Roughly, one third of the food produced is being wasted annually. Producers, sellers, and consumers waste tons and tons of food and not a lot is being done about it. Food holds a very high place in many cultures and a lot of celebrations, such as Christmas, have their own respective food in many countries.
​
Out of the food wasting countries worldwide, The United states and the United Kingdome are two of the biggest contributors to this cause. In America, 40% of the food produced gets thrown away. This waste not only contributes to plenty of economic and financial problems and difficulties; but also contributes to global problems such as world hunger.

Alongside the mentioned problems, food waste has a huge impact on the environment. Food articles that get decomposed without air create methane and carbon dioxide; two of the major greenhouse gasses that contribute to the climate change.

In the 2014 documentary, “Just eat it: A food waste story”, Dana Gunders describes the food waste situation with the following scenario: “Imagine going to the shop and buying 4 bags of groceries and dropping one bag on the floor, and not bothering to pick it up and let it go to waste.”

Habits and misconceptions play a significant role in food waste. Many people purchase products that they don’t need, and just momentarily feel like they want. Others have habits of buying extra amount of food because they believe it’s better to have too much food than not enough.

Another major problem also comes from the expenses of donating unwanted food. In many countries and places, producers and donators need to pay a certain fee for the packaging, evaluation and distribution of their unwanted food, so instead, they decide to simply throw it away.

Just Eat it: a food waste story also names psychological impacts as one of the reasons why food go to waste. The documentary states that psychology plays a role in this problem. seeing an abundance of products in a store leads to getting the feel of buying a reliable product, as where items that are left alone tend to not sell much. Regarding this topic; John Oliver, the host of last week show, says that we naturally assume last option is a bad option, which can be true, but when it comes to food production, this should not affect our decision.

According to a study conducted by Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), 91 percent of people have reported to throw out a food product, solely based on its pass of expiry date, and not by how it looks, smells or tastes. This, in many cases, might be the right option; but it should be kept in mind that those dates only represent the time which the manufacturer of the food believes the product to be in a state of selling, which does not necessarily mean it is not consumable and usable. One way of saving the foods which are close to their expiry time is to donate them to the ones in need or to sell them for a cheaper price, for the sake of not throwing it out. An idea which has been successfully acted upon in many countries, including Denmark and Finland.

Finland is a fitting example of a country with dedication to prevent food waste. In a 2012 research done by Finnish researchers Silvennoinen K., Katajajuuri J.M., Hartikainen H., Heikkilä L. and Reinikainen A. on food waste in Finland, it was found that “When comparing purchased food amount with food waste, the average waste was about 4-5%. The main discarded foodstuffs were vegetables, home-cooked food and milk products.” This value seats much below the world average and even Europe average; making Finland a successful country in management of food waste.
 
Sources:
John Oliver video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8xwLWb0lLY
Just Eat It: http://www.foodwastemovie.com/
Food waste volume and composition in Finnish households, Silvennoinen K., Katajajuuri J.M., Hartikainen H., Heikkilä L. and Reinikainen A.
Picture : https://www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/food-waste-audit

In present World, Energy is very important and primary resources required in every sector and industry that may be a manufacturing sector or transportation or performing any household activities. Few decades ago, Non-renewable resources such as petrol, diesel, coal were mainly used to generate energy and fulfil energy requirement of the world. As non-renewable energy is badly effecting a environment in non-reversible way, every industry nowadays is migrating toward energy generated using renewable resources. Renewable energy is more sustainable and environmental friendly, currently most of renewable energy in trend are solar energy, wind energy Biomass fuel energy and now energy generated by human activities are in innovation stage.

Before briefly explaining how humans can generate energy? Want to say first YES, Humans can generate energy like solar/wind / Hydroelectricity and out of all renewable energy, Energy generated by human body is more sustainable. One of primary reasons human generated energy is more sustainable is human population is high and it is not dependent on any natural resources like solar energy depends on Sun, Hydroelectricity depends on Water and everyday physical activities of human can generate energy.

We human’s various day-to-day activities can contributes to the generation of electrical energy and below are main physical activities by human which can be used to harvest energy along with location  

• Kids Play activities in Park
• Exercise activities in Gym
• Walking
• Biking
• Running

Of all the above activities here discussing briefly Exercise and Kids activities mainly generate more energy compared to other activities due to following reasons

• Both are part of regular routine of most of the humans
• Set up can be installed easily in given place at any location within given boundary
• Setup can used by all humans round the clock as it can have shared in public location
• Energy Storage is higher compared to other activities as it is within given boundary and storage can be as large as possible
• Other activities can also generate energy, but it is not limited to any location and have no boundaries, because it cannot be stored in abundance

HARVESTING POWER FROM EXERCISE (ECO GYM)

 Below figure 1shows eco gym infrastructure setup

To harvest electric power from exercises

• Set up Gym equipment's converting Human workout to Electric energy
• Gym equipment is installed to harvest energy mainly Indoor cycles , Fitness Elliptical, Fitness Recumbent Cycle, Upright cycle
• To encourage show contributed generated power by individual
• Micro-invert technology converts human energy to electricity
• To harvest electric power from exercises
• Energy harvested by Human energy in kilowatts when equipment plugged to outlet
• More than 100 watt-hours of electricity is harvested in single workouts
• Along with rooftop of gym is installed solar energy to use efficiently the location.
• Everything makes Green energy Eco Gym

HARVESTING ENERGY (KIDS ACTIVITIES)

• Setup Energy generating playground park for kids
• Kids play equipment's is installed to harvest energy like Lumi, swings
• For this best example and products available at www.playgroundenergy.com

Other activities like walking, running and biking are also being used to generate energy and one of interesting innovation is smart boots by http://www.solepowertech.com where every step walking or running using this shoe can generate energy and store in small batteries. which can used to charge mobiles or for torch lights during travelling .
Now like to conclude in my article, Energy generated by human activities can play vital role in future for fulfilling energy requirement may not be of industries but can fulfill energy requirements of individual and small energy requirement.

REFERENCE

• “5 simple ways to turn human power into energy”, Read on 03-11-2018 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/12/5-simple-ways-to-turn-human-power-into-energy/

 

• “This gym gets its power from your workout”, Read on 02-11-2018 , https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/03/this-new-eco-gym-is-powered-by-your-workout

 

• http://www.solepowertech.com/

Sofya Kovalevskaya 

​Our daily life is powered by different types of energy. How often do we think about ”Where does this power come from and at what cost?”. Fossil fuels and constant mining are destroying the earth with greenhouse gas emissions. So, is there any other possible way of getting the energy without depleting our planet?

​​If you go outside in daytime, most certainly, you will feel a touch of wind and a warmth of sun. Those two are renewable energy sources. (Eia. 2017) And the sun plays a main role in human existence, without it there is no life. 
Solar radiation, that reaches the earth, is used nowadays as a partial source of energy in many parts of the world. The energy can be converted into heat and electricity. (Eia. 2007) Besides the positive sides, such as solar energy free and unlimited, there are possible negative environmental impacts. 

​The large solar thermal farms can harm desert and fields ecosystems if not properly managed. Let’s take the Sahara Desert, as an example. According to an article published in September 2018 in the Science magazine, there is an ongoing project to install a big amount of solar power plants in the desert. 

