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| Photo by the Author |
The Earth, amazing in its eclectic variety of life, is wonderful. Its sheer beauty and wonders, all expressions of man’s capabilities and nature’s love, leave many astonished by everything it has to offer. Its beauty and wonders inspire us to respect and preserve nature because in doing so, we create a better future for everyone who will live after us.
But nowadays, whenever we go on social media, we can always count on seeing at least one post, one being very generous, about a challenge that the Earth is facing. This may be climate change or deforestation, pollution in the seas, or biodiversity loss. Whether it is climate change or marine pollution, our world is in need of even greater care and preservation as these all threaten the quality of life we, and the multitude of species that inhabit it, are entitled to.
Climate change, while inevitable and natural due to human activities being the primary driver, has reached its warmest of the past 10,000 years according to a 2021 Nature study. This is especially scary when considering the recent rise in the average global temperature, as this alarming rise has only mostly occurred within the past 40 years. It has also been found that the ocean has absorbed over 90% of the heat gained by the planet. The global sea level also rose, and due to the emitting of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the acidity of the ocean further increased by 30%.
Elsewhere, glaciers around the world are retreating, and ice sheets around the world have been losing billions of tons of ice every year. Aside from the increase of devastating events such as droughts and hurricanes, climate change may prove to be the cause for the extinction of species this century as numerous threatened species live in areas highly likely to be affected by climate change. Endangered species include the giant panda, the tiger, and the green sea turtle, among many others; species vulnerable to extinction include the polar bear, the African elephant, and the cheetah.
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| Photos by Tim Flach |
The Earth’s variety of life is in danger—Sequoia trees in California succumbing to wildfires, the Dead Sea drying up due to climate change and exploitation, and Borneo’s habitats being prone to complete devastation. Around seven percent of all natural wonders are in critical condition, and 30 percent are of significant concern. Aside from this, entire ecosystems, all essential to our lives, are vulnerable to complete collapse.
As we celebrate International Mother Earth Day with this year's theme of "Invest in Our Planet," a call for a shift towards sustainable practices, there are a lot of steps that individuals can also take to help preserve our Earth. Reducing our carbon footprint is a good step forward, albeit definitely much more effective if humanity collectively chooses to do so. Using public transportation to lessen the number of cars on the road, driving less (if it cannot be helped, keep our vehicle’s tires properly inflated!), and keeping stuff, as much as possible, out of a landfill, will do so much for our environment. No matter how simple an action may be, simple actions really do add up when everyone is participating.
Big corporations and businesses also have a responsibility to protect the environment, although much larger in scale because their carbon footprint is much bigger as well. While investments in green technologies can be rather expensive, they will reduce one’s carbon footprint considerably. A transition to renewable energy sources can do so as well, in addition to the implementation of circular economies and an improvement in the sustainability of their supply chains. These corporations, in their might and glory, can help us in preserving Mother Earth, and in turn, help ensure a sustainable future for us all.
The Earth, as beautiful as it may be, faces numerous challenges that must be eliminated or alleviated at the very least. As we have been blessed with the gift of life, we, in turn, should give back to the Earth and its future with the life and respect they rightfully deserve.
