Greenhouse gas production
Climate change is undoubtedly the most immediate and exigent threat facing our planet today. And the major proponent of climate change is the constant emission of greenhouse gases into the earth's atmosphere. Emissions are causing a thick blanket of gas to build up in the troposphere, effectively trapping heat from the sun inside earth's atmosphere and preventing it from ever leaving. While scientists are actively working on solutions aiming to dissolve this thick layer and solve this problem, we can also take action in our daily lives. Although the average person doesn't have the resources to actively shrink the gaseous layer in our troposphere, they absolutely do have the power to stop adding to it. We all have that power. It may not seem significant, but every single ton of gas emitted into our atmosphere truly does make a difference, contributing to earth's rising temperatures, the downfall of agricultural productivity, people and animals losing their homes and habitats, and far, far more.
The two most abundant gases composing this blanket in our troposphere are methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide(CO2). When food is disposed of traditionally, via trash cans that are sent to a landfill, scraps biodegrade anaerobically, meaning without oxygen, and release tons and tons of methane. Methane released by food waste in landfills makes up about 58% of the methane released worldwide, making it one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions... while it's also one of the most avoidable (EPA).
When food waste is delivered to a composting site instead of a landfill, it decomposes aerobically, meaning with oxygen, and does not produce any methane at all. And this food waste does something spectacular at compost sites... it naturally recycles itself. When food scraps are piled together and rotated or frequently moved, (as they are at compost sites to ensure efficient decomposition) they eventually become soil... extremely healthy, nutrient rich soil, which can be used as fertilizer. And when this soil is donated or sold to local farmers and farms (as it so often is at compost sites), this soil can be used to grow exceedingly healthy plants, which, through photosynthesis, absorb carbon dioxide, preventing yet another greenhouse gas from entering the troposphere.
Composting, through preventing both major greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere, has a huge impact on the blanket of gas building up in the troposphere, limiting its growth exponentially. Composting is an amazingly simple way to improve the earth's health and protect our planet from climate change. Everyone can do it, and we all should. Getting a composting program started at your school is a fantastic way to combat climate change in your own community!