Earth Day: Protect Our Species

general 22 April 2019

Earth day is upon is! Every 22nd April, Earth Day brings light to environmental issues that are happening across the globe.

Earth Day is upon us!

Every 22nd April, Earth Day represents the anniversary of the modern environmental movement, starting in 1970. This brings light to environmental issues that are happening within world-topics that were deemed as 'ignorant' at that time. Every year focuses on a particular matter and 2019 does not differ. This year's theme is named 'Protect Our Species'. This concentrates on endangered animals such as: insects, elephants, giraffes and whales. Although the logistics sector arguably has little correlation to these species, it is important to waver how we impact the environment.

Industry impact on the climate

Global warming is a continuous concern in the realms of climate change. Transportation exhausts are responsible for 13% of greenhouse gas emissions; the third biggest producer of these gases in the world. These emissions largely comprise of fossil fuels burnt for air, marine, rail and road transportation. The modern lorry or trucks are the second biggest producers of Co2 for shipping of goods, producing 60-150g per metric ton of freight and per km of transportation. Therefore, it is important to understand these implications as a sector.

Governmental policies

In recent years, governments have put into place various policies to help with the damage globalisation has caused. This includes the UK putting a 5p price tag on plastic bags in supermarkets to reduce plastic wastage in October 2015. Furthermore, waste policies being introduced in 2011 in order to come to a "zero waste economy". Even campaigns such as 'Veganuary' have risen to record highs, reducing meat intake, the largest contributor to greenhouse gases. This is due to the release of methane.

Attributable to the intensity the trucking industry has on the environment, there are new guidelines coming into place in order to reduce emissions, optimistically set to undo and reduce environmental damage. Recently, there has been an announcement the EU plans cuts of 30% of Co2 emissions. This is a provisional agreement regarding commercial trucks. It is unsure whether this will affect UK companies due to the uncertainty of Brexit, and how these policies will affect our government. However, it is best to watch out for these guidelines and act accordingly.

In conclusion

With Earth Day upon us, it is important to understand the environmental issues there are within the world. Moreover, how the societal sectors that contribute to this. Emissions in the air have a clear correlation to greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. In conclusion, our contribution to policies the government puts in, is paramount to help the world turn into a much greener place for the generations to come.

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