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Time to save our environment

Imagine our world no longer has fresh water, fresh air, and sunlight, are we still able to be

alive? This is not impossible. This can be our future very soon if we still do not do actions to

save our worsening environment. One of the major environmental issues occurring is pollution.

This includes air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Another occurrence is global

warming. This topic has been raised more often in these few years as it is getting more severe.

For example, it leads to polar animals losing homes or dying due to ice melting. Above are some

phenomena people usually ignore or not noticed. However, there is no more time to waste,

therefore, we have to take part and raise the public’s attention on the issue. In addition, as global

citizens, we have the responsibility to protect nature. In order for this to happen, we should first

understand the current condition, take part in actions to protect the ecosystem, and raise the

public’s awareness on the topic.

There is a common phenomenon in which people lack knowledge of environmental

conditions. People tend to be inattentive about the surroundings, besides that some are laid-back

on the topic. As I’ve been noticing this situation, I interviewed a teenager, Pinky Law who is a

student in the United Kingdom. Law replied to my question of what she has noticed about the

environment by saying, “I sort of heard about climate change and air pollutants before, but I

don’t know them well” (Law). Furthermore, Law said she did not do any actions to protect the

habitat because she doesn't know how pressing the current situation is, as well as her family

seems to not care about it. To sum up, the first step we can take is to raise the public's attention

and provide them with better understanding.

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What ecological events have you noticed that are existing currently in our world? How

much do you know about them? Do you know air pollution is attributed to 5 million deaths each

year? As staged in an article, air pollution

“is one of the leading risk factors for death. In low-income countries it tops the list. In

2017, it was responsible for an estimated 5 million deaths globally. That means it

contributed to 9% – nearly 1-in-10 – deaths” (Ritchie).

Air pollution is one of the most significant problems among all. It leads to a variety of

health concerns such as the development of asthma and emphysema in our bodies, as well as

deaths. Here is a quote of some examples of how the pollutants are formed, it features “Vehicle

emissions, fuel oils and natural gas to heat homes, by-products of manufacturing and power

generation, particularly coal-fueled power plants, and fumes from chemical production are the

primary sources of human-made air pollution” (“Air Pollution and”). Above are several human

activities that generate air pollutants. Air pollution is not only caused by human activities but

also natural sources. It is a mix of hazardous substances. Natural resources that produce

pollutants include smoke from wildfires and ash and gases from volcanic eruptions.

Other than air pollution, global warming is another problem that has to be dealt with.

Similar to air pollution, global warming is caused by both human acts and nature. Global

warming is a long-term effect of the world's heatening. World’s temperature keeps rising due to

its impact. According to NASA, it said

“Since the pre-industrial period, human activities are estimated to have increased Earth’s

global average temperature by about 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), a number

that is currently increasing by 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade”

(“Overview: Weather, Global”).

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Global warming leads to irreversible outcomes such as higher wildlife extinction rates.

Since the Arctic is warming about twice as fast as the global average, polar animals such as polar

bears are losing their homes due to ice melting. For your information, it is said that the number

of polar bears is predicted to reduce by 30% by the year of 2050 (“Polar Bear”). More or less,

global warming does have an effect on the situation.

To add on, deforestation is another event we have to worry about. In the year of 2019, the

tropical forests lost approximately 30 soccer fields' worth of trees every single minute

(“Deforestation and Forest”). The data kept rising until now. Deforestation results in loss of

habitat, increase of greenhouse gases, and flooding. 70% of land animals and plant species live in

forests. Removal of trees results in inhabitants losing homes which disrupts their living environs.

Besides, lack of trees breeds the accumulating of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is

referred to as a carbon sink. Heat is no longer trapped by trees, which boosts the warming effect

in the world. Moreover, flooding is taking place more often as trees are being cut down. As

claimed by the Pachamama Alliance, without forests

“the soil erodes and washes away, causing farmers to move on and perpetuate the cycle.

The barren land which is left behind in the wake of these unsustainable agricultural

practices is then more susceptible to flooding, specifically in coastal regions” (“Effects of

Deforestation”).

Trees assist the land to maintain water and topsoil, which supplies the forest with rich

nutrients to sustain longer. Accordingly, the existence of trees can sustain ecological balance

effectively.

Some may argue that the ecosystem would not be fully damaged anytime soon, for this

reason, we don’t have such an urgency to save it. Nevertheless, we never know when this day

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will arrive. It can be a billion years later or within twenty years. Thus, why don’t we start to do

something to make a change before it is too late? The book “Our Dying Planet” by Peter F. Sale,

is written from the view of an ecologist of the crises we face. According to Sale, coral reefs are

on track to be the earliest biotic banished from the planet. In order to figure out many ways

people change the planet as well as explaining the reasons why it matters, Sale gathered his own

studies on coral reefs and recent investigation by other ecologists. He described coral reefs as

“the canary in the environmental coal mine,” (Sale). Sale argued the forthcoming ecological

disaster consists of several problems, all of which are compounded and interconnected. His main

purpose of writing was to address the significance of rescuing our decaying earth, especially by

sharing his expertise learning of coral reefs. More or less, the book contains vast knowledge on

how human activities affect the environment. After reading the book, I believe it is highly

recommended to those who lack understanding of environmental issues and are not alert on how

critical the current state is.