​Scientists predict, that the presence of a large arrays of solar panels could change the reflectivity of the land, in a way that panels prevent sunlight from being reflected back into the atmosphere. This effect alone can potentially start changing the local climate. (Science. 2018) The energy demand of the whole world is growing, therefore the future studies and experiments will reveal more potential
advantages and disadvantages of solar power usage.

References
 

• Li, Y., Kalnay, E. 2018. Climate model shows large-scale wind and solar farms in the Sahara increase rain and vegetation. Read on 3.11.2018. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6406/1019

 

• Eia. 2007. Solar Energy – Energy from the Sun. Read on 3.11.2018 http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/learners/energy/readings/solar.pdf

 

• Eia. 2017. Wind Energy and the Environment. Read on 4.11.2018 https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=wind_environment

TA

Energy efficiency, sustainable energy or sustainable energy efficiency? What is it all about? Here, I’m talking about the way energy is used in this world and varies among the variety of species living in Nature. But are humans the only group of those species to have created a problem with it? Why we need to constantly create a new ways to harvest energy to its maximum potential? We need to survive.
 
When trying to come up with the idea to understand the notion about how we use energy in our daily lives, it brings us to a different perspective on this issue. It’s not about the type of energy we need but how we consume energy in the first place. The very first thought of some activity that you are about to put your energy in, is more essential to everybody else around you, than the type of energy you use for your utilities. One might think now that the whole idea is completely reversed. But is it?
 
Isn’t the most effective input output ratio the most important issue in energy? Does it matter at all how we harvest energy in our own lives compared with the use of energy for utilities? If yes, the question then is about harvesting energy in our own lives. But what about our output then? How do you spread around that energy you have produced? And more importantly what type of energy is that then?
 
Do I have a choice on what type of energy I can receive from you?

What about your energy waste? Does it pollute your immediate atmosphere?

Is it worth to make your energy sustainable?
 
Perhaps now the point of view on energy have change a bit from where this all started. You should now come up with the ideas for saving energy or making it more efficient much more easily. Right? You just control your input output ratio, it will be all fine. But why does it get so difficult with energy when humans are handling machines? Skipping the obvious laws in Physics and Chemistry that brings the limitations, and the solutions for developing various types of energy that are self-sufficient. What do we gain by that?
 
But are we talking about the same definition of energy anymore? What is energy? Is it simply put something that we only use or consume? You have breakfast every morning. Then you have lunch, dinner and perhaps an evening snack. But do you use the energy from the food you eat? Or do you just naturally consume energy as you go along the way? Do we consume the energy that is in the wind or use the energy got from the wind?

So, what is energy now? Is it something that is better to efficiently use it or just sustainably consume it?

As we know, fast fashion leads the way in the apparel industry, but not every clothing company follow their rules. There are several companies deeply involved in the sustainability of clothing items and the process behind them.

​In this article we bring together five (5) eco-friendly labels that will help you to make a better choice at the time of purchase, based on sustainability concepts.

Together with competitors form apparel, footwear and textile industry, they have developed the Higgs Index. Nowadays, more than 10,000 manufacturers around the world use the index to accurately measure and score a company or product’s sustainability performance at every stage in their sustainability journey.
​
For more information about this tool, please go to www.apparelcoalition.org

2.    BLUESIGN
​
​With a similar approach, Bluesign is heavily committed to the regulations for sustainable processes and products. With strong control systems over water and air emissions, chemicals and waste management, this brand have a huge positive impact in the whole textile industry. For more info go to www.bluesign.com

3.    GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD (GOTS). 

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) leads worldwide in terms or standards for processing textiles of organic fibers, where is also included ecological and social conditions.
The GOTS aims to ensure the organic status of the final produce all along its production chain, from harvesting to labeling and to facilitate a global commercialization under one single certification.

Its criteria is very wide, and in general terms it includes:

• Fiber production
• Processing and Manufacturing
  • Environment
  • Technical Quality and Human Toxicity 
  • Social 
• Quality assurance system
  • Certification of the entire supply chain
  • Residue testing
• Label grades
• Revision

Another great label to look for if you want to get organic quality products with positive impact in our planet. 

​​For more information go to www.global-standard.org

4.    OEKO-TEX - Marimekko 

​With a wide line of products for companies, OEKO-TEX represents a very trustworthy system based on sustainability.

Among all companies certified to ensure responsible and sustainable management of processes and products, the Finnish brand Marimekko, work along with OEKO-TEX Standards.

​For more information, go to www.oeko-tex.com 

5.    SEDEX 

​Tens of thousands of companies use Sedex to manage their performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.

For more info, go to www.sedexglobal.com
​

Water covers 71% of the whole earth surface and roughly about 96% of that water are oceans. So fairly simply stated, oceans are the majority of everything in the world. It is a deep, dark, enigmatic and never-ending desert that is hiding many unbelievable secrets and most of it hasn't yet been explored. Oceanography or the science of oceans is the area of science covering oceans. It covers many aspects, from waves and currents to the tectonics of the earth’s crust at the very bottom. But this post is not going to go deep into the mysterious world of oceans at unimaginable depths and all the secrets, but it is going to stay more or less on the surface.

​The vast and mysterious ocean horizon (Source: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ocean-dead-zones-quadrupled-1950/)

​Not a lot of people think that there are impacts from our everyday environmental problems that affect a surface as vast as the oceans as much as the atmosphere and land. Not many even know how much the global climate change is affecting all the aspects of the oceans’ nature. Climate change is not a terrible thing to happen – it happened in the past and it will happen in the future. But the effect that human activity has on the speed of climate change is significant for the environment. In every aspect.

​As the Global warming remains the famous amongst other challenges, Carbon emission plays a vital role for it to keep its title. AI-Guided AVs can be critical to achieve real gains. Autonomous vehicles can significantly reduce carbon emission and with the right traffic optimization, algorithms for eco-driving and subtle city routing and planning can be very useful in carbon footprint mitigation (Herweijer 2018).

​The idea of smart cities is not very easy to implement, but once it is done, it can be proven to be a remarkable improvement in multi-economies to build a sustainable planet. A smart city uses electronic data which is interconnected throughout the city collected from devices, citizens and internet of things “IoT”, and use that data to manage assets and resources efficiently for information supply (Herweijer 2018).
A smart city is an urban area that uses different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information which is used to manage assets and resources efficiently. This includes data collected from citizens, devices, and assets that is processed and analyzed to monitor and manage traffic and transportation systems, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services. 

​Recently, a robot fish called “SoFi” developed by a team at MIT was introduced. This robotic fish can help uncover many amazing things and the mysteries of the oceans that we know so little about. It can move underwater without spooking the marine life, because it mimics the movement of a fish and can go deep into the water up to 60 feet. This idea can help us gather a big amount a data about the oceans without using a lot of resources. It can help in fishing sustainability, it can pin point the locations of pollutions and water contaminations, it can help protect endangered species and it can help indicate the impacts from climate changes (Donnelly 2018).

