Three things you can do to save planet

By Chang H. Kim

“How dare you!”

A few weeks ago, I heard the familiar phrase at the conference. But the speaker was not Greta Thunberg. The phrase was part of the opening remarks of a presenter at a Circular Economy Conference held on my campus in hopes of saving the planet.

On campus today, the phrase “How dare you!” has already become a “healthy meme” and is being used among students. The phrase became even more popular this year due to a speech at the United Nations by 16-year-old Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg.

She emphasized the planetary survival issues facing humanity, such as climate change, thus triggering tweets from U.S. President Donald Trump in response. The young girl's assertive speech caught the attention of media around the world. Thanks (in part) to Trump's tweets, public concentration on the issue of climate change seemed to be higher than ever.

However, as we recognize, it is not easy to hold the public's attention for very long on environmental issues, as there is always a lot of other news that captures our attention. Stories on subjects that excite our interest for a short time, such as political, financial, entertainment and social issues, are put out there in rapid succession by the “establishment” media and spread through social media like wildfire.

People are more likely to consume media that feeds their immediate interests, needs, and benefits. Environmental issues are regarded as “futuristic” stories that have nothing to do with them or with the here-and-now.

However, there is a topic to be dealt with as the question of the hour, not a future problem. And that is the problem of electronic waste, or e-waste. With every technological advance, manufacturers roll out a range of electronic gadgets with state-of-the-art features. The phenomenon is, of course, welcome in that it enhances utility for the consumer.

However, most manufacturers focus only on new product development and on marketing activities that maximize profits and do not pay much attention to a product's end-of-life (EOL) factors and disposal procedures. Moreover, consumers especially lack knowledge of and interest in how to handle EOL electronics.

According to the World Economic Forum, only 20 percent of global e-waste volume is properly collected and recycled, while the remaining 80 percent is often incinerated or dumped in landfills. If e-waste is not treated properly, the toxic and hazardous substances contained therein will severely contaminate the soil and groundwater, which, of course, will eventually endanger human health.

This is not a “futuristic” problem, but a very present and ongoing one that has been being raised for over a decade. Even today, poorly treated e-waste toxins are flowing into the oceans, affecting marine wildlife.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations also sees fish stocks that are contaminated with toxins entering the human food chain, which constitutes a clear and present danger to human health. Absent the unlikely event that humans could live apart from electronics, we all ― especially consumers ― need to take a few small steps to protect our health and save our planet.

First is the resale of EOL electronics. This would facilitate bartering or trading of EOL electronics, using an online platform to trade used goods. By doing so, we can extend the lifespan of electronics slightly, slowing the rate of their entry into the final disposal phase. This also has the advantage of bringing material rewards to both sellers and buyers.

Second, when we dispose of EOL electronics, we should get into the habit of throwing them into an e-waste collection bin. If we develop the mindset that e-waste can be a serious threat to us and the planet, we will be less likely to carelessly dispose of such wastes. Simple. You just have to properly dispose of the EOL electronics in the clearly marked “E-waste Collection” bin.

Finally, if you have bulky EOL electronics, you may consider using a “visiting collection service.” In South Korea, the Ministry of Environment has provided such a service since 2012 and consumers can use the service free of charge. The collected e-waste is formally recycled to increase economic and environmental benefits.

The role of consumers in the correct disposal of e-waste would seem to be sufficiently played by the three efforts outlined above. Other technical, administrative and institutional roles related to e-waste should be assigned to entrepreneurs, academics, business leaders and lawmakers.

Soil and groundwater contaminated by e-waste directly harms the health of you, your family and the planet today. Incineration of EOL mobile phones results in the release of a large amount of the carcinogen dioxin. In fact, the trailer suggesting the end of e-waste has been playing for decades.

If we admit that we cannot reduce man's material desires, at least a little effort on behalf of one's family and one's planet should be exerted. Even with such efforts, however, we may not be able to avoid catastrophe. But if we don't even do that much, we're sure to face a catastrophic ending to life on Earth. Action is needed now to protect your loved ones ― and the environment that sustains them.

So, how do we dare not care about e-waste?

Chang H. Kim (changkim.phd@gmail.com) is a research fellow at the Cairns Institute, Australia. He serves as director of the Korean Association of Human Resource Development in South Korea. He tweets at twitter.com/ChangKIM_PhD.