Rotary & the Environment

Rotary International is committed to supporting activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources, advance ecological sustainability, and foster harmony between communities and the environment. Rotary strives to empower communities to access grants and other resources, embrace local solutions, and spur innovation in an effort to address the causes and reduce the effects of climate change and environmental degradation.

Following the COP 26 in Glasgow, our Environment Team picked out a few areas for us all to consider. Please think what differences you can make.

1) OVERPOPULATION:

Problem: Now forecast to be 8 billion within the next year against 2.6 billion in 1951 – United Nation stats.

Mitigation: Reduce fertility rates from the current 2.5 births per female to 1.9 – the sustainability figure.

2) GLOBAL CARBON FOOTPRINT:

Problem: Increasing year on year at a % rate even higher than the increase in population. Solution:

Mitigation: Cut back severely on the main culprits (leisure activities involving travel, heating and meat eating) and use companies who are genuinely trying to become as green as possible.

3) POLLUTION OF OCEANS:

Problem: Over 90% of the oxygen we breathe comes from marine plankton which has been halved since 1951.

Mitigation: Tighter control of waste water disposal and elimination of as much plastic as possible.

4) DEFORESTATION:

Problem: An area the size of Wales is being lost every year from the Amazon rain forest alone. Mitigation: Stop the massive deforestation which is primarily to provide more land for animal rearing.

5) SPECIES LOSS:

Problem: 68% of the planets flora and fauna have been placed on the endangered list since 1971.

Mitigation: Create as many rewilding sites as possible to allow increased habitat and pollination with insects and flora being at the bottom of the wildlife food chain.

6) EMISSION OF METHANE FROM ANIMALS:

Problem: Hugely increased animal husbandry for meat consumption by man has led to a large increase in release of methane to the atmosphere.

Mitigation: Severely cut back on meat eating.

7) POWER OF ADVERTISING:

Problem: TV/newspapers/ internet sites/ public transport/ billboards are constantly bombarding us to buy, buy, buy. This excessive materialism is unsustainable.

Mitigation: All of us must reduce our rampant consumption of “stuff”. REDUCE/REUSE/RECYCLE