect significant change by simply using a tumbler or participating in activities like plogging (picking up litter while jogging) just once.

However, these small contributions can lead to significant trends. If individuals start being nicer to the Earth one by one, larger entities such as corporations and countries will have no choice but to respond to global citizens.

Kyungmin Min is an international intern from Korea.