The stats are terrifying: The ocean will have more plastic than fish in it by 2050; this past July was the hottest month ever recorded in the world; water scarcity is no longer a problem of the future.
Pop stars and actors are doing their bit. British band The 1975 recently teamed up with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on a self-titled track, in which Thunberg recites a speech over dreamlike synths. Radiohead has pledged album sales to Extinction Rebellion. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s devoted his Instagram feed to raising awareness about the planet’s changing weather patterns and the devastating impact of climate change. The rest of us need to step up our game too.
Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, an NGO that focuses on independent policy research, identifies two major problems when it comes to managing our resources: “One, we don’t actually know how we use resources on a real-time basis,” he says, referring to the lack of tools to measure our consumption of water or the amount of waste we generate. “The second challenge has been our inability to value our natural ecosystem, independent of price. So just because we can’t ascribe a rupee value to a tree’s ability to store carbon dioxide and recharge groundwater, we undervalue its importance.”
Start by trying to become a more conscious consumer. It may sound fuzzy, but all it takes is some research and some effort (like remembering to carry a cloth bag when you go grocery shopping, carrying your own water bottle when you step out of the house). A host of online trackers can also help take some of the guesswork out from your decisions, by highlighting ethical brands that are making a genuine effort to reduce their impact on the planet.
This story is from the October 2019 edition of GQ India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2019 edition of GQ India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Finally, Women Are Breaking Up One of Luxury's Stuffiest Boys' Clubs
Dimepiece founder Brynn Wallner hosts a round table of leaders in the watch world to unpack the ascendant power of the female collector.
Can The Saudis Buy Soccerr?
Saudi Arabia is spending an unfathomable fortune to lure the biggest stars of global football (Ronaldo! Benzema! Neymar!) to its upstart league. So GQ ventured to the kingdom to discover what the gambit represents. Is this the future of the world's most popular sport? The vanguard of sportswashing? Or something way bigger?
CRACKING THE PERO CODE
Delhi-based label Péro is available in over 350 stores across the world. Shweta Shiware meets the reclusive founder and creative mastermind Aneeth Arora, arguably the Indian fashion industry's best storyteller.
Captain Mbappé
We met him as a teenage prodigy. Now, with his PSG teammates Messi and Neymar gone, and a new job as French national team captain, Kylian Mbappé is reckoning with the responsibilities and privileges that come with being the man.
The Full Ricky
Twenty-five years after becoming one of the most staggeringly famous men on the planet, a wiser, more assured Ricky Martin is taking another run at being a star. While also being himself, this time.
THE BOND
What does it mean to be a parent in this day and age? In GQ's annual series dedicated to fatherhood, we take a peek at the intimate relationships that some of the coolest dads share with their kids.
THE RATIONAL ACTOR
With a stream of critical and commercial successes under his belt, Vicky Kaushal is buoyant about what lies ahead in terms of work. Yet it is in his personal life that he has experienced the most transformation.
Standing TALL
Comedian and actor Vir Das speaks to GQ about winning an International Emmy for his Netflix special, codirecting his first movie, and the future of stand-up comedy in India.
Das Holistic
New York's desi rap star Heems's new album re-imagines the diasporic experience not as a site of endless ambivalence, but a place to be whole.
The Return of the Opulent '80s
The all-gold Piaget Polo, Hublot Classic Original, and Rolex GMT were kings during the '80s. Now they're coming back for their crown.