KIDS AGAINST PLASTIC

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According to a recent survey by the University of Canberra, a global average of 3% of a country’s population are climate deniers. In some countries, such as the United States, this number jumps higher, with 12% of people thinking that the rapidly changing climate is either fake or not caused by humans, followed by Sweden with 9% and Australia with 8%.As a member of the future generation set to inherit this planet, these numbers are mind-boggling. We’re already beginning to seeing the potentially devastating impacts of climate change –the 10 hottest years in history have occurred since 1998, the global average sea level has risen by 16cm since the early 1900s, and the amount of ice in the arctic is decreasing at a rate of almost 13% per decade. These are only small signs of what’s to come if we don’t urgently cut our global carbon emissions to combat global warming. Yet they already threaten the fragile ecosystems and animals that depend on the right conditions to live. And, threaten us humans too, with rising sea levels endangering the homes of millions of people and changing temperatures putting crop growth at risk.The deadly situation that we are in is not being reflected with the same urgency in the global debates around climate change.

Young Leaders

The narrative around global warming often focuses on the cost of renewable energy, and the countries to blame for large carbon emissions, with Western countries resorting to pointing the finger at developing nations like China instead of addressing their own role in the climate crisis. Not only is this hypocritical, due to the large greenhouse gas emissions emitted by developed nations in the past, it’s also really unhelpful. Because instead of bickering over who holds responsibility for climate change, we need to focus on the solutions to solving it.That requires global collaboration –and, most importantly, urgency.For us young people, we can’t afford to deny the existence of climate change, or put this problem off until another day –this is our future at stake. Instead, we need to focus on doing something to tackle it.But what can we do? Even if we’re frustrated at the lack of large-scale action coming from governments and corporations, that doesn’t mean that we can’t have an impact ourselves. There are lots of overlaps when it comes to climate change and other environmental issues, particularly plastic pollution. Plastic is responsible for a growing amount of carbon dioxide production, one of the key gases that causes climate change. This is mainly due to the use of fossil fuels in its production, and the release of greenhouse gases in other stages of plastic usage (such as transportation and disposal). In fact, it’s estimated that by 2050, the life cycle of the world’s plastic (in particular, disposable plastics) will produce as much carbon dioxide as 615 coal power plants.But, one of the (for lack of a better word) brilliant things about plastic pollution is that not only is it an issue that no-one can deny (you just have to walk down the street to see some form of plastic litter), it’s also an problem that we can take tangible measures to address. Where climate change can be a bit overwhelming, due to being such an abstract issue where it’s hard to know where to start making a difference, there are immediate things that we can all do to combat plastic pollution. After all, we all contribute to plastic pollution through our daily use of single-use plastic, so that means that we can all take measures to tackle it.

BE PLASTIC CLEVER

These problems are huge and they are scary, especially to us young people set to inherit them, but there are things that we can all do to help. And we can –and must –do them now.

www.kidsagainstplastic.co.uk @kidsagainstplastic You can also find out more information about plastic pollution and climate change in our book, Be Plastic Clever.

- Stop using the Big 4 plastic polluters (plastic cups and lids, straws, bottles and bags): try and be 'Plastic Clever' and reduce your use of these four items as a starting point.

Most of them are used regularly and yet are pretty easy to avoid by using reusable items instead! We’ve also developed a Plastic Clever scheme for schools, to help them reduce their use of the Big 4 too

- Buy a bamboo toothbrush: we're recommended to change our toothbrush every couple of months, so that soon amounts to a large number of plastic toothbrushes every year! Try buying one made from more sustainable materials like bamboo as an alternative.

- Buy fruit and vegetables fresh and loose: often, packs of produce are wrapped in lots of plastic, so buying fresh products loose and using a reusable mesh bag to carry them is a great way to reduce your use of unnecessary packaging.

- Try shampoo and conditioner bars: bars of product can be a bit more expensive than plastic bottled ones, but they do last for a very long time!- Home bake where possible: often, items like bread or biscuits come wrapped from the shops in plastic. A great way to avoid this wrapping is by making them yourself at home - and not only is it great fun, the final product also tastes so much better! The key thing to remember when it comes to environmental issues is to try and not get overwhelmed. page 15