Ashley Carter

As consumer behavior and urban living begin to take over society, it is important that people constantly remind themselves of the importance of getting outside. Whether it be a simple break from being online, a long hike or trip to the beach, there are plenty of ways to disconnect from the online world to improve one’s own physical and mental well-being into the future.

By bringing in your own reusable glassware, cup or mug to your favorite coffee shop, you can greatly reduce the amount of waste you contribute in your lifetime, making a small step toward reducing your individual environmental footprint.

Climate change will have insurmountable effects on agricultural productivity levels. Whether this be through increased temperatures, decreasing soil health, irregular rainfall or more frequent catastrophic climate events, the potential consequences are far reaching and numerous.

Moving into the future, regenerative farming can be a great tool for farmers and ranchers to harness worldwide as they adapt to a changing climate. Although it may seem daunting to try instituting new agricultural practices, the long list of benefits is critical for achieving success far into the future.

Many policies have been discussed for implementation such as carbon pricing, carbon taxing, cap and trade policies and subsidies. Within each of these potential policy solutions, there are advantages and disadvantages. Current discussion on the concept of a carbon tax — a potential option into the future — has warranted much conversation.

As deforestation — the action of cutting down tree stands for agriculture, livestock or development — continues to proceed at high rates, it is imperative that we acknowledge the importance of protecting ecosystems that are not just rainforests, but other biomes such as grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, marshes and mangroves.

Although the progress being made can be left to debate, the fact that climate policy has even entered discussion in the U.S. Department of Defense is a milestone in itself. By further focusing on climate policy in combat, both the government and country can reduce overall emissions, marking a step in the right direction toward addressing climate change.

With the complexity of the climate crisis, it is important to change both individual and structural patterns, as they are codependent and we cannot pursue one without the other. This framework should become commonplace to climate action nationwide. By reinvigorating the environmental movement and engaging the whole nation in the importance of this fight to preserve humanity, hope can emerge for the future. 

Although sustainable business does have its downfalls as presented, it also has a huge opportunity for innovation, improvement and progress that should not be forgotten in the wake of some companies’ poor policy making. As such, it is important to look for companies that seek to protect both human and environmental health, thereby taking steps to mitigate the climate crisis yourself.

As sustainability becomes an everyday term used in our culture, the ways in which it is implemented are part of recent conversation because of its potential adverse impacts. Using sustainability in city planning has become a topic often discussed by policymakers as of late as they scramble to try and transition their cities to become more carbon neutral.