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Showing posts from January, 2021

Keystone XL Pipeline - The Basics

Keystone XL Pipeline - The Basics  ⏱ Read time: 1 minute Joe Biden's announcement to halt the development of the Keystone XL pipeline was highly controversial. One side of the political aisle claims that this decision will destroy economic development, while the other side says that the pipeline will worsen the effects of climate change . So, what is the Keystone XL pipeline, and should its construction be stopped? What is Keystone XL? The Keystone XL Pipeline would span from Texas to Canada and transport tons of fossil fuels between the countries. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) states that it was proposed by TransCanada in 2008.  Political disputes The same NRDC article says that Barack Obama vetoed the pipeline's development in 2015, but President Trump reversed Obama's policy immediately after taking office. Joe Biden halted the construction on his inauguration day, following in the footsteps of President Obama.  I highly recommend reading the NRDC article

Greta Thunberg's Perfect Tweet Destroys Donald Trump

Greta Thunberg's Perfect Tweet Destroys Donald Trump ⏱ Read time: 1.5-2 minutes Joe Biden became the President of the United States on January 20. That was a crazy day, and not just because of Bernie Sanders's flashy outfit, but also due to a Tweet that Greta Thunberg shared getting complete revenge on President Trump. The Tweet said, "He seems like a very happy old man looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" He seems like a very happy old man looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see! pic.twitter.com/G8gObLhsz9 — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 20, 2021 In order to understand Thunberg's message, we need to look at the context. Donald Trump has a history of mocking Greta Thunberg on Twitter. In 2019, Donald Trump tweeted, "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" Greta Thunberg's recent Tweet uses Trump's words against him. 

Earth Hero: Can This App Lower Emissions?

Earth Hero: Can This App Lower Emissions? ⏱ Read time: 1.5-2 minutes I've been searching for apps that will help me live more sustainably. In the early days of EarthPlex, I reviewed Oroeco, an app that I thought could make an impact... until I tested it. The app was flawed and challenging to use. I recommend reading our review to see my frustration with the app. Recommended: Oroeco Review - Will This App Stop Climate Change? I found an app called Earth Hero with a similar purpose to Oroeco.  When I installed the app (note: I am using the Android version), I was greeted by a beautiful interface. I took a quiz to calculate my emissions. It didn't take me long. I then saw my carbon footprint in comparison to the average American, the average human, and the 2030 target. This made me realize that we have a long way to go. Climate justice is extremely important, and we need to work toward it - fast.  The Earth Hero app has a list of actions that I can take to lower my carbon impact.

How to Fight Climate Change: Understand the Opposition

How to Fight Climate Change: Understand the Opposition  ⏱Read time: 2.5-3 minutes I wrote this after watching Trump supporters storm the Capitol Building. Most people reading this post probably understand that this is unacceptable, but obviously, many disagree. The Americans that invaded The Capitol truly believe that the 2020 election was stolen despite any evidence of widespread voter fraud. Even though this argument can be proven with facts, many arguments cannot. By that, I mean that most problems don't have a correct answer.  For example, millions of Americans do not agree with the environmental policies of candidates in which we have endorsed , but that doesn't make them wrong. If we silence the opposition, we will not make good progress, and when they come into power, we are the ones who will be silenced. Abraham Lincoln said, “I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.” Lincoln's presidency took place during the greatest political division in America&

Would Thanos's Snap save the Planet?

