First speaker: First of all, recycling prevents the climate change through reducing carbon dioxide emission, which is one of the main causes of greenhouse effect. By using already existing products the demand for the new ones decreases. It may seem that the action of an individual may not make a change, but the whole society has an influence over sectors like industry or trade, which have a negative impact on the environment. This is why mandatory recycling is one of the first steps towards stopping climate change. Second of all recycling helps to reduce the amount of litter in the environment. One of the global issues is the enlarging pacific Gyre. By thorough education and obligatory recycling, we can lessen the scale of this phenomenon. Lastly the recycling reduces the use of natural resources. Our planet is not an infinite source of materials, it is widely known that in future the deposits of lead or iron may disappear. Therefore, to prevent such outcome we need to introduce compulsory recycling, which will shift the focus to use of already extracted materials.

Second speaker: Why should we recycle? Recycling helps us

• Reduce the usage of natural resources

  1. By that, it decreases the need for producing tools and machines needed for

their extraction

• Restrain the growth of the extraction areas

  1. Care for the environment

  2. Prevents leached soils

  3. Natural green lands preserved

• Lower the amount of litter in the green spaces

  1. They contaminate the soil

  2. They threaten the animals and organisms living in the soil

Fourth speaker: To summarize our point of view, recycling is a crucial factor in fighting the climate change. Firstly, by reusing already created products we reduce the carbon dioxide emission, which is the result of production. It may seem to a lot of people that actions of a single individual may be insufficient, but when we look from the wider perspective, if the demand for new products will drop, sectors of industry and trade will be “forced” to reduce production and the carbon dioxide emission. Secondly, recycling enables to reduce the amount of litter in the environment, through reusing the already existing things and giving them a second life. Therefore, mandatory recycling and widespread education would reduce the appearance of phenomenon like Pacific Gyre and overall quantity of garbage in the nature. Thirdly, our planet does not have unlimited resources, to prevent their depletion we should focus on using already extracted materials in the most efficient way. Summing up, all mentioned arguments stand for implementing obligatory recycling, because it is the only way to take action on such a great scale.

First speaker: The first of my group's arguments is that recycling is not convenient. It requires a great deal of time that some people just don't have. Moreover, segregating rubbish requires a large amount of space in the place of residence. A large proportion of the people living in flats have relatively small apartments and do not have space for many different trash bins. It is an absurd idea to require from them to devote some of their living space to the storage and sorting of rubbish.

Second speaker: Our next argument is the concept of one’s freedom. According to the ideology of liberalism, people should do whatever they want, as long as it does not limit the freedom of another person. Not segregating the rubbish in no way restricts the freedom of other people. In our opinion, recycling should be a voluntary choice of every human being, and the unwillingness to do it should not be penalized in any way.

Fourth speaker: It is common to see that people who are forced to do something become even more discouraged from doing it. The mere segregation of waste will not lead to a drastic improvement in the condition of the Earth that we humans caused. In our opinion, enforcing laws on citizens can only take away people's willingness to take care of the planet. However, if we focus on educating the public, it will bring much more beneficial results. People will then understand the whole idea of environmental protection and will be able to make environmentally friendly decisions themselves, including those about waste segregation. In our opinion, citizens should understand for themselves that recycling is an activity that does not require great sacrifices, and contributes to the improvement of the condition of our planet. In conclusion, we believe that we should focus on better education about ecology instead of introducing regulations on this subject, which may be counterproductive.

+ additional argument: As an additional argument, our group would like to highlight the unavailability of recycling for some people. As we know, in order to segregate rubbish, we not only have to buy additional bins that not everyone can afford, but also pay for more frequent garbage collection. Our state does not provide these things in advance. In addition, even if one might not be able to recycle, we believe there should be public segregation bins available. Without providing resources for recycling, we cannot assume that all residents will voluntarily take the initiative to recycle their waste.

Everyone is a consumer, but very often we do not consider the environmental effects of the products we buy. For example, many do not realize how damaging mass consumption of meat is.

Livestock farming is a major contributor to global warming. 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of meat and dairy products. Replacing forests with pasture and arable fields for feed production, the use of agricultural machinery, the steps involved in the process of production of meat and dairy products themselves - i.e. storage, packing and distribution - cause the emission of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. In addition, methane from fermenting food in the animals' intestines and nitrogen from fertilizers, is emitted during the breeding of cattle.

Vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more and more popular around the world, not only due to the unethical killing of animals for food but also due to environmental considerations. A 2018 IPCC report explained that if everyone around the world would adhere to a vegan diet, then the emission of greenhouse gases would decrease by 8 gigatonnes a year, and the mere reduction in consuming meat and dairy products - by more than 5 gigatonnes a year.

Of course, the problem of consumerism does not only involve the large consumption of meat, we should also focus on buying the products that we actually need in our everyday life. If we want to buy something for pleasure, we should ask ourselves if that one thing will make us any happier. Maybe we only want to buy it because it is popular or cheap. If we are aware that the product will be only used once, we should consider borrowing it instead of buying it, and products such as furniture or clothes could be bought at second-hand shops.

