We are gradually seeing that economic incentives do not enable environmental rescue or alter consumer or business behavior as we had anticipated. This cannot be left to market forces, as companies will engage in "greenwashing" in an effort to win over more "environmentally sensitive" Western consumers. We must comprehend the seriousness of many facets of contemporary human life.
Consider two cultural and habitual changes that could benefit the environment and how we might make them happen: eating habits and the use of fossil fuels.
Eating habits:
Western societies consume far too much food. It's alarming on so many levels that overweight individuals globally virtually outnumber underweight people. In ten years, 40% of Britons will be overweight, compared to 45% of Americans.
How is this environmentally degrading?
The need for crops used as animal feed and for cattle grazing is what mostly drives deforestation. Cattle is used to make the meat-heavy foods that make up a large portion of the American diet and lifestyle, such as hamburgers, steaks, pies, and stews (McDonald's). Additionally, methane, the most potent natural greenhouse gas and a significant contributor to temperature rise, is produced in large quantities by cows, which creates a number of problems for the environment (drought, sea level rise). The Amazon serves as the world's lungs, and destroying this essential ecosystem means lowering oxygen levels and moisture absorption, which reduces surface runoff and increases the risk of flooding and drought. A significant issue is meat.
How can solve this issue?
Taxation. What is the largest obstacle for the majority of low- to middle-income shoppers when they browse a menu or buy for food in supermarkets? Price. If we want to slow down the effects of climate change, meat should only be consumed once per week rather than being a need. A greater tariff on beef would result in less beef being produced and more people eating other meat, which requires significantly less space and feed for the animals. Although I am aware of the economic ramifications, the market would adjust by providing substitutes.
Carbon Emissions:
In order for society to function as it does in the modern world, it needs machinery, heating, lighting, and transportation. We need fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas for that. They cause a variety of issues.
How is this environmentally degrading?
In order for society to function as it does in the modern world, it needs machinery, heating, lighting, and transportation. We need fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas for that. They offer a variety of proaCO2 levels have been rising at unusually rapid rates since the turn of the 20th century. With the use of polluting fossil fuels, we are changing the climate of our planet. The essential greenhouse effect is being strengthened. A few issues include the alteration of warm/cold currents, an increase in sea level, and a decrease in albedo effect (the ability of white surfaces to reflect heat from the sun). This in turn can cause drought, flooding, which in turn causes crop failure, mass displacement and immigration, which in turn? Well, probably war and if it got really bad, extinction.
How can we solve this?
Tax. You guessed it. CO2 emissions can be drastically reduced through taxation and legally enforceable legislation on company and governmental targets. Will this be a profitable endeavor? Absolutely, it would. What would we do with all the short-term tax revenue from CO2 emissions? To stop the long-term destruction, create creative and green technologies on a global scale. Businesses would be obliged to change their operating methods and move away from the combustion engine. The transportation sector would start up at a much faster rate than Tesla has demonstrated is achievable with cutting-edge automobiles and the like. a compulsion to go at a faster pace since time is of the essence. Solar and wind energy would become more effective as a result of the enormous delivery of renewable technology. We can rely on the biggest companies to innovate and generate enormous amounts of tax cash to innovate as national governments by restricting CO2 emissions and other damaging greenhouse gases released by those companies.
Thank you,
Eddie