Issue Brief Draft

The United States is By Far the World’s Largest Generator of Plastic Waste: We Need To Act Now

The average American citizen throws away 4.9 pounds of solid waste every single day.  As a nation, the United States produces This is a horrific statistic that needs to be ended today. It is our responsibility as citizens of our planet, our country, and Penn State to do our part in ending this. There are now 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic in our ocean & 46,000 pieces in every square mile of ocean, weighing up to 269,000 tonnes. Trash produced by the average American citizen travels to the world’s rivers and oceans, accumulating on beaches, and harming marine and coastal environments. The debris also interferences with human uses of rivers and coastal habitats which lead to problems for human life. Every day around 8 million pieces of plastic makes their way into our oceans. Penn State is one of the largest universities in the entire nation, generating close to 20,000 tons of solid waste from the University Park campus alone. The education of pollution among this vast community would make a huge difference. The astronomical amount of trash pollution produced by the United States threatens the world’s marine and coastal environments, which will not end without immediate action from local communities.

Climate Change is often taken lightly and is not seen as a serious issue. There are many misconceptions around climate change, including that our planet goes through natural fluctuations in atmospheric temperature. Although this is true, the rate at which our planet has changed since the industrial revolution is greater than it has changed over thousands of years. There are many politicians and leaders of our government who do not believe global warming is a man-made issue. Changes in the Earth’s atmosphere, forests, and oceans indicate that human industrialization is responsible for global warming, therefore, it is our responsibility to fix it.

How does the United States contribute to global waste? 
In order to understand the impact humans have on our environment, it is important to fully define the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect refers to a process in which gases in the atmosphere allow solar radiation to penetrate to the earth’s surface, while also reabsorbing radiation as it attempts to exit the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases trap heat into the atmosphere, which in turn heats up the planet, creating the greenhouse effect. Without this effect, life on Earth would not exist, there would be no heat in the atmosphere and all living things would freeze. However, too many greenhouse gases have the opposite effect, and the rapid warming of the atmosphere is dangerous. Human industrialization, transport, deforestation, intensive agriculture, and urbanization emit excessive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, amplifying the greenhouse effect, and warming our planet. The most prominent and dangerous of all greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide.

The most abundant greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide, causing it to be the greatest threat to our planet. Carbon dioxide is responsible for approximately half of the heat retained by the atmosphere and is especially important because it is the atmospheric gas that is increasing at the fastest rate. The Second Industrial Revolution caused urbanization to spread rapidly, building overpopulated cities in order to house people working in the hastily growing factories. This lifestyle of burning extreme amounts of fossil fuels pumped a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, the gas which is responsible for half of the heat trapped in our atmosphere, has been increasing at an alarming rate for over a century.

Carbon dioxide is a fundamental cause of global warming. Over the last century, scientists have seen a larger increase in carbon dioxide than any other greenhouse gas. During the past 650,000 years, atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide) concentrations did not exceed about 300 ppm, even during interglacial periods. They have now reached 390 ppm. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere remained relatively untouched for thousands of years. During those years the Earth underwent a series of fluctuations including the interglacial periods. However, there has never been as much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as there is today.  This large and sudden increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide shows that human industrialization caused a sudden increase in planet temperature.

The burning of fossil fuels is not the only cause of excessive emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Deforestation is an entirely different form of human industrialization, which may be an even larger threat to the environment. The accelerating destruction of the rainforests is now being recognized as one of the main causes of climate change. Carbon emissions from deforestation far outstrip damage caused by planes and automobiles and factories. As greenhouse gas emissions increase, it is important to persevere our forests in order to balance the gasses. Trees from the rainforest absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and emit oxygen, which not only benefits humans but also reduces global warming. However, the destruction of rainforests has the opposite effect, the fewer forests the less carbon dioxide is converted to oxygen in the air, and the greater the temperature of the Earth increases.

One of the largest causes of the increase in planet temperature is the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. The rainforests around our equator are crucial elements to keeping our planet in order. The rainforests of the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Indonesia are thought of as the lungs of the planet. Rainforests are not only filled with trees that absorb carbon dioxide but are also home to a diverse ecosystem of various plants and animals. In fact, rainforests along the equator such as the Amazon account for about 50% of all species found on the planet. The loss of these precious rainforests is a loss of the lungs of the planet. The plants and species living and breathing together release the proper gases in our atmosphere. Without them, our planet is in serious danger.

Not only are forests a critical factor in protecting our planet, but oceans also play a key role in global warming. Extra amounts of carbon dioxide are constantly emitted into the air, but not all of it remains in our atmosphere. Oceans have absorbed 40 percent of the carbon dioxide humans produce. That is approximately 550 billion short tons of carbon dioxide. Earth’s atmosphere and oceans share energy, chemicals, and even gases. As carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rose due to industrialization, Earth’s oceans absorb the excess gas. This becomes catastrophic, as large amounts of carbon dioxide do not belong in our oceans.

