ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, RECYCLING, AND CLIMATE CHANGE THESIS STATEMENT
Keywords:
Key Words: Climate change; greenhouse gas emissions; environmental degradation; circular economy; recycling; resource depletion; biodiversity loss; sustainability; renewable energy; Paris Agreement; planetary boundaries; waste management.Abstract
Annotation:This paper examines the escalating severity of global environmental
problems—most critically climate change—driven primarily by anthropogenic
greenhouse gas emissions. It explains the interconnected challenges of resource
depletion, pollution, and biodiversity loss, while emphasizing the centrality of climate
change as a planetary crisis. The study evaluates the role of recycling and the circular
economy as essential but insufficient responses within a broader sustainability
framework. Through analysis of contemporary scientific assessments and
international reports, including those of the IPCC, UNEP, OECD, and the Ellen
MacArthur Foundation, the paper argues that recycling and resource-loop systems
can significantly reduce environmental pressure but cannot independently resolve the
climate crisis. The conclusion stresses that meaningful progress requires an urgent
global transition to renewable energy, strong governance, systemic economic reform,
and a collective societal shift toward sustainable consumption. Only a coordinated,
holistic strategy can prevent irreversible ecological and socioeconomic consequences
for humanity.
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