I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase “home is where the heart is.” It’s the place where we find comfort and love. The home that I’m referring to is not the big concrete walls that we’ve built up through the years for shelter or anything man-made really. I’m talking about the planet Earth. Our planet is special in many ways yet we often take what it offers us for granted. It houses all different species and beings and provides us with resources to sustain life. Our species would not even exist if it weren’t for the vast oceans, the biodiversity, or the natural and balanced environment in general. However, we, as humans, have not shown our home any love or gratitude and instead have been destroying it due to our selfish needs.

We are choosing to ignore the impact our actions have on our environment instead of recognizing that there is a problem and that the lives of the future generations may be at stake. Notice how the weather patterns have been off lately? Or how there have been more natural disasters than we can keep track of within the past few years? No one can argue with the fact that our environment is constantly changing and that new problems will always arise no matter what. But we will have to pay a price if we do not change our behaviors in response to them. Environmental issues leave us in a tough position. The planet whose resources we’ve been depleting is slowly dying on us and, whether we like to admit it or not, we are to blame. Let’s take a closer look at some of the pressing environmental problems concerning us right now:

Climate change. The crazy shifts in weather patterns are a direct result of burning fossil fuels and the releasing of harmful gases into the atmosphere with our industries in the name of progress and productivity. Mass production seems to hold more value than taking care of our planet now a days. Although we may not recognize the harm, our home is getting warmer day-by-day and this problem not only impacts humans but also many other species who rely on the cooler climates and live in the currently melting Arctic. Who are we to contribute to the extinction of those species as they have the same right to life and resources as we do??

Ocean Acidification. This is another environmental concern that impacts life in different forms. Ocean acidification is caused by a rapid rise in CO2 emissions and affects sea life, including the development of coral reefs, plankton, etc. This again leads to an ongoing cycle as climate change and ocean acidification reinforce each other and make conditions worse for the planet and its inhabitants.

Overpopulation. Who would have thought that our home actually had a limit for its resources? I will admit that we are an incredibly smart species in that we managed to defy the odds and grow our population exponentially without anything getting in our way. But now is the time to think about what this means for us. Resources such as food and water are actually becoming scarce and it’s scary to think that the planet is becoming unsustainable. Yet, even with this urgent crisis, we are still damaging our environment by using harmful chemicals and fertilizers and we’re not being careful with finding ways to save our resources for the future.

Pollution. It’s incredible that we have got so far with our technology and our production of cars and machinery. Those industries have been thriving at the expense of a deteriorating environment. With these practices, we are polluting the water, soil, and air by releasing toxins. These toxins are directly linked to a rise in public health concerns and the rapid spread of diseases. In other words, we are not only destroying our environment but we are also hurting ourselves in the process.

So, I think that it is now time for the human race to take a step back and learn to love our home once again. We need to respect our planet and save it from our own destructive behaviors. Let’s start making some lifestyle changes to preserve our humanity and gifts of life. Simple things such as going green, driving less or even eating less meat can do wonders for our planet and will make a difference in preserving our humanity. For the sake of our future generations, we need to start taking action in combatting these issues now before it is too late to put an end to the madness we have created.