Your Voice: Saving the Earth, tracking sugar’s journey from field to table (long letters)

According to The New York Times, 2023 was Earth’s warmest year on record.

Numerous pressing issues, such as wars and large-scale disease outbreaks, are taking place worldwide, capturing our attention. Unfortunately, many of us have failed to acknowledge how climate change affects our daily lives and endangers the lives of future generations.

According to the World Health Organization, a warmer world risks an extra nine million deaths annually. This statistic highlights how we, as global citizens, have been destroying the planet and contributing to the loss of lives each year.

Some argue that the sun’s increasing temperature over the last few centuries and Earth’s orbital changes are the primary causes of global warming. However, if these factors were the main drivers, why didn’t global warming start earlier? Why has it become more severe since humans began using fossil fuels?

Our relentless extraction of resources from the Earth has led us to this point, and we are utilising them like they will never run out.

In fact, Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies says that although both natural and industrial factors have influenced global warming, the latter is undoubtedly the major contributor.

Another prevailing misconception is that volcanoes trigger global warming because they release magma and lava into the air.

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However, data shows that human industries emit 100 times more CO2 than volcanoes, and volcanic eruptions release sulphate chemicals that can actually cool the atmosphere for a year or two.

There is no denying the fact that industrial factors play a significant role in global warming, and they are tied to human activities. It may come as a shock, but since the onset of the Industrial Revolution around 1760, atmospheric methane concentrations have increased by over 150 per cent, and carbon dioxide levels have risen by over 50 per cent, reaching unprecedented levels.

The consequences of industrial emissions are substantial; for example, aerosol pollution causes acid rain from coal-burning sulphate aerosols and increases greenhouse gas emissions, which are 40 per cent higher than they were in 1750. It is evident that human activity is the primary cause of global warming. Isn’t it disheartening to realise that we are the ones responsible for the consequences of climate change, no matter how much we try to deny it?

Merely learning and acknowledging statistics online or in school is not enough. The real challenge lies in how we, as inhabitants of Mother Earth, can nurse it back to health and make our world a better place to live in. It requires taking considerate, consistent, and compassionate actions to save this world, not just for ourselves but for all life on Earth and the generations yet to come.

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From a bar of chocolate to a spoonful in your cup of coffee, sugar is a key ingredient in our lives. However, this source of sweetness goes through a lengthy journey before you see it at the store.

India is one of the largest sugar-producing countries in the world, and I had the opportunity to visit a sugar cane mill in the Indian state of Gujarat to view this process.

It begins with the sugar cane plant, which takes 15 to 18 months to grow. These long sticks contain a rich, sweet juice which can be chewed and extracted. Labourers manually trim the shoots of thousands of plants to harvest the grown sugar canes and transfer them to trucks.

Then, the trucks carry the vast quantities of sugar cane to the factory.

The cane is loaded onto machinery when it arrives at the factory, where workers stand in the hot weather and surround the area to ensure the plants do not fall off. The immense size of the machines also requires a great amount of electricity.

The sugar cane is crushed, removing the plant’s juice. When the juice is separated, it is boiled at an extremely high temperature to allow the syrup to thicken and crystallise. The liquid left over is a thick syrup known as molasses and is used to make rum and other products.

A large centrifuge then spins the syrup to produce raw sugar and remove more liquid. The liquid is dried to become the form we see every day, packed into bags and exported.

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The excess by-products, like cane tops and stalks, are not wasted; the green tops of canes are sold as feed for farm animals. Cane tops are not worth a lot, but the factory I visited rightfully sends the proceeds to the workers who cut the cane.

The dry, pulpy fibre left after extracting the juice is called bagasse, and it is used to make products such as paper, cardboard, plywood and particle board. But many factories burn it and use the steam to generate electricity to power their machines.

There’s obviously a dark side to the industry. Sugar production is an arduous process because it requires people to work long hours in the sun. Research from the Symbiosis Institute indicates that labourers work 12 hours or more daily and don’t make much money. They are very unlikely to receive benefits, such as healthcare, at these jobs, and exploitation runs rampant; workers are often fined for taking sick days, and it is not uncommon to see children working in the fields, according to Indian news outlet The Hindu.

In addition, as per articles by the BBC and other news sources, many women working as sugar cane harvesters have had their wombs removed because they believe that menstruation hinders their work efficiency.

Behind those pleasant sugar crystals in your kitchen cabinet, there are countless hidden stories, bitter and sweet, from various parts of the world, and each granule involves the sweat and toil of a human being.