​Solar power companies are using AI and machine learning to predict vulnerabilities in the solar grid and to strengthen them in advance from failures and to restore the power quicker once failure occurs. Data from different renewable energy sources are used by AI which can show that the trees growing near or over a solar grid or lines might cause problems in natural disaster, e.g., storm hailing etc.
Wind turbine companies are using AI to increase its efficiency of the propellers to produce more electricity per rotation by integrating real time weather information and operational data.
Talking about prediction, Google used its machine learning power combined with powerful algorithms, to predict when the public is sucking the data stream by watching youtube videos for example altogether, to optimize the cooling systems for the data centers. 40% of energy usage was reduced as a result (Wiseman 2018).

​​

• AI combined with machine learning can help in monitoring ecosystems and wildlife and their interactions.
• If there are illegal logging going on in a forest AI in real time satellite data can track it.
• With effective and real-time disaster response coordination AI can simulate future weather events and natural disasters to find vulnerabilities.
• It can also be used to monitor drinking water quality, detecting underground leakage in the water supply systems and manage residential water use (Wiseman 2018).

No doubt AI enables us accomplish unimaginable things, yet it comes with some risks which need to be pointed out.

• Deep learning plus AI equals to a so called “The black box”, may not be understandable to humans, it may be impossible to determine if its results are accurate enough for example, how certain can we be of the early warnings coming from the black box about natural disasters.
• There is always be a risk for to be hacked and in the wrong hands it can be used for bad actions e.g., early warnings, energy, transport or other crucial systems.
• Since AI systems are autonomous in interaction, unpredictable outcomes can be produced. For instance two systems came up with their own made up language which humans could not understand.
• There can be social risks of autonomous weapon systems, jobs eliminations in almost every field. Ethical risks and privacy risk etc. (Wiseman 2018).

Donnelly, G. 2018. This Robotic Fish Could Change the Way Scientists Study Ocean Life. Fortune. Read on  02.11.2018. http://fortune.com/2018/03/22/mit-robot-fish-sofi/
 
Herweijer, C. 2018. 8 ways AI can help save the planet. World Economic Forum. Read on 03.11.2018. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/8-ways-ai-can-help-save-the-planet/
 
Wiseman, J. 2018. Artificial Intelligence—A Game Changer for Climate Change and the Environment. State of the Planet. Read on 03.11.2018. https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2018/06/05/artificial-intelligence-climate-environment/
​

Many might be thinking right now what the environment has to do with a fictional theory in the recent Marvel Film Avengers: Infinity War. Well in there the main villain Thanos tried to wipe out half of the universe’s population with the argument of the population of the universe is ever-increasing and the limited resources to support that population were getting exhausted.
 
Back to reality, overpopulation in our world isn’t so far off from that of the fictional universe. Since the 1400s after the black death, our world has been in a constant increase in population, and for the past 50 so years, advance technology has boomed growth population to over population. This is all due to the growing advance of technology and medical equipment making humans stronger and healthier resulting in longer life span.

​Picture by Marvel Studios, 2018

​Overpopulation is a condition where the number of living human population exceeds the carrying capacity of Earth. Advance medical facilities, and modern world technology are the main factors of the reduction of mortality rate resulting in overpopulation.
 
The problem hasn’t only been recently discovered, our ancestors have long been studying about it. The oldest records of demography, the study of populations can be found all the way back in ancient Greek, ancient Rome, Ancient China and Ancient India, where familiar names like Herodotus, Thucydides, Hippocrates, Epicurus, Protagoras, Polus, Plato and Aristotle all have writings related to the topic. (S.C.Srivastava, 2005)
 
One notable demographer, Thomas Robert Malthus’s work, a book titled as An Essay on the Principle of Population written in 1798 influencing works of famous biologist such as Charles Darwin, has shown a grim estimation of the growing rate of population in the future, which is now. His theory suggests that if a population is supplied with an unlimited amount of resources, the population will grow rapidly, so as to grow twice the amount of the current population in every 25 years. This famous graph is known as the exponential graph. 

​Since this world that we’re living in doesn’t give us unlimited resources, the Exponential Graph would only be a hypothesis of the population growth if there were limitless resources. On the other hand, a more realistic graph the Logistic Graph shows that at one point when the resources are all used up, population growth will start to flatten. This plateau line known as the carrying capacity defines the maximum amount of population in a world with limited resources. 

​Source from Clio Infra

Yet in reality, the current population is indeed closer to that of the exponential graph than we expected, and this is not all of it. The United Nation has predicted that by 2050 the total population of the world will reach 9.8 billion and by 2100 11.2 billion. The horrible fact of limited resources on this planet may tell you that this graph will soon turn in to the logistical graph as the carrying capacity of Earth is estimated to be around 11 to 12 billion people. (Geo Awesome, 2017)

So, what does Thanos have to say to all this? Quoted from the movie, during a flashback of Gamora’s planet being invaded by Thanos while arguing with is adopted father Thanos,
“Going to bed hungry. Scrounging for scraps. Your planet was on the brink of collapse. I was the one who stopped that. You know what’s happened since then? The children born have known nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It’s a paradise.” (Thanos, 2018)

​Picture by Marvel Studios, 2018

​Not far from what Thanos has described, our world right now is indeed in chaos with many people around the world not able to afford their basic living and have to live a life as a scavenger just to survive. Not only is a fact in the current world, scientist from the past have also predicted this. In Charles Darwin’s description of “Struggle to live”, he stated that humans or any other individual species will eventually fight with their own species for the limited resources. As a matter of fact, the graphs above are no longer mere hypotheses, instead in reality both of these curves actually exist as one.

​Source from Clio Infra

As shown in the graph above, it can be seen that the population growth is very similar to that of the exponential growth graph, but our attention has to transfer to the little bumps in between 1800s to the 1900s. Those bumps indicate the depletion of the population, and from the time that the bump has fallen into, it indicates the 2 biggest disasters of human history, The First and Second World War.
 
What are the main reasons for war? Hints have been scattered all over this blog, Resources. As far as ancient times, war has been all about gaining resources for a group of people. From food to economy to land to human beings themselves, all of these can be categorized as resources. (P. Goodman, 2018) Mentioned above, the description of “struggle to live” by Charles Darwin, individual will fight between the same species for resources.
 
This is the basic animal instinct we humans have, we are not so far off as other living creatures in this world where to survive, war is necessary. From the Vikings in Northern Europe to the Ancient Chinese civil wars and the current ongoing wars between the middle eastern countries and America, every one of the them are trying to fight for the limited resources we have left of this world. Because everyone knows that the resources are just not enough to supply the entire world.

​Picture by Marvel Studios, 2018

So, is Thanos really the bad guy the movie?
 
Aside from the terrible things that he has done for power in the comics, this belief of his to wipe out half of the population is not so far off from what we are doing and what our ancestors have been doing. Technically, even if Thanos didn’t snap his fingers, the same result would have still happened, but not instantly.
 
