Perseverance to Tackle Environmental Problems
by Anonymous
I have always been environmentally conscious due to the environment I grew up in. I was always told “do not litter”, “be careful not to pollute”, or “keep your parks and oceans clean”; however, I never understood the rationale behind these phrases. As I grew up, I gradually began to comprehend the gravity of environmental issues which instigated me to join environmental clubs at my school. Despite that, I got my environmental awakening through my IB Environmental Systems and Societies course and it was crystal clear that I wanted to pursue my studies in Environmental Health. Fast forward three years, I graduated with a BS in Environmental Health and an ongoing history of taking initiatives to mitigate the impact of environmental problems.
To begin with, in the environmental field, taking the time to conduct extensive and intensive research is important. This is because environmental problems can be summarized in Shakespeare’s words, “fair is foul, and foul is fair”, which translates to nothing is as it seems. We may look at the ocean from a distance and become mesmerized by the beautiful scenery in front of us; however, if we take a deeper look into the constituents of the ocean from plastics to hazardous chemicals and substances, then this fascination will quickly turn into fright.
Moving on, for my final year project, I have decided to conduct my research on the effects of climate change on coral reefs. This project taught me the significance of coral reefs to every aspect of life and the value of preserving and protecting them from the adverse effects of climate change, coral bleaching, pollution, and other activities that degrade them. Additionally, it helped me comprehend the urgency of fulfilling the 14th SDG, “Life Below Water”, to protect marine ecosystems from pollution and climate change. This topic became very sentimental to me that I pursued my research on this topic to study the economical aspect of proposed solutions for my environmental economics course. To put it succinctly, what may seem indifferent to us like the ocean and marine life, is in fact important and such issues must not be overlooked. Therefore, fretting out, analyzing, and evaluating the facts and details regarding environmental problems is a massive asset in finding solutions and this can be done through researching.
On another note, I felt that I made a great impact regarding the prevention of the Bisri Dam in Lebanon. After the 14th IBDAA Annual Competition, I had the opportunity to join the GYBN network in Lebanon. This network mainly tackles biodiversity problems in Lebanon and takes initiatives to prevent environmental degradation activities such as deforestation amongst numerous actions that preserve the environment and protect it. Moving on, I contacted a few founding members of the network and suggested we create an informative video about the repercussions of a dam in Bisri that we can circulate across social media platforms. We agreed amongst each other to divide data collection and once all the information is ready, I would assemble them in a video.
In short, the video was a success and many peers and friends contacted me about how impressive and informative the video was. In addition, an acquaintance who was pro-dam changed his mind after watching the video. This experience taught me that vocalizing your concerns and acting, whether the act is small or big, it will always be monumental and impactful.
In summary, we cannot look at environmental problems indifferently and from an outsider’s point of view because they have repercussions on all life on Earth. This substantiates the importance of environmental research and raising awareness about said problems. Moreover, we should not underestimate the efforts and actions we take towards preserving our environment because none of them will go to waste. It does not matter if we act individually or in groups, our actions and efforts to find solutions will always be pivotal. Besides, we should always be perseverant and never give up on and taking action, vocalizing our concerns, spreading awareness, and finding solutions to our environmental problems.
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