Humans: The Most Dangerous Creatures Alive

Hiya all, I know that this is a bit of a different topic then my routine but recently I saw the documentary 'A LIFE ON OUR PLANET' by David Attenborough and this got me thinking about the massive changes happening around us and how only some people are aware about this.

What is climate change?

What does "climate change" really mean? It means both very minute and very drastic changes happening to the climate over a definite period of time. It effects various parts of the Earth differently. For e.g. The melting of the ice caps, rising level of ocean water, excess emission of carbon-dioxide and harmful gases from industries, the bleaching of corals etc. All of these are a result of a difference in temperature of just 1 degree Celsius over the years.

Why is it happening?

Man due to his need but, mainly greed, is doing many unforgivable activities that not only are harming the environment but threatening his very existence too.What do you see in this picture? All the tree-lovers trying to survive in the bare minimum. WHY? There can be many factors related to this such as-

1.Urbanization and Concretization

Urbanization is a ominous factor taking place in the metro cities. As we build more tall buildings and apartments, the concrete starts to absorb the heat from the sun thus making the surroundings warmer. The trapping of heat inside the layers is known as global warming, our most dangerous enemy. Also large tracts of forests and trees are cut down to make space for the buildings. The trees help to absorb carbon-dioxide from the air, but if there are no trees then that means more carbon-dioxide in the air.

2.Exploding population

The population in 1950 was around 2.5 billion. From there it had started increasing at a dangerous rate and currently is around 7.8 billion. Scientists have estimated that if the population will keep increasing at the same rate then the number of people living on Earth in 2050 will be 9.5 billion! The more the people are there the more will be the demand for various products i.e more industries will be set up. Industries use different chemicals for making their products. The gases that are emitted out of them are not only harmful but can also be poisonous! Gases like carbon-dioxide and methane are the major causes of global warming. Also, the wastewater coming from these industries contains various harmful chemicals mixed in them. Some of this untreated wastewater is dumped straight into the water bodies which harm the existence of our beautiful and vibrant aquatic life.

The depletion of wildlife and aquatic habitats

Since 1970 humans have wiped out 60% of wildlife species. "This is far more than just being about losing the wonders of nature, desperately sad though that is," said Mike Barrett, the executive director of science and conservation at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)."If there was a 60% decline in the the human population, that would be equivalent to emptying North America, South America, Africa, Europe, China and Australia",he said."This is actually now jeopardizing the future of people.Nature is not a 'nice to have'- it is our life support system". From 1990 to 2015 the forest area has been decreasing at a rhythm of 0.13% per year. Our rain forests have started decreasing at an alarming rate,mainly due to deforestation.This harms the biodiversity of the planet. By destroying the rain forests we are not only killing the thousands of different species of plants but are also destroying the habitats of the various animals living there.

CORALS-What are they? They might look as flowers in the ocean but they actually house millions of small species of fish. An ecosystem of corals is known as a coral reef. The second part of this photo consists of a vibrant-colored coral. The first part has a off white look to it. Both of them have a different beauty of their own. Guess it's hard to believe that the second part is a healthy coral and the first part is it's dead skeleton! Yes, corals turn white on dying. This process is known as bleaching and is growing at an alarming rate. Even a little change in the ocean temperature can cause the corals to drive out algae living inside it. I know earlier in the paragraph I said that corals turn white on dying, but this is not true, bleached corals do not mean dead corals...it just means that now they have more chances of dying than healthy corals. A large part of the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral ecosystem was a severe subject to bleaching recently. If we do not try to minimize global warming then all of our beautiful reefs will be ruined and many habitats will be destroyed forever.

What can we do to prevent this?

The main things we can do to prevent global warming and save biodiversity are- TO MINIMIZE THE CONSUMPTION OF MEAT: by minimizing are consumption of meat we are not only saving those animals but also saving the wildlife,energy and time used in raising them. Then POWER YOUR HOME WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY: using renewable source of energy like solar energy,tidal energy,wind energy etc can produce a huge difference. Today countries like China, Germany and India have started using and promoting solar energy. And lastly SPEAK UP! MAKE OTHERS AROUND YOU AWARE!: For people who maybe can't afford these renewable energy resources can also do their part by making the people they know aware about these changes. Kids can also do their part by planting one tree every year and taking care of it, or by using a cycle to travel short distances-that's both environment and fitness friendly;).

Get Inspired

Lastly I want all of you to watch certain documentaries to get more inspired and to get a clearer idea of the various threats arising for our planet-

1. A LIFE ON OUR PLANET: DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

2. ANIMAL PLANET

3. OUR PLANET

4. CHASING ICE

5. CHASING CORALS

And as rightly said by Mahatma Gandhi-"The Earth has enough for everyone's need,but not for everyone's greed." So, let's all do our part and save Mother Earth.