As environmental justice gains momentum in today's society, a popular slogan, "Save the Earth," rings throughout activist posts and environmental gear. I'm here to make you rethink that. While a matter of wording doesn't seem like the problem to focus on, changing our diction can change the way we think about our environment, how we impact it, and how it impacts us.
First, it should be made clear that the environment doesn't need us. It doesn't need our roads and buildings, parks and water towers, factories and shopping malls. We need the environment. We need the water, resources, energy, and air that our planet provides for us. Without just one of these things, we cannot survive.
Still, in turn, we cannot take advantage of these resources provided for us. We can look at issues in the news still going on today, like in Flint, Michigan. The resource of water that was given to us by this earth was tainted with our pollution, which took a massive toll on the community. That's not an issue of saving the water supply itself, but rather protecting the water supply we have from our activities as human beings in a developed world.
The Earth, to an extent, doesn't need saving - yet. The Earth needs protecting. Superheroes aren't the ones that cause chaos and then fly in once it gets bad to fix it (that's what Syndrome from The Incredibles tried to do). Our planet - our natural environment - can take care of itself on its own. It is us that are getting in its way, abusing its resources, taking advantage of our environment with only us or profit in mind, with no thought as to what our actions might warrant even decades down the road.
There is a reason you see "conservation efforts" going on around the nation, whether is be species, forests, or complete ecosystems. To conserve something doesn't mean to save it, it means to protect it and to build it back up. "Saving" the earth might make us feel better about ourselves, that we are coming to the rescue and solving the world's problems, but we can never "save" the earth as long as we are here. We will always use it to our benefit in one way or another, for the simple reason of survival. But by protecting the earth, we can continue to work in harmony with the natural resources and environment around us, getting what we need to not only survive, but also thrive in today's world, while being conscious of our actions and giving back to the source.
We often take for granted that things might not be all that bad where we live. All political opinions aside, prior to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, life in America was radically different, facing problems we never even considered to be an issue. The 1960s saw the worst of these. The Cuyahoga river in Ohio caught on fire due to the amount of pollutants in the water. NYC saw a wave of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide blanket the city on Thanksgiving Day, killing 200 citizens. Santa Barbara saw an oil spill of nearly three million gallons of oil into the ocean.
Thankfully, we have come a long way since then. But that doesn't mean we can call it good, just because we might not be personally impacted by environmental issues. We are still seeing water quality and food crises throughout the world, pollution so heavy you can hardly go outside, deforestation, ocean acidification, species extinction, and more. The list could go on and on.
And the thing is, this isn't "their" problem. It's our problem. Pollution knows no boundaries. Deforestation in Brazil has an impact worldwide. We all live on this planet together, therefore it is out responsibility to take care of the planet together.
We've only got one planet, so why not protect it?