In many Sci-Fi movies, comics or manga, if any other entity exists along with humans, we will be described as stupid, weak creatures. The reason for that is there are many unnecessary things that we humans must do to survive while it may actually be a waste of time. This is considering  that the main goal of existence for any living creature is to achieve a particular goal and humans in general get distracted too easily. Quoted from An Essay on the Principle of Population, Malthus stated the two fixed laws of our nature. First “Humans cannot exist without food” and second “the passion between man and women” Both of these seems unnecessary if the goal of existence is to blindly achieve a goal. Not only is it not necessary, it also results in the following problem of not able to save the universe as shown in the movie. Let me explain.
 
If the world is to have an opportunity to be saved by killing half of the population by random choice such as the scenario suggested in the movie, and if everyone had no feelings, exactly opposite of what Malthus has said where humans are passionate creatures, Thanos snapping his finger would not be such a big problem as everyone is looking at the greater good.
 
This may sound confusing and crazy at the same time and many might think I’m high on weed right now but isn’t the greater good more important? The heroes of the movie are actually selfishly fighting for the people they love and themselves to not get wiped out. It’s not like Thanos didn’t lose anything when he snaps his fingers. As quoted from the movie again Thanos: “Daughter.” Gamora: “Did you do it?” Thanos: “Yes.” Gamora: “What did it cost?” Thanos: “Everything.”. Thanos has admitted that he has lost everything in order to achieve the greater good, he wasn’t just killing half of the population for fun, but he did it for the greater good. In which that all the remaining creatures can live in a happy paradise. If it were to say, the remaining population are selfish as they are not willing to lose anything due to their passion between one another. 

​Picture by Marvel Studios, 2018

​Yet, these are all just mere fiction, hypotheses and simulations of a world with such conditions.
 
What can we actually do to in order to deal with the everlasting growth of population in the world? Is there any way to solve the environmental issue before us?

​Picture by SCMP, 2017

​For starters, the main countries with the most population in the current world is China and India, both having 1.3 billion people. (The World Bank, 2018) As both countries have traditions to have many children indicating wealth and prosperity, birth rates have constantly been high here. However, the Chinese government is aware of the problem and since November 2013, they have set up the “One Child Policy” This plan lasted for about 3 years until January 2016 when a new “Two-child policy” has come to play. According to studies conducted by the Chinese government, the birth rate between 2000 to 2013 has been a steady 16 million per year. Since the “One Child Policy” has taken effect till it’s termination, the birth rate has been 5 million per year. (SCMP, 2017)
 
Another main solution is through education. As mentioned above by Malthus, Men and Women are passionate for each other. This means sex is inevitable. While sex doesn’t necessarily mean a new born child, many people don’t take birth control or and precautions while having their wild nights, ending the night with a math equation of 1+1=3. Family planning also falls into the same category of all these talk about the birds and the bees. In general, just take birth control pills or wear a condom when you’re having your intercourse section at night. 

From the movie Marvel Avengers: Infinity War to overpopulation to birth control, what can we conclude? To make it simple, I would say that what we are doing right now in this realistic world is not far from what Thanos is doing from the start. In fact, one of the main topics that the movie is trying to bring to the audience is overpopulation. Wow, didn’t see that one coming. (Implies Sarcasm).  The movie is one way to advertise the problem to the audience to prevent the population from hitting the carrying capacity. Not only has the movie become one of the biggest box office records in the world, it has also succeeded in telling people about this problem. Just look at the online posts, blogs, videos, vlogs trying to debate whether Thanos is actually the good guy and the hero of the movie.

​Good Guy Thanos, 9gag, 2018

​Many may think what Thanos did was a little bit overkill (literally), yet when you look at the facts, the truth maybe even scarier. The significant drop of birth rate is all thanks to the Chinese government doing their job, like Thanos. As we all know, not everyone will obey to rules and regulations. Rumours has spread among the Chinese nation saying that many people who had two or more children during the commence of the policy have either been caught and was forced to choose from one child and execute the other, or they had to hide their second or third child from the government, these children lived without a name nor any record in the world, literally ghosts of this world. Truth or fiction, doesn’t the part where the Chinese government has to force to kill one of the child sound much like what Thanos did?
 
Thanos may be one side of the extreme but we are all walking on a grey area, most of the time we step foot into Thanos’ side of the balance. Wars and horrible government policies are the solid proof that we are not far away from what Thanos is doing.
 
So finally, is the Thanos theory feasible? We know his ultimate goal was to reduce the universe’s carry capacity, in which he succeeded. So technically, that would be a yes. His theory works and does the universe a favour. But whether the way of approach was correct, I’ll leave it to you guys to decide.

​PICTURE 1. Enzyme (from Upadhye, S. P. 2015. Know more your metabolism.)

Nowadays, the use of enzyme is being applied in a broader range of industrial processes. Enzyme application helps to improve the current industrial processes such as in cosmetic products and food processing. The emission of carbon dioxide by the food production in recent time is significantly larger than emission from personal transport. These are strongly influenced by the use of energy in agriculture plus the release of greenhouse gases.
 
In brief, enzymes are protein molecules, which function as particularized catalysts in chemical reaction and can be found in nature and human body. They destroy and create molecules such as nutrients and speed up all important biological processes. Enzymes work in a moderate condition so that it is environmental friendly than most industrial chemicals. Even though they are quite expensive compounds, enzymes can be immobilized and re-used.
 
The applications of enzymes in food industry are numerous and commonly known. Our favorite drink Beer, is one of the first famous products, using enzymes in manufacture. Amylase are vital in brewing beer and liquor, even in bread-making (yeast production) because they catalyze the hydrolysis of starch into sugars. Baby foods cannot be produced without enzyme Proteases. It will pre-digest some of the protein in food so that babies can easily absorb the nutrients. Lipases, a cheap and versatile catalyst which also appear in our saliva, play an important role in yogurt and cheese fermentation. According to Gupta (2004), Lipases can act as biocatalysts in forming fuel from vegetable oil. Some enzymes even take charge of modifying the color of food or beverage during the process.
 
Enzymatic processes are very exclusive, fast and effectively save raw materials as well as chemicals, energy, and water, producing less waste compared to conventional processes. The circumstance of acidification, eutrophication, photochemical ozone formation and land use have been researched to be improved recently with the assistance of potential enzyme technology. The study is using mostly Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as an assessment tool, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is also taken in to consideration (Jegannathan and Nielsen, 2013).
 
In Oxenboll’s and Ernst’s research, they found out that there are significant benefits that we could gain from using enzymes in the food industry. Using the enzymatic process will reduce 44 tons greenhouse gases per 1000 tons refined oil comparing with the caustic process in removing phospholipids from vegetable oil. The increased yield of enzymatic process is the major factor for the amazing results. In the baking industry, enzyme Novamyl (a special Amylase) would help the bread to stay fresh and moist longer. As the consequence, the industry can save money and energy thanks to the decrease in the amount of waste bread. Apart from this, enzymes can also advance the digestibility of animal feed. For example, with using Xylanase for feeding of pigs in all Europe, the carbon dioxide reduction would equal to the emission of nearly 1 million cars, which is about 4 million tons of CO2.
 
The use of enzymatic processes and enzymes is very promising. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimation in 2030, the reduction of 139 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent could be made due to the uses of enzymes in food industry.
 
