Today, we were given the opportunity to talk to 8th grade students at a local school about waste management. We were asked questions about our current systems in the US and how we deal and process waste and recycle plastic. It was a really interesting time to think about my country and the current systems that are being implemented, but also to be able to compare it to those of India. We were also forced to recognize the successes and failures with our current ways. I learned a lot through this question and answer format. For instance, here in India, they currently have no way to properly dispose of electronics, so their electronic (and very toxic) waste goes the same place everything else does. Also, when we asked the children about climate change, what they know about the subject, and if they are aware of it's causes and effects, their answer was as follows.
"We treat our earth very poorly and so climate change is the earth's way of revenge for how we've been treating it."
A very interesting perspective from such a young and educated child. Undeniably, this is exactly what we wanted to hear, but it is so interesting to see what these children think and believe. Especially being in India, the effects of climate change are much more prominent. In the US, common effects that we might see are less snowfall, or maybe 2 or 3 degree changes in the weather. Contrastingly, in India, their monsoon (which still has yet to fully hit) is later this year than it has been in more than 100 years. Many nearby towns and cities face horrible drought, and have to have daily or weekly water cuts. Climate change has a huge impact on India, especially because so many people are effected by it. 58% of the population still depends on agriculture for their livelihood.
"We treat our earth very poorly and so climate change is the earth's way of revenge for how we've been treating it."
A very interesting perspective from such a young and educated child. Undeniably, this is exactly what we wanted to hear, but it is so interesting to see what these children think and believe. Especially being in India, the effects of climate change are much more prominent. In the US, common effects that we might see are less snowfall, or maybe 2 or 3 degree changes in the weather. Contrastingly, in India, their monsoon (which still has yet to fully hit) is later this year than it has been in more than 100 years. Many nearby towns and cities face horrible drought, and have to have daily or weekly water cuts. Climate change has a huge impact on India, especially because so many people are effected by it. 58% of the population still depends on agriculture for their livelihood.
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