HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT SAVING THE WORLD? NOW IS YOUR CHANCE

The time is now to stop the world from ending. Earth’s safety is at stake from the ignorance and negligence of the people that live in it. Nature, which is the pedestal on which all life on earth depends on, is in grave danger and if something is not done about it soon, the end of the world might come sooner than we expect.

The word “nature” is coined from a Latin word, “natura” which in ancient times meant “birth”. Nature in the simplest understanding means the birth of life on earth. Every physical non-artificial form that can be seen, perceived or touched can be referred to as ‘nature’. From the air that we breathe in, to the oceans and seas,? to the existence of all life.?

All of these things can be considered as part of nature as every single one of them contributes to the existence of life on earth, take one away and the world will not be the same again. Man is especially known for his high appetite for the exploitation of wild populations in the environment. In fact, anthropology has also shown that the stone-age people relied on wildlife; they searched and hunted for both plants and animals for their food. This thus implies that they may have hunted some species to extinction.?

In relation to the present day, the rate of disappearance of some species of plants and animals across the planet has been so high in the last few centuries. As various human activities on plants, animals and their habitats exert pressures on the global environment, biological diversity declines as habitats are being depleted.?

In the past few decades, there has been an increasing interest in conservation due especially to the decline of tropical forests and the disappearance of endangered species. However, various measures such as designating protected areas to preserve forests have been taken although the areas set aside is scarcely up to nine percent of the earth area. Continuous pressures from various developments and commercial activities still further threaten to reduce these designated areas.

We can all agree nature is a very essential part of life on earth and it has been our backbone right from the first sight of life on earth. Man cannot live without the three natural resources; air, water and soil therefore their importance cannot be debated. Earth, which is known as the only planet in the solar system capable of supporting life, has been designated to this crucial role for the past 3.7 billion years. This has been possible with the help of all these elements of nature.?

Air is a very important part of nature that every terrestrial life-forms need to survive. Take it away and eighty percent of life would be dead. It is a key factor in sustaining the ecosystem so it must be protected at all costs from all contaminations.?

Similarly, water is another essential element for all human beings, animals and plants. It covers more than seventy one percent of the earth’s surface and is derived from different sources like oceans, rivers, lakes, streams and ponds. Earth cannot continue to be earth without it. There is this popular saying about water by? Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, the discoverer of Vitamin C, “There is no life without water”. This short statement more than enough explains the relevance of water to all life forms.?

Lastly, soil, on which we all walk on, carry on all our daily activities upon and plant our beautiful flowers and crops on, is a very important part of nature. Without it, earth will just be a round shape full of thin air and water. Imagine the kind of life we would be living in a world like this. I wouldn’t want to imagine that. The soil provides nutrients for all plants, water and oxygen for all life-forms and heat to natural land areas. As expressed distinctively above, every element of nature is uniquely essential in no particular order and one more relevant than the other. They are all crucial for the existence of life.

It is my honest belief that nature is consistently threatened by modernization and civilization. The more humans advance in population and intelligence, the more it brings about depletion of lands and trees, pollution of air and water and grave danger to wildlife. Man depends so much on nature for most of their needs such as clothing, shelter, food, energy, drugs and so on that we carelessly harm millions of plants and animals bringing about loss of biodiversity..?

It is a common fact that in Lagos, Nigeria, a number of pollution hotspots have been identified, including the city of Ikorodu, the slum area of Makoko and Idumota market. Water pollution is a major problem faced by the residents of these areas. The main cause of this pollution is the lack of effective sewage systems in the city. Sewage is washed away by rain into open drains. This water then carries the pollutants to rivers and lagoons.

The lagoon receives enormous amounts of largely untreated industrial and other wastes. Lagos State accounts for most of the country's industries and is home to an estimated 20 million people. In a test carried out around the vicinity of the Lagos lagoons to assess the effects of these pollutants to the organisms that lived inside the water, reduction in population of fish species was reported. It was also reported that pollutants from industrial and domestic sources in the Lagos lagoon represent a cocktail of environmental contaminants and they are capable of interfering with the growth and reproduction of fish and mammals that depend on the stability of the lagoon ecosystem. This can potentially cause serious health consequences for people who depend on the lagoon as a food source.?

Our careless attitude towards nature can consequently lead to global warming, acid rains, food poisoning, smog(contaminated air), drastic health conditions and loss of life and property.?

One of the most ignorant ways we cause harm to our environment is through air pollution. Air pollution can be inflicted in many different ways. It can be by man or by natural means. There’s been a large amount of wildfires in some parts of California in the past few decades as a result of lightning strikes or even deliberate fires by man. These wildfires have put a lot of lives in danger causing people to lose their homes. These wildfires have a way of contaminating the atmosphere through the smoke emitted from them. The more contaminated smoke that gets emitted into the atmosphere, the more polluted the air becomes for people to breathe in. Asides the smoke from wildfires and volcanic ashes which comes natural most times, the air is most commonly polluted by people in the form of emissions from factories, cars, planes and burning of fossil fuels.?

