“Save the Earth” Essay
The most severe problem threatening every living organism on Earth today is the global warming/climate change. Historically, Climate change has been changing periodically due to various reasons such as the change in the Earth’s orbit. Today, the Earth is exhibiting drastic changes in climate due to human-related attributes.
As such, living organisms have become vulnerable and are losing the versatility to evolve in natural selection. The primary human activities affecting the life on Earth today include disposal of non-biodegradable plastic bags in the oceans, deforestation and excess burning of fossil fuels.
The disposal of non-biodegradable plastic materials primarily causes marine plastic pollution in seas, oceans lakes, and other water bodies. According to Le Guern, the global production and consumption of plastics have continued to rise significantly over the years. In 2013, the global production of plastics was estimated at 299 million tons. Today one could easily spot debris of plastic materials ranging from large plastics, fishing nets to microscopic plastic discarded in water bodies (Le Guern). On the shore of water bodies, thousands of bird corpses can be seen resting on the beaches with piles of plastic remains where the stomach had been. Researches have revealed that sea birds choose plastic bags with pink, red, blue or brown colors due to the resemblance with their food. Plastic bags account for the highest death of marine animals; this reduces the biodiversity, and it is likely to result in the extinction of various animal species. Therefore, proper strategies should be put into practice by the public worldwide to reduce the disposal of plastic materials in the water bodies.
Additionally, human has played a significant role in cutting down of trees without replacement. Deforestation is among the primary causes of climate change. Deforestation occurs in forms of clear-cutting for agricultural practices, wildfire, urbanization, cutting trees for timber, and livestock ranching among others. According to Pandey, an average of about 18.7 million acres of forest is lost worldwide annually (p. 596). Forests act as carbon sinks in the atmosphere; they convert abundant carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into oxygen. Deforestation results in low conversation of carbon dioxide into oxygen; as such there is a high concentration of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas; thus, a high level of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere results to rise in temperature often called global warming (Pandey p. 596). Moreover, deforestation leads to a change in weather patterns as well as the water cycle significantly. This affects the quality of life on Earth; thus there is a need to establish tree planting strategies to save the world from the effects stated above. Nevertheless, global warming is influenced by the combustion of fossil fuels.
Oil, Coal and natural gas are the primary fossil fuels stored in the Earth’s crust. Fossils fuels release energy when burnt, which is used for various activities by a human. Fossil fuels account for about 80% of the total energy used in the United States (Mukherjee). Burning fossil fuels emits nitrogen oxide and Sulfur oxide, which contribute to the acid rain that damages trees and buildings. Moreover, the combustion of fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is a greenhouse gas (Mukherjee). In this context, excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps sunlight heat causing greenhouse effects. According to Mukherjee, the average rate of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere has increased by about 25% since the 19th century. The atmospheric temperature has risen by about 1¬0F in the last 150 years. As such, it is estimated that the temperature of the Earth will increase on and on in the next hundred years. This will lead to frequent floods and droughts, faster melting of the glaciers of the Earth among other effects. As a result, there should be a reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through the use of clean energy sources such as solar power to save the Earth.
In conclusion, drastic climate change has occurred worldwide due to human activities. These activities include deforestation and excessive burning of fossil fuels among others. The Earth is also threatened by excessive disposal of plastic materials such as plastic bags, bottles, nets, and other plastic materials into the water bodies. These practices have endangered the life of various living creatures, including humans. Thus, there is a need to mitigate the causes of human activities to save the Earth.
References
Le Guern, Claire “WHEN THE MERMAIDS CRY: THE GREAT PLASTIC TIDE” Coastal care (March 2018) Retrieved from http://plastic-pollution.org/
Mukherjee, Bidisha “Fossil Fuels and Global Warming: How are They Related?” Help Save Nature (Jan 24, 2018) Retrieved From https://helpsavenature.com/fossil-fuels-global-warming.amp\
Pandey, Deep Narayan. “Global climate change and carbon management in multifunctional forests.” Current Science (2002): 593-602. https://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/3492/Curr_Sci–Pandey.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
