Pollinators are essential to our livelihood as they support our global food system. One of the most important pollinators is the wild bee. Wild bees are responsible for about 80% of the world’s pollination, pollinating a majority of human crops. Due to pesticide use, climate change, and other varying factors, the wild bee population has consistently declined over recent decades, placing many species of bees on the endangered species list. Wild bee decline can result in massive food shortages and perpetuate food insecurity globally.
Our world is currently reliant on fossil fuels for a majority of its energy needs. Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource that releases harmful greenhouse gasses and other pollutants into the air that perpetuate the world’s climate change crisis. This is why it is important to find clean and renewable alternative forms of energy. One of the oldest and most promising forms of renewable energy is wind power. Through the use of large paneled turbines, wind power acts as a sustainable, cost-effective form of energy that is continuously advancing.
More than 100 million pounds of plastic from industrial fishing gear pollute the oceans each year. Discarded fishing nets, ropes, crates, and baskets, have become a serious danger, often choking, suffocating, or entangling trapped sea life. Lost fishing nets, also referred to as “ghost nets,” remain undetected in the ocean repeatedly killing countless amounts of marine animals.
As technology continues to advance, our world is faced with the question: how do we properly discard electronic waste? Tech companies are constantly advancing, modifying, and changing the products they produce, which leads to “outdated” electronics being thrown away. Improperly discarded E-waste can produce dangerous chemicals that seep into the soil and infiltrate our groundwater water systems. This produces a risk not only for animals and ecosystems, but for human health as well.
Deforestation is the act of clearing mass amounts of trees off of large spans of land. The loss of trees in these areas can cause issues, such as flooding, and erosion. Specifically, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is at an all-time high. The current government has put an emphasis on clearing land for farmland and homes, which has resulted in exponential rates of clear-cutting. As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon contributes a large percentage of oxygen to our atmosphere. Rainforests like the Amazon are essential to the world’s biodiversity and carbon storage, and are crucial in our fight against climate change.
