Humanity Itself Has Become a New Kind of Supervolcano
Volcanoes
Life could not have started without Volcanoes; they were the first supplier of Carbon Dioxide on the earth. Carbon Dioxide is essential for our internal respiration. “For the past 10,000 years, its presence in our atmosphere has suited life perfectly. Its greenhouse properties have kept our lifes stable and warm” If it was not for carbon dioxide our earth’s oceans would be frozen solid! “it is the foundation of Life”.
However, too much carbon dioxide will “upset our earth's long ecological balances”. Maintaining this balance allows the planet to remain hospitable. If this balance is disturbed, the air we breathe can become poisonous to us, other living species, our atmosphere and our planet.
The New Kind of Supervolcano
“Humanity itself has become a new kind of supervolcano”. Every year we release 100 times more carbon than all the earth's volcanoes combined. According to a decade-long study, humans release 100 times more CO2 in a year than all the volcanoes combined. We are unable to control volcanoes however, we can limit how much carbon dioxide that we produce.
Now more than ever have we seen announcements to tackle this climate emergency. The government announced the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. The NHS are committed to reducing their emissions to net zero, and to become the world’s first “net-zero” national health service.
Your Carbon Footprint
Everybody has a carbon footprint this is the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere from our everyday activities. The majority of our carbon comes from housing, food and transportation. You can start to look at how much carbon you release by using a carbon footprint calculator. This calculator gives you an estimate of how much carbon companies produce. From this information, you can look at ways to reduce your carbon footprint. These changes no matter how small have an impact.
““There will still be time to restore the ecological balance that once made this earth our perfect planet.””
Sir David Attenborough
This Month Sir David Attenborough addressed his concern as a member of the public to the Prime Minister and Security Council regarding the climate issue that we face. While we cannot go back in time Sir David Attenborough highlighted in his speech that “our earth now contains concentrations of carbon dioxide that have not been equalled for millions of years”. These actions if not acted upon could cause dynamic changes to the younger generations, as they will be the ones that have to live with the consequences. The full video can be found here.
Get in touch to find out how you can get involved with the NHS Sustainability Partnerships Day of Action