Environmental Abuse: A Different Kind of Epidemic Alex Gieske

Introduction When people think of epidemics they typically think of a disease of some sort, which makes sense since the primary definition of an epidemic is “a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.” However the secondary definition is “a rapid spread or increase of something.” With this project I am looking to explore a different type of epidemic; the environmental epidemic that our planet is facing. It it all about perception; people might not consider the environmental crisis were facing to be an “epidemic” because it isn’t a disease, however I whole heartedly believe it should be regarded the same way. Many people are not aware of this encroaching epidemic at all.

Disease in the Media Disease in the media is always represented in a bit of a funny way. The media always seems to represent plague in a hysterical sort of way. Take the most recent Ebola scare: planes were bring grounded, travel to and from west Africa was being halted, airplane cleaners were going on strike, etc. Mass hysteria seemed to ensue from the “threat” of ebola when in reality the risk of the outbreak actually spreading at a major scale was still quite low. I understand the fear. It’s a deadly disease. That Mr. Duncan died in a Dallas hospital made it that much more dramatic. Even though it doesn’t spread easily, not remotely as easily as the flu, it’s scary. But to me the real issue is that the growth of the disease continues in West Africa—it’s worse today than it was last week. To the extent that it doesn’t get stamped out, it will continue to pose risk to the rest of the world. But aside from the horrendous tragedy in West Africa, we’ll continue to see Ebola patients just once in a while here in the U.S.”-Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH I understand that disease and epidemics of such severity like ebola are scary, but why does the media choose to represent them in this way? Does the media enjoy inciting hysteria?

The Environment in the Media The environment has always been represented differently than disease has been in the media. The Environment is almost never covered on big news stations like fox, NBC, CNN, etc. In order to find information on the environment, and accurate information at that, you have to search for private organizations that work to protect the environment. (like national geographic and what not.) Why might this be? Do big media outlets not see the environmental disaster that is ensuing as dangerous? I understand that disease and epidemics them self are scary as well, but I think that people would be equally as scared and uneasy if they knew about the environmental crisis we have on hand.

The Truth of the Epidemic The truth is, our planet is dying, and at an alarming rate. Whether people choose to acknowledge it or not, the impact that the people are having on our planet is incredibly destructive and is immensely harmful to our future and even our health. What people don’t understand is that if we do not change our ways and continue to consume at the rate at which we are, there wont be much of a future for our planet.

Environmental Statistics 110 Million Americans live in such high levels of pollution the government considers them to be harmful to their health Over one hundred billion plastic bags are thrown away every year with only 1% of them making their way into a recycling bin Up to one half of plant and animal species could go extinct by the year 2050 due to global warming. Scientists estimate that at the current rate of resource depletion, the earth will only be able to sustain a population of about 2 billion people by the year 2100. The current world population is over 7 billion. 84% of the waste that is produced by households is recyclable. In the United States alone we generate 56 TONS of waste per person per year, 95% of which is deposited into already overflowing landfills. The typical U.S household uses about 300 gallons of water per day. California has less than a year left of fresh water. Oxygen starved “dead-zones” in oceans that are completely incapable of supporting life now cover as much area as the state of Oregon.

Statistics Cont. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, 2 barrels of oil, 4100 kilowatts of energy, 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, and 60 pounds of air pollution. However most of waste goes directly into landfills. One in four mammals is at risk for extinction At least 50 million acres of rainforest are chopped down each and every year Average temperatures will increase by at least 12 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to be produced and continue rising at the current rate If every country in the world lived like the average American, we would need FIVE planets just to sustain all of our resource use Less than 1% of the worlds freshwater is currently available for human consumption Every day in the United States we produce enough waste to equal the weight of the Empire State building

Survey As a part of my project I included a survey which asked respondents questions about their thoughts on the environment and the how they felt the environment was represented in the media. Every respondent said that they felt that the environment was in danger and that they were at least somewhat concerned about the state of our environment. Many said that they did hear about the environment in the news somewhat often to often as well, which I found interesting.

Survey Analysis What these results told me is that people are concerned about the state of our environment and are aware of the epidemic approaching. What is interesting however is that people do not seem to be DOING anything about it. One would think that if people are actively concerned about a situation, they would make efforts to try and improve their situation. I believe that people do not do anything about the environmental epidemic simply because they don’t know any better or are too lazy to make changes in their behavior.

What Can We Do??? There are an overwhelming number of things that we as a planet can do to help combat environmental damage and promote sustainability. Recycling (everything that you can!), shopping local, reducing emissions by walking/biking and using energy efficient appliances and light bulbs, stop use plastic bags, grow a garden, conserve water, plant a tree, adjust your thermostat, donate items don’t throw them away, don’t purchase more than you actually need, create a compost pile, etc. There are so many SIMPLE things people can do that can really have drastic changes on the health of our environment.

Things that CAN be Recycled This list doesn’t even begin to complete everything that can be recycled but: Newspapers, magazines, white and colored office paper, tissue boxes, books, pizza boxes, brown paper bags, aluminum foil, metal pots and pans, clear, green, brown, and blue glass, beer and wine bottles, all plastics with the numbers 1-7 located on them, milk jugs, soap bottles, deli- style containers, Tupperware plastic containers, plastic grocery bags, CDs, ink cartridges, televisions, cellphones, a wide variety of other electronics, etc. Just to name a few…

Time I think that time plays an interesting role in the perception of the environment as an epidemic versus disease as an epidemic. Environmental issues move way slower than an microbiological epidemics which is why I believe that people always associate epidemics with disease. Environmental epidemics are often not noticed first hand or are fully fledged for years and even centuries. I believe that if people focused more on the future, and not just everyday life, that they would realize the severity of environmental abuse and would try harder to curtail it.

Conclusion What I really want people to take away from this project is a new found sense of knowledge. Unfortunately much of the damage that has been done is already done, however we can still as a planet change our ways and start using our resources more responsibly. I don’t want this project to downplay the severity of disease and plague that can happen in our society, but I want people to recognize that the things I have stated in this presentation have the ability to damage society and the world’s population just as badly, if not worse, than any microbiological plague or epidemic we may ever encounter. It is all about representation: disease epidemics and environmental epidemics are represented and perceived very differently. If people were more properly educated on environmental matters I think it would drastically change the way people think about the term epidemic and representations of epidemics in the media.

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