Environmental Conservation Essays Example

Caring for our environment should be a collective responsibility upon which everybody should undertake selflessly. The environment and our surroundings form the essential element of our survival. Every living thing fundamentally depends on the environment for survival and ensuring that our environment provides a haven for this survival should be a continuous undertaking. Our world is more industrialized now than ever before, which means that there are more emissions into the air from the industries that have sprung up in the twenty-first century. People have been so engrossed in other things that they have entirely forgotten about the environment. We live in a fast-paced world where everybody wants to be successful in their careers, people want to engage themselves in a sport, and more and more children are getting distracted by video games and television. All these factors have made us not to take notice of what is going on around us and especially what is going on in our environment. We should pause for a while and ask ourselves what the environment will look like in a fifty years from today if we don’t take any action. Therefore, caring for the environment is a fundamental task that we should assign ourselves for the benefit of this and the future generations.
The environment is the fundamental element of the sustainability of life. It is well recognized that environmental hazards are one of the leading causes of global deaths and diseases and that the burden falls disproportionately on women and young children (UNEP 2004 Annual Report). Most of the environmental degradation has been brought about by human activities. From uncontrolled hunting of rare species of birds and animals to creating landfills that are a health hazard to humans, and also dangerous to the animals. Saving our planet should be a priority that we should pursue tirelessly and with a lot of zeal because it is the only way to reward the environment that sustains us. By saving the planet, we will not only make the world a better place for us now but also a beautiful, safe and clean place to live in for our future generations. A lot of organizations, foundations and government agencies have dedicated a lot of their efforts, resources and time to championing this cause. But conserving the environment should not be left to these groups alone because it is a collective effort for every inhabitant of this planet. Governments also should enact regulations that ensure practices that degrade the environment are termed illegal and should not be practiced. Environmental management has the objective of safeguarding health and the environment and should be clearly defined and their outcomes carefully monitored in order to determine whether the regulation is serving its purpose (Farmer 2012).
There are fairly a number of explanations as to why we should conserve the environment. Just as the adage goes ‘do unto others what you desire to be done to you,’ the environment will treat us just the way we treat it. If we treat our environment with responsibility and concern, we should not be worried about diseases and other natural calamities that stem from our actions against the environment. Scientific research has shown that natural disasters and catastrophes like drought and floods are attributed to environmental degradation. Below are some of the reasons as to why we should conserve our environment.
a). For the safety of animals
Many animals depend on their particular environments for survival. For instance, the polar bears and penguins that live on the ice in the Arctic depend on the ice for their survival. The rise in temperatures due to climate change on the planet has threatened the existence of such species because their habitats have become smaller and inhabitable. The wildlife depends on healthy habitats to survive. Therefore, they need the right temperatures and food resources in order to sustain their survival. Human activities like deforestation that destroys animal habitats should be highly discouraged.b). Safeguarding future generations.
Conserving the environment will benefit not only the present inhabitants but also the future generations. More people today are appreciating the need to balance careers, work, and pleasure. Therefore, it leads them to seeking means to get away from their work settings to relax and unwind. Current generations have an obligation to sacrifice themselves to eliminate the dangers that the future generations might face.c). Avoiding natural disasters.
Climate change and severe weather conditions are linked to environmental degradation. Destruction of habitats and pollution by man leads to unstable weather conditions that in turn result in natural disasters. Floods and famine have also been linked to poor environmental conservation methods. Deforestation has been known to cause drought hence leading to low food resources that have in turn lead to many deaths. Pollution also causes the air to be contaminated which can cause respiratory diseases to humans and animals alike. It also causes acid rain that destroys trees and plants hence destroying habitats that may lead to extinction of some species. The increase in temperatures in the oceans has also been attributed to hurricanes and cyclones. Therefore, if humans don’t arrest the situation by putting measures in place to curb this trend, these events will increase leading to more deaths and damage.
d). Preserving the ecosystem and biodiversity.
The world is rich with millions of species of plants and animals. Our ecosystems are very fragile and need to be protected and taken good care of. Humans are said to be single largest threat to the destruction of ecosystems and species. When the natural habitats of these species are destroyed the diversity of these species are destroyed too. Human actions are disturbing and degrading numerous ecological and economic services provided by freshwater rivers, lakes and wetlands (Miller & Spoolman 2011). The aftermath of this is the damage of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitats along these water sources. Human beings are destroying these habitats in order to make more room for the increasing population and make room for farming that in turn depletes natural resources. Every species plays a significant role in their ecosystem and the planet, in general. Preservation of the biodiversity and ecosystem will ensure that safer and greener planet for man and animals, as well as plants.e). Safeguarding non-renewable resources.
Once we use these resources, they will no longer be available. These resources include natural gas, copper, oil and other minerals like iron. More and more countries are sinking wells in order to search for the elusive ‘black gold.’ Oil drilling has increased around the world in the recent years that leads to the fracturing of the earth by the hydraulic drilling machines. It is projected that the world may run out of oil in the next fifty years if mining continues at the current pace. Humans should come up with ways of utilizing renewable sources of energy in order to preserve the little non-renewable sources of energy that are remaining.
If the above-discussed principles drive us, then there is no doubt that we are going to have a safer and cleaner planet. Many resources on our planet are vulnerable because they are mainly influenced by human activities. The drive to conserve the environment has brought many nations together in discussing on the best measures to exercise in order to reduce acts that violate the set standards of preserving the planet. Many conventions have resolved and agreed on the best ways to take environmental measures that are yet to be implemented. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is the United Nations’ agency that coordinates and implements all environmental policies. It has helped in formulating treaties and guidelines that have resolved to cut emissions by countries with heavy industries. The agency has also set out guidelines on how to curb climate change and global warming.
Conserving the environment, therefore, requires a global action in order to achieve the primary objective of this cause. There are numerous ways that we can use to conserve our environment. Below is a list of some of the actions that we can employ in order to save our planet.a). planting trees.
Trees are a vital part of our ecosystem. Trees provide oxygen, improve air quality, preserving soil and also in supporting wildlife. By holding the soil together, trees reduce erosion significantly. Fallen leaves also form tremendous compost hence enriching the soil. Trees also create natural habitats for many species of birds and animals that are equally important in the ecosystem.
b). Recycling.
Practicing proper recycling techniques can also lead to effective environmental conservation and management. We should reuse items like eco-bags in order to keep the use of plastics at a minimum. Items like old batteries, plastic bottles and used tires should be adequately recycled because damping items like this could take millions of years to decompose.c). Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenhouse gasses play an integral part in our planet. Gasses like carbon dioxide and methane trap heat from the sun and avert it from escaping into space, therefore keeping our planet pleasingly warm and sustain life. If the levels of these gasses in the atmosphere increase then heat will be retained in the atmosphere causing the earth to warm (therefore global warming).
It is, therefore, a public concern for every individual to be conscious about the effects of not conserving the environment and take the necessary precautions and measures to save the planet. The policy of going green by the year 2030 should be taken seriously by enacting laws and recommendations that condemn the acts that degrade and destroy the environment. The major industrial nations should come together to further this cause and support poor countries because they are the biggest players in the industrial revolution. A green planet will mean a healthier, cleaner and better planet for us and the generations to come.

Works Cited

United Nations Environment Program, (2005). UNEP 2004 Annual Report. Nairobi:
UNEP/Earthprint.
Miller, G., & Spoolman, S. (2011). Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and
Solutions. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Farmer, A. (2012). Handbook of Environmental Protection and Enforcement: Principle and
Practice. Sterling: Earthscan.