The World Is In Our Hands

At this moment in time mankind is responsible for the extinction of approximately 322 animal species within the past 500 years. Of those 322 species, two-thirds had disappeared within the past two centuries.

As time goes on the human population becomes a bigger threat to the remaining species. Scientists have reported that more and more animal species are on the verge of extinction because of the developments made by mankind and the pollution that continues to contaminate the water and soil. Amphibians in particular are of great concern right now as it has been reported that their numbers have split in half while our population has doubled within the past 35 years.

With that being said we should come to realize that many of our actions do more harm than good. Although some things that we come up with seem beneficial to humans we must also take into consideration how it will affect the wildlife around us. To those who could care less how it affects the course of Mother Nature keep in mind that these species benefit twice as much as building a museum where a nature center is, or chopping down trees for a Christmas tree. Some of these animals have the ability to cure diseases, prevent diseases and help to eliminate pests. They help to maintain a natural balance in the world and if humans tip the global scale then there will be crucial damage done that we will not be able to recover from.

For years going green has been discussed among all people, with a huge emphasis of its importance put on the younger generations since they are more likely to turn things around. In the classroom students are being taught about the benefits of implementing carbon-neutral technologies, producing food and goods more efficiently. Whether or not the younger generations take this issue seriously can change the course of the world.

It is important for us to look at the issue before us and pass our knowledge onto others. If we decide to not acknowledge it then we will lose more and more animals and all the goods needed to sustain the human race will diminish. For those who are parents, teach your children to value nature and to conserve energy and not waste food or litter. For those who are teachers, continue to use your knowledge to inform students of how the extinction of different animal species will put the human race in danger and what they can do to help protect the environment. For college students like myself, prepare yourselves for the real world and be ready to join in the battle to turn things around.

Many people worry that going green will be very costly but in the long run investing our money in going green will be less costly in the future. Yes, at this moment in time it is cheaper to afford products that are not energy efficient but in the future all the investments made in these products will have a deadly cost.

 

The director of the Luc Hoffman Institute of the World Wide Fund for Nature stated that the Southeast Asia’s Mekong River Basin supports approximately 60 million people through their fisheries. If humanity continues to contribute a significant amount of pollution by neglecting to go green then you can imagine how that will put all living species on Earth in danger. If we work to reduce the amount of pollution then places such as fisheries would continue to flourish and sustain human life.

 

In a world that is dealing with several issues that have been linked to the pollution such as animal extinction, drought, an increase in the amount of forest fires, and mental disorders/disabilities, it would benefit us all to try to help protect the environment in any way that we can.