As you can see, there are many substantial problems existing in our world that are

imperative. Many people always think but never act to ease the situation. Actually, there are

many small gestures we can do on a daily basis. For instance, use a fan instead of air

conditioning, walk or bike more instead of driving, and recycle things you are about to throw

away. These tiny moves can make a great difference. In an interview with Anson Chan, a

celebrity in Hong Kong, he stated, “Hong Kong has a serious air pollution problem. Air quality

has been worsening, however, it seems that the government didn’t take much action to fix the

situation” (Chan). The government owns affluent resources to maintain and monitor the recovery

process. On top of that, it can implement policies to protect the environment directly. For this

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reason, other than us taking part in improving the environmental quality, the government is

another strong part that is essential to soften the situation.

Additionally, volunteering works as well. Planting trees can be one of the plans. Adding

trees is beneficial to nature. They offset carbon outpouring, lessen soil erosion, and supply

wildlife with food and habitat. Arbor Day Foundation is one of the platforms which let you

purchase trees, at the same time, it educates you about the benefit of trees as well as providing

you with expert advice on planting and caring for your landscape. Other than that, protecting

public lands is helpful as well. The organisation, Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) can help you

with this. As maintained by YCC, YCC “is a summer youth employment program for teenagers,

interested in work experiences on national forests and parks, wildlife refuges, and fish

hatcheries” (“Youth Conservation Corps”). Youths joining the programme not only can develop

civic responsibility but also an ethic of environmental stewardship. This is definitely a valuable

opportunity for teens to widen their horizons.

Furthermore, one of the mistakes we often make is sending chemicals into waterways.

For example, oil and grease, coffee grounds, medications, cleaning products, and paint. We often

overlook the consequence of our actions. Chemicals that should never be poured into water

channels include mercury, lead, and copper. These chemicals travel down water pipes. Some are

released into the ocean, while some are delivered to catchments. Catchments are stored to collect

water from waterways to produce cleaner water for us to use. Considering this, it is crucial to

keep waterways as clean as possible. According to the Singapore’s National Water Agency, it

illustrated that

“It is important to keep our catchment clean as that is a source of our water

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supply. The catchment is also a natural habitat of many creatures big and small. To

preserve our ecosystem, we must not introduce non-native and /or aquatic creatures into

the local environment. We may be doing more harm than good” (“Water from Local”).

As mentioned above, catchments also serve as a home for living things to live in. If the

water condition is ruined by toxic metal particles, worst-case scenario, organisms will die away.

This leads to an interruption of a balanced ecosystem, which is the last thing we want to see

happening. To sum up, we have the liability to keep an eye on what can be poured down the

drain.

Many of you might wonder what we can do to magnify the public's recognition on the

matter. Visiting a national park can be a good start. Parents can take their kids along and ask

them to identify plants they see. It is instrumental for children to get outdoors and be attached to

the outside world from a young age. Also, teaching the younger generation biking is useful. This

allows them to develop a habit of biking or walking rather than travelling by vehicles. Further,

schools should provide extra education on environmental science in order for students to develop

a sense of environmental friendly. Adding on, teachers should be the role model of students.

They can save paper by making use of computers or ipads more often for assignments, plant

greeneries in classrooms, and often promote the importance of 3 ‘R’: recycling, reusing, and

reducing. The more students acquire a knowledge of the topic, the more aware and caring they

are.

Finally yet importantly, we have to make oneself serve as an example to others. To start

with, we should get ourselves mindful of what is happening to the ecosystem, for example by

reading news or simply observing while being out. Then, we can begin with actions such as

volunteering to protect nature. After that, we can initiate conversations about the biosphere with

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our friends and family so as to spread the importance of preserving it. If we don’t start taking

actions, our world will be devastated to a point where we no longer can live. Finally, only if we

all work together can we improve global health.

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Works Cited

“Air Pollution and Your Health.” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services,

www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution/index.cfm.

Chan, Anson. Celebrity. Personal Interview. 7 April 2021

“Deforestation and Forest Degradation.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund,

www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation-and-forest-degradation.

“Effects of Deforestation: The Pachamama Alliance.” Pachamama Alliance,

www.pachamama.org/effects-of-deforestation.

Law, Pinky. UK student. Personal Interview. 27 March 2021

“Overview: Weather, Global Warming and Climate Change.” NASA, NASA, 28 Jan. 2021,

climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming-vs-climate-change/.

“Polar Bear.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear.

Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Air Pollution.” Our World in Data, 17 Apr. 2017,

ourworldindata.org/air-pollution.

Sale, Peter F. Our Dying Planet: an Ecologist's View of the Crisis We Face. University of

California Press, 2012.

“Water from Local Catchment.” PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency,

www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/fournationaltaps/localcatchmentwater.

“Youth Conservation Corps.” Youth Conservation Corps | US Forest Service,

www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/opportunities-for-young-people/youth-conservation-co

rps-opportunities.

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