The dumping and burning of used clothes is associated with degradation of the natural environment and which global problem?

• A. Economic growth
• B. Climate change
• C. Public health improvements
• D. Tourism development

Answer: (B)

Disposing of clothing improperly shows how everyday materials connect to climate change. When clothes are dumped in landfills, they decompose anaerobically and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, adding to atmospheric warming. Burning garments releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants, especially from synthetic fibers, which directly raise greenhouse gas levels. Beyond disposal, the textile industry itself uses a lot of energy and fossil fuels for farming, producing, dying, and transporting fabrics, all of which contribute to CO2 in the atmosphere. Taken together, these waste-management and production emissions link textile waste to the global problem of climate change. The other options don’t capture this direct environmental mechanism: economic growth is an economic outcome, public health improvements would be positive effects, and tourism development isn’t the global environmental issue tied to how clothes are discarded.