REFERENCES:
 
Bang, J.K., Foller, A., Buttazzoni, M. 2009. Industrial Biotechnology: More than green fuel in a dirty economy?. WWF. Read on 19/11/2017. http://www.iwbio.de/fileadmin/Publikationen/IWBio-Artikel/WWF_28-10-2009.pdf
 
Gupta, R., Gupta, N., Rathi, P. 2004. Bacterial lipases: an overview of production, purification and biochemical properties. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol.
 
Jegannathan, K. R., Nielsen, P.H. 2013. Environmental assessment of enzyme use in industrial production – a literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production. Elsevier. Volume 42. p228-240.
 
Oxenboll, K., Ernst, S. Environment as a new perspective of enzymes in the food industry. FS&T. Vol 22, issue 1. https://www.google.fi/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwikpo3j2a_XAhXRh7QKHTNBDl4QFgg1MAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.novozymes.com%2F-%2Fmedia%2FProject%2FNovozymes%2FWebsite%2Fwebsite%2Fdocument-library%2FLCAs%2FEnvironment-as-a-new-perspective-of-enzymes-in-the-food-industry.pdf%3Fla%3Den&usg=AOvVaw0KSqzLlqeae_wrTkJBgWhO
 
Shuang, L. 2012. Technology prospecting on enzymes: Application, Marketing and Engieering. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal. Volume 2, Issue 3. Article e201209017.
 
Upadhye, S. P. 2015. Know more your metabolism. Science Domain. Read on 19/11/2017. https://domainofscience.wordpress.com/2015/02/28/know-your-metabolism/
​

Huan Nguyen

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and most beautiful coral reef system in the world located in Coral Sea, Australia. According to a report of Australia Government in 2013, the Great Barrier Reef stretches over 2300 kilometers, covering an area of 344,440 kilometers square, to make the readers imagine how big that would be, that area is bigger than the size of United Kingdom, Switzerland and Netherlands combined, while just slightly smaller than the Baltic Sea. In addition, you can see the Great Barrier Reef from outer space. This area has a very large bio-diversity. The reef is home to 600 types of soft and hard corals, more than 1600 types of fish, 100 types of sharks and rays, 100 types of jellyfish and so on. However, this beautiful gift from Mother nature is at risk of being destroyed due to the consecutive damage from human activities. In these recent years, BBC News reported that two-thirds of the reef damaged in ‘unprecedented’ bleaching. The main reasons for the destruction of the reef are human activities and even from natural causes.

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​PICTURE 1. Beautiful scenery of the Great Barrier Reef (Source: Earth911 & Shutterstock)

Everyday, hundreds of cruises and sightseeing vessels pass through the waters of the reef. According to Marines Insight (2016), even though sailing the ships from the insides of the reef seems to be more dangerous than outsides the reef because the reef is a great obstacle to the ships, sailors tend to choose the dangerous route. They claim that the internal reef structures are good spots to anchor the ship in case of emergency. In addition, the ships docking inside the reef also cause some problems. This action kills many corals, especially the ones that lies under the ships, as they may release a lot of waste that pollutes the ocean. For example, the ships and vessels are covered by Tributyl, a substance used to preserve the hull while Tributyl is very toxic to the corals and other marine species in the ocean.
 
Oil spill is also another threat to the reef. Although the Australian Government have put an act on banning drilling oil on the reef, the oil spill happens occasionally due to shipping accidents and each accident is very destructive to the coral reef. Unfortunately, there have been nearly 300 oil spill incidents happened to the Great Barrier Reef since 1987. For example, in 2010, the Chinese bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 crash itself into the reef, causing massive grounding scar over 3 kilometers in length on the reef. After that, some parts of the reef became uninhabitable for the marine life and experts claim that it should take 10 to even 20 years for the reef to recover, which is too long compare to the rate of destruction of the reef.
 
Australia is well known for its tourism. Each year, millions of visitors come to the Great Barrier Reef to experience the great wonder, bringing a large portion of income for the country. However, tourist tend to be unaware of how their activities can ruin this wonder. Tourism activities to the reef such as tour vessel traveling, reef-walking or even using submersibles are the main factors contributing to the pollution of the ecosystem of the reef due to the emissions of the transportation. In addition, some impolite visitors would throw their litter right into the ocean. To combat this situation, in 1991, the Australia government decides to introduce Eco Tourism Accreditation which includes strict regulations concerning environmental protection. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority only permits tourists operators that obtained this certification. This ensures the tourists can enjoy high quality nature while the Great Barrier Reef is under good protection and management.
 
Industry is an important aspect of development for any country. The industrial activity near the Great Barrier Reef is coal mining, which does not sound eco-friendly already. According to The Guardian, on July this year, the Charmichael coal mine, which is the largest coal mine project of the country has been approved by the Federal and State government as the last regulatory hurdle facing its development has been removed. The news page states that the raw coal from the mines would be another pollutant than other pollutant that is affecting the reef. Coal dust and fragments comes stockpiles, conveyor belts into the water of the reef. This leads to carbon pollution to the environment around the reef and affect all the creatures living there. The increased emission will rise the temperature of the ocean which buffs the coral bleaching that is happening. This is alerting because any dead part of the coral reef dies it cannot recover.
 
As irony as it sounds, even the mother nature has some factors that damages the reef. One of the greatest phenomenon is coral bleaching. Coral bleaching means the corals lose all their beautiful colors and turn to have pale white color. Naturally, the coral reef gets beautiful colors from the algae that is living on them. In 2012, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology explained that the rise of seawater temperature is the primary cause of coral bleaching. As the water get warmer, the corals have to expel their zooxanthellae while the algae cannot survive in such condition so the corals lose their vibrant colors. Furthermore, the disappearance of those algae would cause the death of those organisms use them as a source of food, this results in the destruction of the food chain in the ecosystem. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology suggest other natural events such as tropical cyclones, freshwater inflows or anthropogenic relates to coral bleaching.
 
In general, starfish looks like beautiful creature that adds to the magnificence of the underwater environment. However, not all starfishes are beautiful and friendly, there is a specie of starfish called the Crown of Thorns Starfish which is a predator to the corals. This type of starfish feeds on the polyps of corals, releasing neurotoxin to absorb the coral’s tissue. These starfishes are very dangerous to the coral, according to the Great Barrier Reef website, if there are just more than 30 adult starfish of this specie appear in an area of 10 meters squared, it can be considered as an “outbreak” since they will destroy large portion of coral system. Luckily, the number of Crown of Thorns starfish can be reduced by other predators such as the “Giant Triton”.
 
Overall, although there are surprisingly some factors of nature contributing to the damage to the Great Barrier Reef, the human impact on the reef seems to be more serious. However, since this is our human activities towards the reef, we can change our actions to protect this wonder and recover it back to its former glory. In my opinion, the regulation for tourism operators to protect the environment was a brilliant idea since it mitigated the effect of tourism on the environment of the reef. On the other hand, I would disagree with the approval of the Charmichael coal mine development, as the Great Barrier Reef has been in its worst condition so far, therefore I believe we should not risk the health of the coral reef in trade for the money from the coal mine industry and focus on preservation, protection and recovery of the Great Barrier Reef and its ecosystem instead.
 
