Recycling Precious Metals Helps Accelerate a Sustainable Planet
This past week, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report entitled, “Climate change widespread, rapid and intensifying.”
If there are people who still believe that global warming is really not happening, we would urge them to spend a little time reading this report. It has a blunt message, which is that we need to act immediately and decisively if we wish to protect our planet, our future, and our children from further catastrophic effects of climate change.
To quote from the executive summary:
Scientists are observing changes in the Earth’s climate in every region and across the whole climate system, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, released today. Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, and some of the changes already set in motion—such as continued sea level rise—are irreversible over hundreds to thousands of years.
However, strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases would limit climate change. While benefits for air quality would come quickly, it could take 20-30 years to see global temperatures stabilize, according to the IPCC Working Group I report, Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis.
What Can You and I Do?
First of all, we can refuse to accept the idea that it is too late to do anything about climate change. Even though the IPCC reports that it could take 20 years or more for climate warming to stabilize, that is not a reason to refuse to try.
We have already seen unprecedented flooding in Europe, newly intense fires raging in the United States, a growing water shortage around the world, and other problems. Do we want to throw up our hands and condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a world without hope?
Of course, we don’t. But what can we do?
First, we can strive to reform our personal habits. You might not want to switch from a car that burns gas or diesel fuel to one that is powered by electricity. You might not want to install solar panels on your house so you can get off the grid and stop buying electricity from a utility. You might not like the idea of seeing large wind farms cropping up off our coastlines. But the IPCC report sounds the alarm that we have to get out of our comfort zone and do something.
Second, we can take a fresh look at how we might be polluting the air and/or contributing to global warming. Because we are precious metal refiners and recyclers, we would like to urge you to ask lots of questions before you have your precious metal scrap and other materials tested or refined.
How much heat is released when Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners test and process the gold, silver, platinum, and other metals that you send us?
We want you to ask that question. We want you to call us up, so we can explain how we will test and process the scrap and other materials you send us.
We don’t want to duck our responsibility to fighting climate change, and we don’t want you to duck your responsibility either. Give us a call at 800-426-2344 to talk things over and learn more.
Together, we can contribute a lot to a better world.