Protecting our environment: More needs to be done

Jingfu
Meridian Junior College
Singapore

The environment is an awesome entity, encompassing almost all areas of our lives. It would seem ludicrous, then, that such a powerful, self-sustaining 'pseudo-life form' would need protection, but yes, the environment is under siege. It is plagued by a host of problems, from global warming and rising sea levels to widespread species extinctions and ecological collapse. It desperately needs help and protection. Salvation can come in several forms, but before we can render our assistance, we must first understand the root cause of the problems – us.

Since time immemorial, humanity has spread across all the lands and oceans, often leaving chaos and destruction in its wake. Our cattle are the cause of extreme desertification and our demands for timber the cause of rampant, pervasive deforestation. These are merely the issues on the surface. Probe deeper and you will realise the environment is akin to a spider's web; fragile and intricate, like the strands of interconnected silk. Global warming is, in part, due to deforestation and desertification. Species extinction and ecological collapse are, in turn, also related to these problems. It is a massive, massive web, and one fibre plucked or disturbed sends the entire web into chaos and disarray. This is not to say there are no solutions. We are the cause of this multi-headed hydra, but we are also the ultimate solution, the hydra-slayer.

In his recent film, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore outlined many of the problems plaguing our planet and environment. He also offered a way out. We can minimise our impact on the environment, use cleaner energy, take public transport and consume less electricity. The steps one can take are endless. The gist of the matter is that we are as much valiant protectors of the environment as we are vicious marauders. The catalyst for change is within us, and to protect the environment we, as individuals, will have to actively and consciously safeguard its interests.

If long-term preservation of the environment were to be possible, however, the small measures that we could undertake as individuals could not possibly be sufficient. Larger entities, like corporations, unions and nations, have to have a bigger role to play. We consume an alarming amount of energy daily. The USA accounts for almost 30 per cent of global annual energy consumption, and Asia consumes 50 per cent. It is now startlingly apparent that to conserve our limited sources of energy would take more than an individual's effort. Massive industrialisation since the 1980s has led air pollution levels to skyrocket. This has contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer and global warming, which has resulted in a shocking 0.5ºC increase in temperatures in the last 100 years. Fortunately, our leaders have recognised this problem and have pledged, in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, to reduce pollution emission rates. Over 72 nations have ratified the protocol, and a significant decrease in harmful gas emissions has already been noted. However, both Australia and the USA did not sign the protocol and cynics argue that this is undermining its effectiveness. There are states in the USA, though, where voters have pressured their governors to adopt Kyoto standards of pollution. This is an example of effective, active environmentalism. But there is still much more we can do and there are also other problems that require our attention. Plans for reforestation, restocking depleted habitats with flora and fauna and eliminating invasive alien species are just some measures we can undertake. These would require participation from all levels of society, but I do not think this is too much to ask. We only have one planet.

Recent meteorological reports indicate warming oceans, which assist in the development of typhoons and hurricanes. This corresponds with the increase in storms that have beset us, such as Hurricane Katrina and Typhoon Durian. The year 2006 was also the year with the highest number of tropical storms on record. These tropical storms are extremely destructive, leaving behind thousands of homeless and dead. Many scientists attribute the increase in tropical storms to warmer oceans and global warming. This again supports my previous point that everything is connected.

The only way to avert our course from perdition would be to protect our environment from further global warming. How? The answers are legion. Essentially, a paradigm shift is required: people have to stop wasting, start conserving and safeguarding the environment from further exploitation. Already, we are reeling from the effects of our neglect. Global warming has already become a scourge upon the environment, resulting in coral bleaching, desertification and massive heat waves. We have to stop it before it unleashes other unfathomable horrors. Active conservation and participation is what is needed, not token sums donated to environmental groups. We all need to become environmental activists.

There are cynics, however, as it goes with almost everything else on this planet. They claim that the environment's slow degeneration is part of a natural process of renewal, and that the mass extinctions now are merely a duplication of what happened to the dinosaurs. I find this increasingly hard to believe though. As the days pass, I look up and no longer see the sun as a giver of life, but rather as a scorching, unforgiving behemoth of molten fire, especially when images of ravaged forests and coral reefs flash on my television. This is not a farce. We need to save and protect our environment now.

The ways to salvation are many, and these ways lead to the preservation and ultimate renewal of our environment. Through our protection, the environment can be saved. We only have one planet, one environment. The onus is on us, because I believe humanity and its descendants deserve to be born into a pristine, beautiful world, deserve to marvel at the mystery of existence, to be left breathless at the spectacle of nature, to gaze at a scarlet sunset, and yes, to be ravished by the beauty of our world and our environment.

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