References
​
BBC. 2017. Great Barrier Reef: Two-thirds damaged in 'unprecedented' bleaching. Read 16.11.2017. Available at
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-39524196
 
Bureau of Meteorology. 2012. Coral Bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef. Read 17.11.2017. Available at
http://www.bom.gov.au/oceanography/oceantemp/GBR_Coral.shtml
 
Flannery, T. 2014. The Great Barrier Reef and the coal mine that could kill it. The Guardian. Read 16.11.2017. Available at
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/01/-sp-great-barrier-reef-and-coal-mine-could-kill-it
 
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. 2013. Facts about the Great Barrier Reef. Read 15.11.2017. Available at
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/about-the-reef/facts-about-the-great-barrier-reef
 
Great Barrier Reef. 2012. Threats to the Great Barrier Reef. Read 15.11.2017. Available at
http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/information/great-barrier-reef-threats/
 
Greene, L. 2017. Unprecedented Bleaching Leaves the Great Barrier Reef Terminal. Read 23.11.2017. Available at:
http://earth911.com/living-well-being/great-barrier-reef-bleaching/
 
MI News Network. 2016. Threats to the Great Barrier Reef from the Shipping World. Read 16.11.2017. Available at
https://www.marineinsight.com/environment/threats-to-the-great-barrier-reef-from-the-shipping-world/

Hang Nguyen

Nail polish is a common worldwide beauty product nowadays, especially to females and young generation. According to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., the global nail polish market is forecast to reach USD 15.55 billion by 2024, which makes nail polish industry a potentially big industry in the future. Nail polish consisting of enamel/varnish/lacquer is going to be the fastest growing colour cosmetics segment of development of innovative textures and effects. The growing number of professional nail salons, new products and collaborations between manufactures and salons prove. (Nail polish market size… 2017.) However, even considered as a highly beneficial industry, nail polish industry has received negative and positive reviews from users, health experts and scientists in several fields (Turner 2016). Among these, a list of harmful chemicals can be found, especially the ‘toxic trio’ including toluene, dibutyl phthalate and formaldehyde (Quach 2015).
 
Formaldehyde is a colourless, flammable and strong odour gas at room temperature. It is commonly found in building materials, household products, preservatives to fertilizers and nail polish products. It is also a by-product of natural processes and combustion such as cigarette smoke and emissions from fuel burning. (Facts about Formaldehyde.)
 
In outdoor air, levels of formaldehyde are below 0.001 mg/for remote areas and below 0.02 mg/ for urban areas. Meanwhile, in indoor air, the figure for formaldehyde fluctuates from 0.02 to 0.06 mg/. (IARC Monographs volume 88 2006.) When the amount formaldehyde present in air exceeds 0.1 ppm, human beings may suffer from adverse effects including watery eyes, burning sensation in eyes, nose, throat, coughing, wheezing, nausea and skin irritation. Although the acute effects of Formaldehyde are widely accessed, there is not much information about its chronic effects. Laboratory studies in 1980 showed that exposure to Formaldehyde can lead to nasal cancer in rats, which raised the question of it also resulting in cancer in humans. (Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk.) According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in humans after studying the death of seven case-control studies of industrial workers in USA. The organization also found the association between exposure to formaldehyde and the risk of sinonasal cancer after 12 case-control studies. Many studies by this organization also found the link between exposure to formaldehyde and cancers at many parts of the body including lung and brain. (IARC Monographs volume 88 2006.) According to National Toxicology Program, formaldehyde is classified as a known human carcinogen (Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk).
 
In cosmetics industry, it is rather commonly used in water solution form called formalin and methylene glycol than its pure form as a gas (Nail Care Products). Formaldehyde is released in insignificant amounts over a period to preserve the products and expand their usage span with the help of preservatives. Formaldehyde can be found in nail polishes, nail hardeners, eyelash glues, hair gels, makeup, shampoos, lotions and so on. When it comes to nail polishes, the chemical is not used for preservation, but also used as coats to nail and strengthen the surface of brittle or cracked nails. (Mejia 2011.) According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), many nail products that contain harmful ingredients are still on market because these chemicals are toxic when swallowed but not considered as toxic when put on nails. The FDA accepts the level of formaldehyde under 5% in nail polish products (Mejia 2011).
 
In addition to Formaldehyde, the other two chemicals form the ‘toxic trio’, which poses serious health impact on human being, especially on salon workers (Quach 2015):
 

• Toluene: It is a common solvent used for keeping the pigments from separating in the nail bottle as well as making the final finish look smooth on the finger nails. There is possibility that it could have an impact on the central nervous system and result in reproductive problems. (Quach 2015.) According to Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, long-term or repeated exposure to this chemical can lead to skin irritations, hearing loss, nervous system problem related and may harm the kidneys.

 

• Dibutyl phthalate (DBP): It is added to nail polish to avoid fragmenting and increase the usage period (Quach 2015). This chemical was shown to induce proliferation in estrogenic responsive breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and ZR-7 (Dibutyl Phthalate). The phthalates chemical group has received controversial notions since the chemicals are everywhere from food packing, school supplies to cosmetics and so many industries. Researchers recently have linked this chemical group to asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, breast cancer, obesity and type II diabetes, low IQ and the list goes on. (Westervelt 2015.)

 
References:
​
Dibutyl Phthalate. Fact Online Sheet. U.S National Library of Medicine. 05.12.2017 Tampere, Finland. https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+922
 
Formadehyde and Cancer Risk. Fact Online Sheet. National Cancer Institute. 05.12.2017 Tampere, Finland. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/formaldehyde/formaldehyde-fact-sheet
 
Formaldehyde, 2-Butoxyethanol and 1-tert-Butoxypropan-2-ol. 2006. Monographs Online, volume 88, Formaldehyde, chapter 5. International Agency for Research on Cancer. http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/mono88-6E.pdf
 
Gerea, A. Last updated on 03.05.2016. How to see if nail polish is toxic. ZME Science. Read on 05.12.2017. https://www.zmescience.com/science/domestic-science/nail-polish-toxic/
 
Grand View Research, Inc,. 10.2017. Nail polish market size worth $15.55 billion by 2024 | CAGR: 9.5 %. Read on 05.12.2017. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-nail-polish-market
 
Mejia, L. 04.10.2011. Formaldehyde in Cosmetics: What’s the Verdict? Rodale, Inc. Read on 05.12.2017. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/style/formaldehyde-in-cosmetics-whats-the-verdict
 
Quach, T. Last updated on 22.05.2015. How your NAIL POLISH could be damaging your health: Cosmetic contains chemicals linked to fertility problems and cancer, scientist warns. Associated Newspapers Ltd, part of the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Read on 05.12.2017. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3091001/How-NAIL-POLISH-damaging-health-Cosmetic-contains-chemicals-linked-fertility-problems-cancer-scientist-warns.html
 
Toluene. OSH Answers Fact Online Sheets. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). 05.12.2017 Tampere, Finland. http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/chem_profiles/toluene.html
 
Turner, K. 24.08.2016. Is nail polish bad for your health? We asked the experts. Telegraph Media Group Limited 2017. Read on 05.12.2017. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/nails/is-nail-polish-bad-for-your-nails-we-asked-the-experts/
 