What disasters are our oceans facing due to trash pollution?
Large amounts of carbon dioxide led to the warming of the ocean, which not only melts our ice caps and increases natural disasters but also causes the death of aquatic species. Carbon dioxide also lowers the pH level of the oceans, making them more acidic. When carbon dioxide reacts with seawater, it produces the chemical compound carbonic acid. When there is too much carbonic acid in the water, it makes the water acidic.  The pH of the oceans is crucial to life on earth. The acidity of the oceans increases death rates of coral, shellfish, plankton, and every small aquatic creature. Although this may seem insignificant, these creatures are at the beginning of every food chain. As time goes on, the effect of the acidity of the oceans will reach even the highest members of the food chain, humans.

Although the planet may appear to fluctuate on its own, statistics clearly reveal humans are the cause of global warming through our emissions of greenhouse gases. These increases in greenhouse gases are a clear result of human activities, reflecting the growing emissions produced by increasing industrialization, transport, deforestation, intensive agriculture, urbanization, and growing population. Before human urbanization, the increase in planet temperature was never a concern. Without the human increase of greenhouse gases, excessive amounts of heat would not be retained in our atmosphere and global warming would not exist. Due to large emissions of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, the destruction of precious rainforests, and the gas pollution in our oceans, it is clear that human industrialization is responsible for the rapid increase of atmospheric temperature. From this discovery, it is critical that the United States and other countries join together to end climate change

What can we do as a nation to solve this problem?

The United States is moving towards a green energy grid and soon harmful fossil fuels will become a thing of the past. However, it is uncertain how the country will fill the gaps for all the power fossil fuels currently generate. Solar power and wind power are excellent options, but these are dynamic and dependent on the elements. Solar power can generate thousands of megawatts one day and almost none the next. Conventional nuclear is steady rather than responsive and would provide enough stable and reliable energy. Nuclear power generates 20% of the U.S. electricity supply; it’s the single largest source of non-fossil energy generation in the U.S. and the second-largest globally. However, this is predicted to scale down because nuclear energy is expensive. At the V.C. Summer project in South Carolina, two new reactors were in their fifth year of construction were abandoned after $9 billion dollars had already been invested. Nuclear energy is being reinvented, to produce less waste, become smaller, more flexible, portable, better cooling reactors, and so much more. However, these projects are still in the works, and it is uncertain how much it’ll cost in the long run. Currently, the estimated commercial value would be $82 per MWh. To put that into perspective, gas at its peak is $64, the wind is $40, and solar is $36. 

What disasters are other countries facing due to trash pollution? 
Today 1% of the world is an unlivable hot zone, by 2070, this number will go up to 19%. Billions of people call this land home. Beginning 5 years ago, hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans fled north toward the United States. In a city called Alta Verapaz, where precipitous mountains covered in coffee plantations became dense, the dry forest gives way to broader gentle valleys the residents have largely stayed. Now, though, under a relentless confluence of drought, flood, bankruptcy, and starvation, almost all people have begun to leave. Almost everyone here experiences some degree of uncertainty about where their next meal will come from. Half the children are chronically hungry, and many are short for their age, with weak bones and bloated bellies. The families face the excruciating decision to stay in their holmes and suffer the effects of climate change or move out. They have chosen to migrate. 

Scientists have learned to project such changes around the world with surprising precision, but recently little has been known about the human consequences of those changes. As their land fails them, hundreds of millions of people from Central America to Sudan to the Mekong Delta will be forced to choose between flight or death. The result will almost certainly be the greatest wave of global migration the world has seen.

Is migration necessary as a result of the climate crisis? The March 2020 publication of the IPCC report on impact, adaption, and vulnerability led to headlines prophesying doom, with tales of climate change to displace millions. In fact, the report argued migration could provide a way for some to deal with climate change, reducing vulnerability for many populations. It also included much more, but the immigration issue could be folded into other news controversies. Similarly, those seeking to migrate because of climate change find themselves working within harsh and rigid legal and cultural systems which are the product of other political and economic problems 

Tampering with the chemicals and elements of the earth is extremely dangerous, however, it may be our only choice in the first against climate change. Some scientists argue this is our only option, the planet has run out of time. United States scientists are on the case, too. Most climate change solutions prevent the emissions of CO2 to stop any further damage to the environment.  With geoengineering technology, scientists will be able to directly remove CO2 gas from the air.  

