"Human Sphere" Reflective Response

“As a country’s birth rate begins to decline, more resources can be devoted to providing clean water, medical care including reproductive health, and support for the elderly.” (Robertson, 2017, p. 49)

https://www.worldvision.org/clean-water-news-stories/carrying-water-pain-neck

I feel like this quote alone provides a plethora of information that the world is currently struggling with. Countries are lacking water at an excruciating level. Many people, children included, have to hike for days to carry a singular bucket of water back to their village. Only to turn around and repeat the same process all over again.

Medical care is lacking on so many levels. Women are being pushed into c-sections because it is more costly. People have to visit multiple doctors to get a proper diagnosis. The prices of insulin, chemotherapy, and lifelong medication for transplant patients are more costly than the actual procedures the patients are required to get. People are paying on medical bills until the day they die, because the costs rack up so quickly and they are unable to keep up.

And don’t even get me started on the lack of care for elderly people. There are few laws to protect the elderly, and they are becoming more susceptible to scams and fraudulent crimes. My family has personal experience with this and it’s heartbreaking.

So, my question is this. If resources are becoming more readily available, then why are these things only growing worse by the day? When are things going to actually start improving? When will we not have to look to the future with fear?

Above are the results of my ecological footprint calculated by Footprint Calculator. After going through the results, I'm definitely surprised and feeling a boatload of guilt. I honestly had felt like I was doing my part for the planet, but it's obvious by the two above photos, that is not the case. It gives me a lot of room to think and try to figure out what I can improve on and do better. I know my family has a lot of room to grow too, in this area.

When it comes to things I can do to improve the carbon footprint, I think the biggest thing I can do is carpool and not use my car as much I usually do. I like being independent but there are other ways that I can do that without contributing to the exhaust fumes in the atmosphere. I can ride my bike, walk, or jog. It's a small step but one that will make some sort of progress.

Reference

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and practice. Routledge.

*Photo references are captioned beneath the photos, but here they are, just in case.*

Photo 1: https://www.worldvision.org/clean-water-news-stories/carrying-water-pain-neck

Footprint Calculator: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/en/results/0/facts-figures