U.S. Food & Drug administration (FDA). Nail care products. Read on 05.12.2017. https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm127068.htm#forma
 
United Sates Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Facts about Formaldehyde. Read on 05.12.2017. https://www.epa.gov/formaldehyde/facts-about-formaldehyde
Westervelt, A. 10.02.2015. Phthalates are everywhere, and the health risks are worrying. How bad are they really? The Guardian, Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Read on 05.12.2017. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/10/phthalates-plastics-chemicals-research-analysis

Plastic has been introduced to human life almost 150 years ago. At that time plastic was a derivative from plants and later it was produced in a synthetic form from fossil fuels. Thousands of everyday use objects are entirely or partially made of plastic material: chairs, bags, toys, kitchen devices, cutleries, bottles, etc, because it is durable, light and cheap. But plastic is also one of the generated solid waste which is endangering not only the human health but also aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. According to United Nations, 220 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year. Even though a part is recycled, most of the plastic is buried in landfills. Unfortunately, a dramatic amount of plastic ends in the oceans, where more than 45 000 pieces of plastic can be found floating in one square kilometre. The most common plastic debris found in the oceans or on the beaches is the plastic bottles and their caps used for beverages. The caps are made of a different plastic material than the bottles. They are highly buoyant and degrade slower than the plastic bottles. The UNESCO agency refers that around 100 000 of marine mammals and more than a million of seabirds die because of plastic residues. The powerful images of photographer Chris Jordan showing carcases of seabirds after being chocked to death by the bottle caps, shocked the world eight years ago.
​

​Picture 1. Sea birds chocked to death from plastic debris in oceans. (Photo: Chris Jordan 2009)

Many universities and researching centres are making a broad effort to substitute the source of synthetic plastic with an environmentally friendly recycled material or making it efficiently fully degradable material. A revolutionary material which aims to change the source of plastic production is the alga. Few years ago, the design engineers Rodrigo García Gonzalez and Pierre Paslier from Skipping Rocks Lab of Imperial College in London, introduced their edible beverage packaging called Ooho!. Ooho! is a soft material made of a mix of edible plants and seaweed. The material is suitable for different drinks, water and even cosmetics. The covering Ooho! membrane gives to the drinks a spherical shape easy to swallow. The membrane can be flavoured or coloured. If the Ooho! membrane is not eaten, it can be disposed of in bio-waste. It biodegrades within six weeks and its production requires nine time less energy than the plastic of beverages bottles.
​

Whereas, a year ago, a design student from the Academy of Arts of Iceland, Ari Jónsson, designed an algae-based water bottle. The bottle is made of agar, a powdery substance formed from the red algae Gelidium and Gracilaria. When agar powder is mixed with water it creates a gelatine material. The bottle made of this material will keep its shape as long as it is filled with liquid. When the bottle is emptied, it will start to break down. Jónsson suggests that the bottle is edible, even though the agar taste might not be everyone’s favourite. 

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Picture 2. An algae water bottle designed by Ari Jónsson.
Source:https://www.dezeen.com/2016/03/20/ari-jonsson-algae-biodegradable-water-bottles-iceland-academy-arts-student-designmarch-2016/
​

Innovative ideas such as the above mentioned, promise that the day when the synthetic plastic made of fossil fuels would be a past is approaching. Despite that, there is a long way till the total eradication of plastic from our lives. First, the amount of plastic disposed of in the environment is enormous, and it will take many centuries for it to decompose. Second, there are still many problems to be solved regarding the above-mentioned materials, such as the protection of the product during the transport, their life span in the shops’ shelves, the protection of the liquids from light and heat, the hygienic issue of the water balls, etc. However, these initiatives can be considered as significant steps in tackling the plastic waste and minimizing all the impacts that its components lead to.
 
 
REFERENCES 
Jónsson, A. Agari. Biodegradable water bottle. Read on 17.11.2017
http://www.arijons.com/
 
Knight, L. Business reporter. Released 17.05.2014. A brief history of plastics, natural and synthetic. BBC News. Read on 13.11.2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27442625
 
Morby, A. Released 20.13.2016. Ari Jónsson uses algae to create biodegradable water bottles. Dezeen magazine. Read on 17.11.2017 https://www.dezeen.com/2016/03/20/ari-jonsson-algae-biodegradable-water-bottles-iceland-academy-arts-student-designmarch-2016/
 
Ooho! What is Ooho? Skipping Rocks Lab. Read on 13.11.2017
http://www.skippingrockslab.com/ooho!.html
 
The editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Updated 25.10.2017. Agar. Seaweed product. Encyclopedia Britannica. Read on 17.11.2017
https://www.britannica.com/topic/agar-seaweed-product
 
UNESCO. Facts and figures on marine pollution. Read on 13.11.2017. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/ioc-oceans/focus-areas/rio-20-ocean/blueprint-for-the-future-we-want/marine-pollution/facts-and-figures-on-marine-pollution/

Petri Sihvonen

I was walking in the forest in my childhood scenery. My aim was to find some berries and mushrooms. Instead of these treasures of the Finnish nature I found something disturbing. Bright plastic peeped from the bush. With closer observation I noticed that it was a lemonade bottle from the 80`s. I picked it up and it almost looked brand new. It had been in the forest more than 30 years but natural conditions had not been able to degenerate it. That was an awakening experience for me.   
​
Usage of goods made from plastics have increased rapidly for many years. At the same the amount of plastics found from the nature has increased alertly. Before the age of plastics most of the material was taken from the nature. Natural fibers from plants like cotton, linen, hemp and animal fur and skin and wood were used to make everyday goods. Even though these goods ended up in nature after usage they weren’t lying there for centuries unchanged, but disappeared. Ingredients returned to the nutrient cycle of the nature, they biodegraded.  

Biodegradation: A natural process

Biodegradability is a word that is becoming more and more popular in everyday language and advertisements.  To understand right what is going on we need to carefully study what that fashionable word means. Biodegradation is a natural process. It happens when some material ends up into nature. For example leaves of the trees fall to the ground. There the degradation organisms, bacteria, fungi and vertebrates start to eat dead leaves. Sunlight and water softens and helps break leaves to smaller pieces. Chemical reactions finish the work and soon the leaves disappear. They turn into water, carbon dioxide, nutrients and minerals. Those are then available for the plants to grow new leaves.     
 
The principal sounds simple. Natural material biodegrades itself by nature. Materials that have been made by modifying raw materials chemically or artificially are harder to burn for the degeneration organisms. Like 'that lemonade bottle from the 80`s. It is made of plastic. It was made to be durable, water and air proof. But at the same it was made to resist natural decomposing process. It should not have ended up into nature, but unfortunately it did. That happens more and more often to plastic items. Especially in undeveloped counties. Plastics degenerate slowly and when they do so, they break into very small pieces forming so called micro plastic. Plastics are found everywhere on the earth. It is one of the biggest pollution problems in the world.  
 
Is there hope? 

