Recycling 101: Recycling And Global Warming

As time goes on and the opposing sides in the global warming debate become more entrenched, it becomes expected of you that you will pick a side. While one side will accuse you of killing the planet, the other will accuse you of aiding and abetting a scam which is designed to empty our pockets and serve the interests of a sinister green lobby. It is hardly surprising that many people simply choose to conscientiously object. But let’s say we agree that global warming is man-made. How can recycling prevent it from getting worse?

Well, when we create the materials that recycling is most concerned with – paper, plastic, glass and others – this process is done in the main by burning fossil fuels. Natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline are all required in part to drive this process. When we burn fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is released into the environment and it is believed that carbon dioxide is one of the major contributors to global warming.

Put simply, recycling materials takes less energy than creating them from scratch, as they have already been through the major change required to create them. This means that we don’t need to use as many fossil fuels, and we stand less chance of contributing in any way to global warming.

It is easy to see why some people would have their doubts about global warming – that it is happening at all, and that it is being created by humans. However, the scientific consensus certainly leans towards global warming being man-made, and given that recycling is cost-effective, it makes sense to hedge your bets.