Table of Contents
Understanding micro-sustainability
The industrial revolution saw major innovations in the standard of living of millions, and subsequently billions, of people all over the world. This change, however, came at a price. One that can potentially cost us our planet. A few centuries down the line, we have been awakened to the urgency of the reality that something needs to change for the sake of our planet. With this in mind, microsustainability should become a natural option for anyone seeking to protect the earth for future generations.
Microsustainability refers to a collection of minor environmental actions that, when compounded, have a bigger environmental impact. Individual efforts, behavioral and lifestyle modifications, and changes in attitude toward the environment are all part of it. While some people choose to ignore the problem, others believe that radical technological innovation or some heroic development is required before we can achieve meaningful progress in the fight against climate change. The solution to averting a climate disaster is simpler than most people realize. Microsustainability should not be regarded as a distant concept, as it is simply living more sustainably and making sustainable choices daily.
These options are intended to conserve as many natural resources as possible. In the United Kingdom, for example, the average household’s energy consumption is 20,721 kWh/dw. This number could be significantly reduced if more households adopted sustainable habits such as turning off energy vampires and using more energy-saving light bulbs, among other energy-saving practices. This also holds for other areas like water, consumer preferences, etc. It is crucial to remember that micro-sustainability is a multifaceted tool, and as such, other areas like recycling and widespread adoption of renewable energy can all have notably positive effects when adopted by people.
Understanding the true impact of climate change.
Climate change has far-reaching consequences that are growing increasingly aggressive as the climate situation worsens. The repercussions of climate change are becoming more realistic, even for people who may not have grasped how serious the situation was previously. According to the most recent study from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), over 3 billion people face increasing climate change hazards. It is critical to recognize that the effects of climate change disproportionately affect individuals in impoverished countries.
In 2021, Canada saw very unusually high heatwaves of 49.6oC, while Iraq experienced unusually high temperatures peaking at 50oC and was forced to protest power outages due to the harsh weather conditions. Though Canada can prepare for such catastrophic weather, countries such as Iraq lack the capacity to do so. As the effects of climate change become more evident, Europe is facing record-breaking temperatures. In the United Kingdom, hundreds of people perished from heat wave-related circumstances, with temperatures climbing beyond 40oC. With more of Western Europe affected, heat waves are three times as common and four times as extreme as documented over the last 42 years, according to research.
Tipping points are also a cause for serious concern.
Tipping points are critical environmental boundaries that, if crossed, could result in a sequence of potentially irreversible climate disasters. In a previous article, we covered the tipping points in depth and how they affect us. Climatologists have meticulously examined them to warn governments and the public about where we are headed if we do not take control of the current climate predicament. Understanding the reality of how close we are to several tipping points informed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th assessment report. This study showed the possibility of passing certain tipping points between 1oC. — 2oC of warming.
This was cause for concern, as the earth had already warmed by 1.2oC since the industrial revolution.
Tipping points, however, are not an abrupt instance and, in some cases, may be unclear to determine the exact pivotal points. And while some of these tipping points may take a few decades to be breached, if there is no sustainable change in the way things are done, we can create a reinforcing feedback loop that can have immediate and long-term consequences. An example to observe is wildfires, which have become more intense with rising global temperatures, The worsening temperature feedback leads to even more frequent wildfires.
With increased individual micro-offsetting, we can see a significant impact in the right direction. Governments and corporate organizations are already involved in macro-sustainability, which agrees on consensuses such as the 2015 Paris Agreement by 196 countries to aim toward keeping global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius. And the active promotion of ESG-compliant enterprises, as well as a visible shift in capital and resources towards these enterprises. We can see a significant impact in the right direction with increased individual micro-offsetting.
One of the most dangerous tipping points: the Amazon Rainforest.
The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest rainforest, and climatologists and scientists are raising the alarm that it could be teetering on the edge of a very dangerous tipping point, one that could transform the rainforest into a savanna. The effects of this will be on an unfathomable scale. Some major propelling factors that have consistently driven the Amazon forest closer to its tipping point are rising global temperatures and deforestation. Both of which have had an equally large negative impact.
The Amazon rainforest holds roughly 90-140 billion metric tons of carbon, playing a very vital role in carbon sequestration on the planet. With rising global temperatures and extremely dry seasons commonly referred to as El Niño, the Amazon rainforest can release all of that carbon into the atmosphere as wildfires are considerably more intense than they used to be years ago. A 2021 study showed that the Amazon rainforest is already releasing more carbon dioxide than it is supposed to be sequestering.
Deforestation has a direct impact on the amount of rainfall produced within the Amazon forest. As weather patterns shift from east to west, the trees make their rain, but as more trees are felled, less moisture is produced in the forest, while climate change causes an increase in heatwaves and wildfires. These actions have such a significant influence on the Amazon forest because they establish a feedback loop. As more trees are cut down, more CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere, resulting in less rain and longer and significantly hotter dry seasons.
In 2018, climatologists, via various studies and simulations, showed that the Amazon forest could potentially cross its tipping point at around 20–25 percent deforestation. This is cause for concern, seeing as 17% of the rainforest has already disappeared, begging the question of just how much time we have before we reach a point of irreversible damage to the rainforests.
Micro-Offsetting Solution: Rainforest Tokens are a global disruptive solution for rainforest preservation.
The Rainforest Tokens (RFTs) significantly tackle the limitations associated with micro-sustainability, making it easy to protect this endangered rainforest land. On top of that, it allows Rainforest Tokens’ owners to have a sustainable identity while also having a verifiable positive impact. This enables everyone, from large businesses down to individual levels worldwide, to offset their carbon footprint while also showcasing their positive impact. It addresses critical issues that have proven to be impediments to adopting a sustainable identity and the lack of accessibility for individuals in our day and age.
- Rainforest tokens are accessible.
The rainforest token is designed to be easily accessible. Using blockchain technology, which is known for being decentralized and available to any person or entity on the planet, Rainforest Tokens allow anyone to have a real positive ecological impact by owning the reason that a piece of the Amazonian rainforest is conserved. This includes CO2 sequestration and the preservation of natural biomes, among others. All of this is made possible by owning an RFT, which anyone, anywhere, can simply purchase.
- A sustainable token with quantifiable impact.
The Rainforest Token’s immediate and measurable positive impact is an intriguing feature. Each token has verifiable statistics supporting the quantity of CO2 sequestered per token as a result of the diligent research conducted by conservation specialists. An innovation step in the transparency of sustainable alternatives. The rainforest token has a positive impact that isn’t arbitrary or false. Its impact can be verified by using the Rainforest Explorer. An interface that shows conserved areas in real-time.
Conclusion
Micro-sustainability at a significant level can be achieved when more and more individuals adopt a sustainable identity and can actively show that off. As more people begin to understand that it is a collective responsibility, we can easily anticipate a rapid adoption, especially in the 21st century when technology is bridging gaps that used to be hindrances to the mass mobilization toward sustainable change.
