Saving the Environment

Saving the Environment

     We can scarcely turn our television or pick up a newspaper these days without being confronted with yet another depressing news item about the environment. As the population of many cities increases, more and more land is being converted from its natural state to accommodate homes and factories. The direct result of this is the systematic destruction of different ecosystems all over the world which, in turn, has led to seas becoming polluted with poisons, rivers becoming contaminated by pesticides and the air becoming polluted with fumes from cehicles and industry. While the problems of pollution and habitual destruction are obvious, the solutions are difficult to find. However serious attempts to halt the destruction of ecosystems must be made immediately.

     First of all, instead of expecting governments to provide all the solutions, citizens should take some initiative. They must begin to recycle goods and packaing whenever possible, as well as buy only environmentally friendly products. By doing this, we can reduce the amount of non-biodegradable waste being dumped at rubbish tips, thus ensuring that materials such as glass, and plastic are not left in earth which could be used as farmland in the future. In addition domestic food scraps should be recycled; for examples, potato peelings and melon rinds can be turned into substances that enrich the soil. Furthermore, individuals can help protect the earth by using public transport whenever possible. Where such facilities do not exist, sharinf lifts is recommended to reduce traffic congestion, noise and vehicle emission on the roads. The less petrol our societies burn, the better the air quality will be.

     Secondly, governments should take the necessary measures to protect the environment. One possible measure to combat industrial pollution would be imposing strict fines on corporations and businesses which contaminate land, air or water. To be effective, the fines should be heavy enough to deter potential polluters; if they are too small, they could simply be regarded by industries as "the cost of doing business" and they might be ignored. Governments should also allocate funds for research to develop solar, wind, geothermal and tidal energy and discover new ways to produce energy. If this were to happen, the consequence would be that depletion of finite resources such as oil and coal would be slowed down, or even stopped altogether, and rates of pollution would decrease.

     To sum up, the earth is suffering as a result of the destruction wreaked upon it by humanity. As Paul Claudel once sail, "Nature is only an immense ruin." Clearly, both individuals and authorities need to become more aware of the consequences of their actions and should act more responsibly. Only if people do so will the Earth be saved from further destruction and the world become a healthier, safer place to live in.

quote:bogazici university, writing booklet-9; spring-2013