Garbage Mismanagement, It’s Consequences and Precautions
Boggs (27), claims that Anthropocene is the formation of a marker in the geological record. The establishment of the marker includes a change in the fossil and rock layers that depicts a shift occurring in the biological and geological conditions of the Holocene. Broadly, Anthropocene entails the contemporary role of the Homo sapiens of altering the earth and a description of the phenomenon. The etymology of Anthropocene includes the problems of scale (that range from the geological epoch to the time of human generation) that face those dealing with changes of the Anthropocene. According to Boggs (27), Anthropocene not only entails climatic change but also the acknowledgement of human beings as more of biogeophysical than mere geophysical people.
Notably, alteration of the environment is not solely done by Homo sapiens. Numerous species alter their environment. For instance, the construction of dams by Beavers alters the hydrology of the surroundings. Additionally, some plants poison the soil making it unfavorable for use by other organisms. However, human beings contribute to the highest level of alteration of the environment. According to Boggs (27), niche construction is the persistent alteration of the environment, which leads to the modification of organisms’ fitness. Human beings are best in niche construction. Human beings can maintain habitats far away from subtropical climates due to their neural capacities. Human beings engage in activities like agriculture, refrigeration, transportation, and irrigation, among others in a bid to make their lives more comfortable. Human activities contribute immensely to the alteration of the environment. Niche construction consumes high amounts of energy. The primary source of energy for niche construction originates from fossil fuels. Burning of fossil fuels produces large volumes of unwanted and detrimental components that are disposed to the environment. The human niche construction has led human developments like urbanization, modernization, and globalization.
The modern world is upgraded with things like urbanization, modernization, and globalization. It has enabled the human population to be forwards with time and achieve development. It has a lot of positive sides as it has helped to make the lives of humans better. But it is not all fun and games. There are a lot of different consequences of this as well that they have to face. Industries have made the environment of the earth horrible.
One of the main contributors to these problems is the lack of proper garbage disposal. There are a lot of industries which are only focused on producing the products and generating the service. They do not like to think about the aftermath that happens after their manufacturing procedures. Because of this, the world has to face the consequences tremendously. And because of the increasing industrialization in the US, there has been a lot of damage and creation of waste, it harms the environmental factors and danger to life on earth, but it can be controlled if proper precautions are taken.
The increase in industrialization and lack of awareness in people has resulted in the mismanagement of wastages. There are a lot of industries that are in America. It is one of the biggest countries in the world. The population of the US is also very high because of that. As a result, there is a considerable demand for products in the American market. The industries have to work and produce harder. For that, they chose an easy way. The way industries run is entirely unethical and harmful to the environment. They use cheap methods that will only be beneficial for their company. They only care about the profit and not about the consequences. This is further encouraged by its high market demand.
American industries trade all over the world. They are one of the biggest traders in the world. And the demand for American products is high all over the international market as well. So, they focus on the high production of goods. They only want mass productions of the products and services.
Another thing that adds up to this is the lack of awareness among the consumers of the American market. “Americans make more trash than anyone else on the planet, throwing away about 7.1 pounds per person per day, 365 days a year. Across a lifetime, that rate means, we are each on track to generate 102 tons” (Humes 10).
The production of garbage is not the most significant issue, but its aftermath, which harms the environment is the biggest issue. It is an uprising thing that has been going on because of industrialization. All of the problems might not be visible to the people because they are not directly affecting the people. But there is an underlying issue that people are overlooking which can be more dangerous. “Half oxygen we breathe emanates from microscopic phytoplankton sloshing around the surface of the ocean. After years of performing that essential, priceless service, those vital organisms now must swim and feed and survive in a sea of plastic soup” (Humes 101).
However, these consequences can be made a little less harsh if proper precautions are taken ahead by people. One of the main things that can happen is by creating awareness. It is one of the most critical parts to disable the production of waste to harm the environment. If the consumers are aware of the consequence that is born with the creation of wastes and chemicals, there is a chance of its reduction. They will get educated about the products that they consume. For example, if they get aware that soda companies are one of the biggest producers of plastic because of its packaging, then they will reduce consumption.
They will replace it with other products where there is a lesser usage of plastic. And as a result of this, the producers will be compelled to make the products that consume and produce less garbage. They have to go with the demand made by the consumers. It is how the market runs. They base their products as per the requirement of their consumers. It is one of the most efficient techniques to control garbage as it can be adapted in a broader sense because companies will be driven by the profit that can be gained from it. Industries have helped human civilization in a significant way. It is an excellent thing as it has enabled people to live their lives more comfortably. But there is a lot of production of garbage and chemicals along with it as well. But it has a lot of harmful consequences to the environment, and humans should acknowledge it as well.
In conclusion, human niche construction is the leading cause of Anthropocene. The mess of excess trash experienced in the modern world is brought about by human endeavors that alter the environment. The efforts of human beings of cycling of elements represent the counter activities that have been put to thwart the adverse effects of human niche construction. However, cycling is not sufficient to adequately address the menace of trash witnessed in the world today. Moe measures must be put in place to reduce the adverse effects of litter.
Works Cited
Boggs, Carol. “Human Niche Construction and the Anthropocene” In: “Whose Anthropocene? Revisiting Dipesh Chakrabarty’s ‘Four Theses,’” edited by Robert Emmett and Thomas Lekan, RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2016, no. 2, 27–31.
Humes, Edward. Garbology: Our dirty love affair with trash. Penguin, 2013.