People and companies are starting to open their eyes and realize that we need to find more environmental friendly options to make and pack our daily products. Biodegradable products are one possible solution to reduce plastic pollution. There are several products made of natural ingredients that can replace plastic ones. For example; Disposable plates and cups can be made of starch. Potato, corn and wheat are the most common sources of starch. (https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1074-potato-plates)  Wooden composites can be used to manufacture packing materials. Companies have a competition on making environmental friendly products, because people value them more. Whoever invents a material that has the same properties than commonly used plastics can have huge advantage in markets.  

Some manufacturers have already started to use the word biodegradable in their advertisements even though the product may not really be biodegradable. To fight against disuse of that word, authorities have developed standards that prove biodegradability of the product. Finnish Standards Association gives standards to products that meet the criteria of biodegradability. (https://www.sfs.fi/en) US authorities have their own certificate system. (http://www.bpiworld.org/BPI-Public/Program.html)  

All of us should reduce use of the plastics and choose biodegradable products. When doing so rely only on certified products.  

References:

Biodegradable Products Institute 2017; http://www.bpiworld.org/BPI-Public/Program.html

Finnish Standards Association 2017; https://www.sfs.fi/en

Science Learning Hub, Published 16 December 2008, Updated 9 February 2017; https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1074-potato-plates

​Soran Faisal Khdr 2013; https://www.slideshare.net/soranrawandzes/biodegradation-59792055 
 

Topi Tanttu

Since the beginning of Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century world’s human population has grown significantly, new cities have been built, new technologies discovered, and the quality of living elevated to a standard, that couldn’t have been imagined before. Now with over 7 billion people on the planet we are about to face a new kind of problem to challenge us, natural resource depletion.

So, what does natural resource depletion mean? To put it simply, humankind is using more resources, faster than the resources can replenish themselves. Examples of such resources are water, oil, deforestation, living- and farming habitats and minerals. There are rough estimations about when some resources are going to run out, for example aluminum, coal and iron are expected to run out within the 21st century as seen in Picture 1. With the constantly increasing population, consumption and building rates this problem is only going to get worse.

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Picture 1. Estimations how long different resources last

Consequences of resource depletion are vast but at the same time hard to predict accurately due to constant development in technology and constantly changing society. As of now the most dire consequences seem to be water- and food shortage, due to lack of freshwater and soil erosion, and the effect that oil and highly used metals such as iron running out, are going to have on global economy and basically everything we take for granted in day to day life. 
 
What to do

Even though it might not feel like it, an individual can do something to ease the depletion rates.

• Recycle

Recycling is one of the most effective things and individual can do to keep the need to mine/drill/gather new material to a minimum.

• Don’t waste

This applied to most things in life. Do not leave tap running while brushing teeth, don’t buy more food than you need and throw rest of it out, conserve electricity and the list goes on.

• Reduce your carbon footprint

Reducing your carbon footprint for example by walking, riding a bike or using public transport instead of using your own car, has an effect to more problems than just resource depletion.

• Affect the opinion of people around you

An individual cannot magically solve this problem on his/her own, what we need is a society which understands the problems we are facing and is willing to work towards a solution. By changing the wasteful ways of some and encouraging indifferent folk to live ecologically, we can make a difference.

Sources:

https://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/

Physical genomics: Combining the exergy and Hubbert peak analysis for predicting mineral resources depletion, Alicia Valero, Antonio Valero

https://www.environment.co.za/environmental-issues/natural-resource-depletion.html

http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/consequences_of_depletion_of_natural_resources

Tran Ngo

​Along with the exploding of the world’s industrialization and modernization, the Earth has to suffer the severe damages of excessive greenhouse gas emission from the industry for economic developments. As soon as people realizes this is a global issue related to the survival of human kind that need strong interests from all countries, the United Nations have decided to fight against climate change globally with the establishment of the world environmental convention.
 
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty entered into forces in 1994 with the mission to bind its member nations to act in the interests of human safety. In particular, its specific goals are to stabilize the greenhouse gas concentrations at the level that the ecosystems can adapt naturally to climate change; to ensure the economic development to proceed sustainably and to prevent the dangerous effects of climate change. 

​(https://politicsofpoverty.oxfamamerica.org/2017/09/a-small-but-important-climate-victory-in-the-senate)

​Till 1995, every year, a conference of the parties (COP) was held to assess the progress of the nations on fighting climate change under the convention. Moreover, during every COP, the member states have a chance to discuss and improve the agreement between the parties and also implement the global supports to climate change activities in developing countries technically and financially. Throughout 23 years of development, there are many advance breakthroughs in the convention and in the way the involved nations act with it.
 
The first remarkable agreement which con be considered as the base for the further development of the Convention was the “Kyoto Protocol”. It was first introduced in 1997 during COP 3 and officially put into force in 2005. In general, Kyoto Protocol worked on the Convention by binding industrialized countries to limit and decrease the greenhouse gases emissions with agreed individual targets. Since the ordinary Convention only inquires the countries to adopt policies, measures on mitigation and to report periodically about the progress on fighting against climate change, Kyoto Protocol is like an additional commitment that forces the countries to put the convention into real actions by setting and following the national targets. Under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities”, Kyoto protocol only binds the developed countries and applies larger burden on them because they have more responsibility for the current excessive amount of greenhouse gases emissions in the atmosphere. The protocol sets binding emission reduction targets up to 5% in compared with 1990 levels within five years period (2008-2012) for about 36 developed countries and the European Union. A rigorous monitoring, review and verification system, as well as a compliance system were established by Kyoto protocol to support the agreement by ensuring transparency and hold Parties to account. Till now, there are 192 Parties signing to the Kyoto Protocol.
 
The other significant agreement reached between the Parties, the latest and also the most innovative one is the “Paris Agreement”. During COP 21 in Paris in 2015, the landmark agreement was reached to intensify the actions and investment to combat climate change. This called “Paris Agreement was opened for signature in April 2016 and entered into force on November 2016. It was the first time that the convention built up to bring all the nations into a common source with the ambitious efforts to fight against climate change globally, to adapt to its effects and to enhance the supports for the developing countries to approach it as well. The core purpose of the Paris Agreement is to empower the global actions to the threat of climate change’s effects by limiting the global temperature rise of this century below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels with the further efforts to bound the increase down to below 1.5 degree Celsius. Moreover, the other aim of the agreement is to intensify the ability of the all countries to cope with the impacts of climate change by appropriate mobilization and provision of financial resources, a new technology framework and enhanced capacity-building from the developed countries to support the developing countries and the most vulnerable countries. An enhanced transparency framework for action and support was also provided by the agreement to purse these ambitious goals. Since then, a total of 170 Parties were ratified this agreement and the world together keeps acting to purse and continuously approach more and more sustainable goals to combat climate change.
 
Nowadays, the world must realize its problems since human activities have been substantially increasing the effect of climate change by rising the global temperature due to the excessive emission of greenhouse gases, which may badly affect the natural ecosystems and human kind. The attitude of each person toward climate change is the core of moving the world better. Hence, the efforts of the United Nations on fighting climate change need to be widely spread and recognized by every person in the world.
 
 
REFERENCES:
 
Climate Get the Big Picture. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Read 20.11.2017. http://bigpicture.unfccc.int/#content-the-paris-agreemen.

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