Pollution, deforestation, and lack of water - all caused by us. It seems to be our basic human nature to think in the present instead of looking towards the future. But what happens when there is no future left for us?
Deforestation is considered to be the second largest man-made result in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. According to Live Science, about 36 football fields worth of trees are lost every single minute, yet we are consistently cutting down trees for products such as oils, paper, and new land for housing. Trees possess so much importance to our planet but we often times take that for granted. Each time we cut down a tree we are affecting the habitats of many species, destroying their homes and allowing them to be reduced in population size. The loss of trees also results in the destruction of arable land. Trees use their roots to keep soil in place and prevent erosion. Without them, there becomes a large problem with vegetation growth. Consequences like these many times fail to be recognized by consumers because their personal needs are much more important in the present than 50 to even 1,000 years from now.
Overall, 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water. Out of that percentage, only three percent consists of fresh water. Take away a good portion of that due to pollution, and the access restrictions to water in glaciers, and you aren't left with very much water to divide between everyone. In developing countries most of the water is too polluted to drink, leaving many people to die of sicknesses from the water or from a lack of water in general. Meanwhile, developed countries such as the US use a vast majority of the amount of water provided on Earth for trivial actions such as watering lawns daily, washing four loads of clothes back to back, or taking extremely long and leisurely showers. Sewage, waste water, chemicals and fertilizers, oil, and plastic are all causes of pollution in our water. What we don't see is the effect all of this has on animal and plant species that live inside these waters and also the effect that it has on ourselves. We are not only making water impossible for populations to live in, but we are reducing the available amounts of clean water that we are able to drink. Conservation plans strive to enforce the use of less water and to find means of protecting the freshwater environments that are home to large areas of biodiversity.
All of these things seem so minor most of the time, but even the smallest actions create large effects down the road. By destroying habitats such as forests, lakes, oceans, and reefs that numerous species live in, we are also destroying key parts of the food web. If one animal is removed a food source is lost for another. Therefore, if each species cannot find a new source of food, they too will begin to die out. This affects humans in a large way whether we see it or not. For example, the endangerment of bees are becoming a large problem. Bees allow us to be very successful in the agricultural field. They help pollinate trees, flowers, and important crops. However, tragically enough, many species of bees are becoming endangered due to habitat destruction and the use of pollutants such as pesticides. If these species aren't protected we can say goodbye to many of the foods that we love so much.
Sustainability of our resources and surrounding ecosystems are both so important at this period in time. Without conserving habitats and water sources, we will not be able to provide important resources for our future generations to survive off of.
