This article was written by Scout Pollack of Richard Montgomery High School
As most people know, April 22 is Earth Day. It’s time to come together and honor our beautiful planet, as well as an opportunity to address some of the more pressing issues facing our environment today. As pollution increases with city growth and plastic accumulates in our oceans every day, climate change and global warming have become more pressing concerns. Here’s a simple guide to everything you need to know about the major threats to the ecosystems of our planet, and what others, and you can do to prevent them.
Part of what makes Earth so amazing as a planet is that it's able to sustain life—not just for humans, but for the millions of species of plants and animals that also call it home. Deforestation, the act of cutting down large groups of trees or forests, threatens the habitats of many creatures. As well as the obvious loss of flora, a majority of Earth’s land animals make their homes there. As the forests diminish worldwide, extinction rates spike. Another negative effect of deforestation is the lack of trees, which are essential to producing the oxygen humans need to survive. Photosynthesis occurs less, and more carbon dioxide is present in our atmosphere, resulting in a considerable lack of oxygen.
One of the most talked about issues in environmental discussion is climate change, and more specifically global warming. As mentioned above, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air is always increasing. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, a type of gas that traps sunlight and warmth within our atmosphere. The heat not being able to escape leads the planet’s temperature to increase steadily. Greenhouse gases are caused by the burning of fossil fuels and many other factors. The warming of the Earth can and is already having catastrophic effects: the polar caps melting and sea levels rising, increases in storms and droughts, as well as hotter and longer dry seasons globally.
However, not all hope is lost. There are a lot of things everyone can do to reduce their carbon emissions and help the Earth. Plenty of nonprofits have been created to do just that. One of the biggest right now is the Environmental Defense Fund, and they do many projects, such as promoting sustainable energy to help decrease fossil fuels and cleaning up polluted oceans and streams. Donating to movements like this and others can make all the difference in their fight against pollution, global warming and a variety of environmental problems. If donating is not an option, there are simple steps in our everyday lives that can be helpful.
Easy changes include turning off lights when they are not needed to limit greenhouse gas emissions, walking instead of driving to cut down on air pollution, and getting involved in local volunteer creek cleanups. Buying from sustainable companies can lower your carbon footprint as well, since these businesses have lower pollution levels and use less fossil fuels.
Though results won’t be instantaneous, every little plastic bottle recycled can make a long term difference in keeping our Earth healthy and filled with nature. So this Earth Day, don’t forget to celebrate the beautiful planet we live on, and bring a reusable bag to the store!
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