We don’t
often hear fashion and the earth's spheres being spoken about in the same
sentence. Many of us are completely unaware that the two even relate. However,
the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry. It may shock you to
learn that there is 11 million tonnes of textile waste in the USA alone from us
throwing our clothes away and at the pace we are purchasing fast fashion, we
are consuming 80 billion new pieces of clothing a year. All these garments are
made using water, energy, materials, transportation and physical labor, which
all have a negative impact on the environment. Additionally, over 90% of cotton
is genetically modified, using colossal amounts of water. These are just a few
of the scary facts in the fashion industry.
But what
does all this mean for our earth? Margaret Robertson explains that “earth is a
self-regulating system” and “at the scale of the entire planet there are four
major systems, or spheres.” These are the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere
and biosphere. Although they are all separate spheres they all work together
and impact each other, and when something bad happens in one sphere it
negatively impacts all of them. For example, as the atmosphere gets warmer with
climate change, the hydrosphere, which is all water, heats up as 93% of the
extra heat in the atmosphere ends up in the water. This causes icebergs to
melt, sea levels to rise and water temperatures to become warmer. Furthermore, the
lithosphere, which is all solid earth, is affected as there is an increase in
flooding, and and all life, which is what makes up the biosphere, is left to
live in warmer temperatures, with longer droughts and flooded cities,
potentially forcing them out of their homes.
In terms of
the fashion sustainability we need to be more conscious of the earth's spheres.
Currently the fashion industry is such a large contributor to climate change,
air and water pollution and waste. 17 of the 18th hottest years on record have
occurred since 2001, showing that climate change is only speeding up and each
sphere is continuing to be negatively affected. Knowledge of the damage the
fashion industry is causing is a vital first step to understanding why we must
change current habits and standards. Now it’s time for action.
Image depicting the four spheres and steps we can take to reduce our harm on the planet.
Hello Tiffany & Olivia!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post and learning more about how the fashion industry is related to the earths 4 spheres. The facts you provided really made me realize the huge impact that the fashion industry truly has on our world. I was shocked to learn that we are consuming 80 billion new pieces of clothing a year! That is crazy! As consumers who are pioneering the future, we must make a sustainable change. As you mentioned, this has major affects on the earth and is contributing greatly to the worlds pollution problem. I love the graphic you made! It visually gets your point across and offers helpful suggestions to better our planet. Let’s make a change together!
Hello girls!
ReplyDeleteYour visual is amazing you are very good drawers! It’s represent the 4 spheres and also the negative impacts on the earth. It’s true that only few people are aware that everything is working together and if something happen on the atmosphere it will affect the lithosphere for example. The fashion industry is the most polluting one, we need to do something as soon as possible!
Hey Olivia and Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! I love how you explained how all of the spheres work together, therefore if one is being harmed, then all of them will have a negative impact. The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry and as fashion students, we should take action and try fixing this issue! I also loved your picture and how you show the ways we can help each sphere!
Tiffany and Olivia-
ReplyDeleteFirst I must say, I LOVE your first sentence. “We don’t often hear fashion and the earth's spheres being spoken about in the same sentence. Many of us are completely unaware that the two even relate”. Yahoo! You are right! Who knew?
Also I am delighted you mention Robertson’s book- thank you!
I really like your post and the way you spell out the fashion impacts, then explain the spheres of the planet as well as tie it into the climate details you learned, and then sum it all up in you last paragraph. Well done and nice work on the great sketch that you both created!