The National Academies last October launched a study into sunlight reflection technologies, including their feasibility, impacts and risks, and governance requirements. The study’s perspective authors held their first meeting in Washington, D.C., at the end of April. Speakers included David Keith, a Harvard University physicist who has developed his own patented technology for using chemistry to remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere, and Kelly Wanser of the Marine Cloud Brightening Project, which is studying the efficacy of seeding clouds with sea salt and other materials to reflect more sunlight back into space. The project is preparing for future field trials.

Geoengineers have excited for centuries, but these solutions are extremely risky. Altering the cloud chemistry could lead to poisonous rain for years. Removing CO2 directly from the atmosphere could backfire and remove other gases useful to our planet and leave us defenseless.  American researchers back in the 1960s suggested floating billions of white objects such as golf balls on the oceans to reflect sunlight. In 1977, Cesare Marchetti of the Austria-based International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis discussed ways of catching all of Europe’s CO2 emissions and injecting them into sinking Atlantic Ocean currents. 

While these grand climate crisis solutions sound effective, if they were to backfire, the consequences would be astronomical. Our planet is running out of time, and these solutions could save us. However, if we fold all of our efforts into geoengineering, we take away from the problem of emitting CO2 gas in the first place! Business corporations and entire counties will have no problem continuing to pollute and destroy our planet if a “solution” is found. Are these big geoengineering ideas the answers to our prayers? Or are they an excuse to continue our businesses-as-usual pollution habits? 

The issue I will be addressing in my brief will be recycling and reducing waste here at Penn State, and other college campuses. As I’m sure you’ve seen, there are plenty of recycling and compost bins next to trash cans on campus. This is phenomenal, however, I am aware that most students walk past the recycling options every day and immediately throw out their garbage. University Park is home to 40,639 Undergraduate students releasing tons of trash every day. With football and THON, pride in our school is a BIG deal here at Penn State. If we were to implement a contest for recycling, I believe it would encourage students. Whether this is a grade-wide contest or a building-wide contest, the competitive nature of Penn State students would result in a huge increase in recycling!

What can we do as the Penn State community to solve this problem? 

The issue of recycling and reducing waste at Penn state is a crucial step in the right direction for climate change. The unawareness of the lack of recycling done by the students is what has caused this issue. By implementing recycling and compost bins in every trash, one would assume the work here is done. However, not every student is informed on the importance of recycling, and not every student feels encouraged to do so. One could argue that the existence of these recycling bins is encouragement enough, but I would disagree. An incentive, lesson, or in this case competition is the perfect solution. By using a recycling competition students will be encouraged to recycle and the University will dispose of less waste. While the hope for the recycling competition is to educate students on the harms of pollution as well as encourage them to recycle, inducements are the making policy used to craft my solution. The issue I will be addressing in my brief will be recycling and reducing waste here at Penn State, and other college campuses. As I’m sure you’ve seen, there are plenty of recycling and compost bins next to trash cans on campus. This is phenomenal, however, I am aware that most students walk past the recycling options every day and immediately throw out their garbage.

University Park is home to 40,639 Undergraduate students releasing tons of trash every day. With football and THON, pride in our school is a BIG deal here at Penn State. If we were to implement a contest for recycling, I believe it would encourage students. Whether this is a grade-wide contest or a building-wide contest, the competitive nature of Penn State students would result in a huge increase in recycling.  The prize for winning the recycling contest is the biggest incentive for students to learn to recycle, even though they will learn in the process. By offering a large and glorious prize, students will be encouraged to recycle more than ever before. This contest could be annual to increase awareness of recycling, or it could be a one-time event. I suggest a recycling contest once every 4 years. In this case, most students would only be able to experience one contest. Once the competition gains recognition, students would look forward to participating in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before they even arrive at Penn State.

Works Cited:

“10 New Climate Change Controversies – Now That the Cause Is Settled.” Road to Paris – ICSU, roadtoparis.info/top-list/10-climate-change-controversies-now-that-cause-settled/.

Fred Pearce • May 29, et al. “Geoengineer the Planet? More Scientists Now Say It Must Be an Option.” Yale E360, e360.yale.edu/features/geoengineer-the-planet-more-scientists-now-say-it-must-be-an-option.

Lustgarten, Abrahm. “The Great Climate Migration Has Begun.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 July 2020, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html.

Howden, Daniel. “Deforestation: The Hidden Cause of Global Warming.’” The Independent, 14 May 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

Kerr, Richard A. “The Carbon Cycle and Climate Warming.” Environmental Issues: Essential Primary Sources, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

Lanser, Amanda. Adapting to Climate Change. Essential Library, 2015. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

 Rhodes, Frank H. T. Earth: A Tenant’s Manual. Cornell University Press, 2012.

******The actual issue brief will contain the correct in-text citation and headings will not be questioned (those just help me gather information)*********