Global warming is another major phenomenon that troubles the existence of life on? earth and it is rooted from a series of human activities such as industrial processes, land use and burning of trees, agricultural activities, waste and wastewater, transportation fuels, fossil fuels processing and a few other causes. Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, fluorinated gasses, and water vapor are the five major greenhouse gasses which when emitted to the environment, contribute to global warming. They are mostly caused by emissions from car exhaust, burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline and natural gas. They are usually used to power our cars and planes, heat homes and run factories. In return, they cause more harm than we can imagine to the environment.?

“We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation to do something about it”

This was a quote by Barack Obama. Climate change is found to be one of the major causes of wildfires. It has become a major threat worldwide that we just think it’s normal to have overheated temperatures at some times of the year. Ever noticed how heated the temperature gets sometimes and you feel like it’s never been this hot? It’s as a result of the impacts we make into our environment. How can we change the world when we don’t know how we’re destroying it? The change has to start with us.

I remember as a child hearing news of acid rain falling in some parts of the world. Our parents would warn us not to stay in the rain for too long because you never know when acid rain might fall. This fear had us running so fast on our way home from school each time the rain was falling heavily and it was beating us. We would be afraid it might rain acid anytime soon. The sound of acid definitely didn’t sound pleasant to us. Funny times.

Acid rain is one of the most serious dangers air pollution can cause. It causes harm to aquatic life, damages our crops, depletes our forests vegetation, stripping the soil of its nutrients and not to mention, the impact it has on human health.?

Although acid rain sounds like raining pure acid but it is very much like normal rain. You can not really tell the difference when walking in acid rain or swimming in a pool contaminated with acid rain. So, it cannot burn your skin like many misconceptions imply. It is simply not acidic enough to burn your skin like very strong acids would. I wish I knew this as a child.?

There have been a series of acid rain events over the past decades all over the world and each has had tremendous impacts on the environment and nature as a whole. These acid rains have been rooted to be caused in most cases by long-range transport of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from power plants. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide particles in the air can create acid rain when they mix with water and oxygen in the atmosphere.?

Scientists predict that human destruction of the biosphere could cause the extinction of one-half of all species in the next 100 years. The extent of the extinction event is still being researched, debated and calculated by biologists. As much as we strive for comfort, we are unknowingly causing harm not only to the natural resources but also to ourselves in the long run. The smoke exhausts from manufacturing industries, the run-offs from factories, the mass burning of trees, the uncontrolled logging to make our tables and chairs, all of these activities wholly contribute to the decline in sustainability of nature and slowly erode life as we know it.?

Argumentatively, we as humans can barely survive without getting our food and drugs from plants and animals or have homes to live in without the cutting down of trees to build our homes and furniture or even tapping from trees the latex needed in the production of rubber products.?

For the sake of nature conservation, I cannot innocently conclude we should all stop depending on plants and animals for our basic needs? We cannot even survive five years doing this.?

Alternatively, we can take measures to better utilize nature for our basic needs whilst also preserving the natural resources so the cycle of life can run efficiently and we make the world a better place for the next centuries to come.?

It is the responsibility of every individual to take care of their nearest environment in order to save the world from foreseeable harms that might come in the future. We can do this by:?

Taking conscious efforts in conserving nature and keeping the waters and the air clean. Taking small steps like taking a walk, jog or riding a bike when going short distance rather than driving. Or carpooling when going to the same destination with friends or colleagues.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Follow the three R’s to reduce the amount of waste that is being burned or disposed improperly daily. Also ensuring disposal of refuse and waste products into the proper waste systems and avoiding sending chemicals into the waterways.

We hear this all the time and even in TV commercials but nobody really does anything about them. CONSERVE WATER. The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater that eventually end up in the ocean.

Industrial companies should be sanctioned for improper or uncontrolled factory emissions and industrial waste.

Public awareness should be created worldwide(in both rural and urban areas) on the risks and dangers of water and air pollution.?

More unused forest lands should be preserved as forest reserve for tourist attractions and most importantly educational purposes with new forestry policies installed.

It will greatly impact the whole world’s biosphere if it is made a global law to have at least one forest reserve in every state. This way vegetation can run through every vicinity. Hence, providing safe and healthy oxygen to breathe in.

Nature conservation is a widely untouched topic by many education systems all around the world so people do not give any attention to what harm they might be causing to every life on earth due to their actions. What you don’t know doesn’t kill you right? Well, in this case what you don’t know might cause more harm to you and your generations to come. If everyone understands the importance of nature and the harms of destroying it, perhaps they will be more careful and cautious of what they do. If some of these measures are taken seriously, the world would be a better place for every life on it. More importantly, earth will be a safe place to live in, in centuries to come.?

Biodiversity loss is not just a tragedy, it’s the single biggest problem we face. Without biodiversity the world as we know it doesn’t work. Biodiversity equals stability and stability is what we need most of all. If even 50% of the world population are making conscious efforts In maintaining biodiversity and conserving nature, we will be saving the world from a lot of avoidable harms and keeping the cycle of life going for the next generations.