 Would Thanos's Snap save the Planet? ⏱2.5-3 minute read I am a couple years late to this - but hey - EarthPlex didn't even exist when Avengers Infinity War and End Game arrived in theaters, and I've always thought about Thanos and the environmental impact of his snap.  Warning: Spoilers ahead! Avengers Infinity War concluded with Thanos collecting all of the infinity stones. He put on the infinity gauntlet and snapped his fingers, causing half of the population to disappear. To analyze how Thanos's snap would affect the environment, we must assume a few things. Thanos's snap only caused humans to die. The people's remains disappeared entirely. Less consumption  Obviously, with the population splitting in half, emissions will lower. Because of a drastically decreased demand for fossil fuels , wildlife will flourish and populations of endangered species could grow.  The population will regenerate If the current population of about 7.8 billion people in 2020 div

Cutie Polluties: Stuffed Animals Killed by Pollution

Cutie Polluties: Stuffed Animals Killed by Pollution ⏱1-1.5 minute read I watch a lot of YouTube, which means I watch a lot of ads. A couple days ago, an advertisement caught my eye. It was for a line of stuffed animals called Cutie Polluties . The channel's name was even weirder: Liquid Death. I knew I had to watch this video, and it was quite interesting. The video began with a jingle that any commercial for a stuffed animal would, but the middle of the video featured a DHMIS -like turn. I obviously want a Cutie Pollutie  now. According to Liquid Death, "all plastic material used on Cutie Polluties is made from either rPET (100% recycled plastic) or biodegradable plastic." I applaud them if this is true, but I don't applaud the price tag. Each Cutie costs $75, and due to EarthPlex's "fun-size" budget, we cannot order any at this time. What we can do is marvel at this genius idea that whimsically addresses plastic pollution. If you insist on EarthPlex r

Meet The High School Student Connecting Climate Leaders

  An Interview with Tessa Augsberger, a High School Student Connecting Climate Leaders  ⏱6.5 minute read There are many young  leaders  changing our planet, and they live across the globe. A high school student named Tessa Augsberger founded Global Youth Climate Database (GYCD) , "a network that connects youth leaders in the climate change movement to organize action through communication and mutual support." I had the opportunity to interview Tessa. She discussed her extracurricular involvement and her mission of connecting young leaders and activists. What was your purpose in founding GYCD, and what is the mission of the organization? I founded GYCD [Global Youth Climate Database] to elevate the voices of youth leading the fight against climate change. Living in Los Angeles, I have seen some of the effects—and causes—of climate change firsthand. For example, school is never canceled for snow days. We have “fire days,” instead. In recent years, the intensity and duration of

EarthPlex Reacts to Recyclops - The Office

 EarthPlex Reacts to Recyclops - The Office ⏱2.5 minute read The Office has left Netflix and moved to Comcast's Peacock, so many viewers are upset and angry. To mourn this loss, I decided to react to Recyclops, a fictional character created by Dwight Schrute. If you're interested in watching the entire episode, it's from Shareholder Meeting (season 6 episode 11). Note: The YouTube video that had been above this post was removed. Recyclops's backstory According to Jim, Recyclops began as an Earth Day tradition in which Dwight dressed up as a green cyclops who offered tips to live sustainably. After "a fictitious thing" destroyed Recyclops's planet, he turned evil and made it his mission to destroy Earth.  This is very upsetting. Recyclops had a passion for protecting the planet, and he didn't take his planet's destruction well. Every voice in the battle against climate change is important, and the environmentalist community is sad to see him turn.

The Climate Action Necessary for 2021

The Climate Action Necessary for 2021 ⏱2-2.5 minute read 2020 was an insane year. In terms of climate action, a lot was accomplished, but there were many setbacks as well. I recommend reading our post about the climate change news of 2020 . It outlines the progress and what still needs to be done as of the end of last year. This New Year's Day calls for a celebration; 2020 is over, but we must look ahead and continue to fight for change. One of last year's greatest problems was wildfires. We must educate ourselves on the causes of these devastating flames. Don't be afraid to write to your elected officials if you believe an issue such as forest fires needs attention.  Recommended:  Climate Emergency: Wildfires 2020 will go down as the year of Covid-19, and 2021 could as well. Even though emissions fell in 2020, that was largely in part due to an economic recession. We must understand that most years aren't like 2020. In the future, we cannot rely on recessions to reduce