The lifestyle of every single person affects global warming. Of course, being a more aware consumer and buying smarter will not stop climate change suddenly. But by showing that an environmentally friendly lifestyle is rewarding, we are setting an example for others, and we are better off with a clearer conscience.

We shouldn't also forget that the responsibility for climate change mainly lies with large energy concerns and large companies. We can still influence their functioning, as more people start to buy more consciously and limit their meat intake. Eventually, it will not be profitable for large enterprises to use production methods that are harmful to the environment. And, perhaps it will force them to create more sustainable ways for production.

In order to produce a cotton shirt, 3000 L of water is required. This is how much one person drinks in 3 years. Cheap "fast fashion" is expensive - it comes at the expense of people and the environment.

Imagine this situation. You're browsing the website of your favorite clothing store - the long-awaited mid-season sale is now underway. You put into the basket all the clothes that catch your eye. Now answer yourself: have you ever looked at the material composition of the T-shirt or pants you buy? Have you ever wondered where they come from and how they are produced? Have you ever thought about the conditions under which people who sew these clothes day by day work?

Fast and cheap

Fast fashion is, according to the definition from the Cambridge dictionary, "clothes that are made and sold cheaply, so that people can buy new clothes often" In other words, fast fashion is simply a mass production of clothes, often inspired by the designs of famous designers (or even small businesses that are just starting their careers) and launching them on the market within just a dozen days from the presentation of the original. Moreover, these clothes are of very low quality due to their low price. They often last only for a few months, and then they can only be thrown away.

Most of the so-called chain stores that we can find in shopping centers, including H&M, Zara (and other Inditex stores, such as Bershka), Reserved, and recently the very popular shopping website, SHEIN. Additionally, the fast fashion industry also includes some brands from the so-called "Higher shelf" such as Tommy Hilfiger, Guess or Calvin Klein.

The cost of a regular t-shirt

At the moment, the textile industry, to which fast fashion belongs, is responsible for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Of course, other industries, such as the fuel and energy industry, are also responsible for today's air pollution, but it is much easier for us to give up buying the fifteenth T-shirt than driving a car or heating a flat.

I mentioned the T-shirt on purpose because I want to use it as an example. It is estimated that up to 3,000 L of water should be used to produce one, ordinary, cotton T-shirt. For comparison, this is how much water one person drinks in 3 years. The T-shirt also needs to be colored, which requires the use of toxic chemicals that then end up in the ocean. In this way, fashion produces almost 20% of global water pollution, which is harmful to both humans and the marine environment. In addition, there is transport from distant sewing factories, often located in Bangladesh or Vietnam, to Europe. The longer the road, the greater the carbon footprint that goes to the account of the unaware consumer of fast fashion - according to data in 2015, only in the EU the carbon footprint of clothing consumption amounted to 195,000,000 tons of CO2.

Thousands of cheap hands to work

Fast fashion drives the dangerous mechanism of consumerism. Manufacturers introduce new clothes to their collections, in some cases even every week, which they adapt to current trends. Thousands of hands are needed to produce clothes on time. In most cases, employees do not receive a living wage for their work. For example, employees in Ethiopian sewing factories earn only $ 26 per month (i.e. about PLN 110). Workers are forced to work up to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Due to their low wages, they cannot refuse to work overtime. Many of them would be fired if they refused to work beyond their already long "job".

In addition, in the workplaces maintained by the fast fashion industry, there are often conditions that do not meet any, even basic health and safety rules, as shown by the collapse of sewing factories in Bangladesh, which resulted in the death of 1,134 workers. Moreover, it turned out that employees often work without ventilation, inhaling toxic substances such as fiber dust, and accidents, fires, damage, as well as mental abuse of employees are something casual.

Let’s limit fast fashion!

Finally, the question remains - do we really want to support "fast" fashion? Probably many people answered "no", but then where to shop? How to limit your influence on the development of fast fashion? Fortunately, in the 21st century, we have many ways to reduce or even eliminate the presence of this type of fashion in our lives. One of the solutions is shopping in second-hand shops or in the recently popular app - Vinted. Both of them provide access to completely unique clothes or jewelry at affordable prices, although we can also often find fast fashion products there. However, they are mostly of very good quality, so you don't have to throw them away after the first wash.

When buying new clothes, it is also worth checking their material composition. It's best to look for garments that do not contain polyester as this is the most polluting factor. Personally, I would also recommend the "Good on You" app, which works like a store finder and rates them based on three criteria: the use of animal products, treatment of employees and how the production of a given brand's clothes affects our planet.

Nowadays it is not easy to give up following trends, because we are bombarded with them from all sides - on the Internet, television or social media. It is natural that we want to look good and feel that way, but we can achieve it with "ethical" fashion as well. Let's reduce our negative impact on humans, animals and the planet. Let's be conscious of our actions. After all, we don't want to die for clothes, am I right?

author: Anna Lipiec

translator: Maria Pilarczyk