Imagine a world. A world where everyone needs an inhaler to be able to breath, a world where cancer is as common as obesity, and a world where disasters like Katrina are a common occurrence. This world is our future if we ignore the environmental issues with which we are being confronted. I’m sure many of you are thinking that I’m giving you scientific propaganda, or maybe just trying to scare the crap out of you with apocalyptic scenarios in order to get you to do something. Well, I am trying to scare the crap out of you, but the truth is often scary. The truth is that we are harming the environment immensely, and it will affect our futures.
It is a common misconception that all of these climate catastrophes are going to happen past our time, but who is giving you this idea? Government officials? The news? It’s not going to immensely affect their futures, but we are the next generation, and we are the generation that is going to be dealing with these problems and suffer the consequences if we don’t deal with them. And if you think global warming will be the only result of environmental degradation, you are wrong. We’re talking about a major climate change, about creating an environment that can’t support the growing human population and demand, and nearly impossible to live a healthy life in. Although we can’t completely reverse the damage we have done, we can make a difference and create a future in which we can happily and healthily live. The only thing standing in the way of a solution is us.
Humans are harming the environment in a variety of ways. I could talk about all the ways humans are harming the environment for hours, but I’ll try to make this brief. Overall, the worldwide human demand is too great for our environment. We, as a humans, require too much from the environment. As our population grows, the amount of resources we have available decreases, and the demand for those resources go up. We are altering the climate by cutting down forests, and emitting several tons of polluting gas into our atmosphere every day. Global warming is only one part of what is happing to our climate. This isn’t just warming; it’s a climate change. We are moving towards a world of extremes, a world where it’s either sweltering hot or freezing cold. On one side of a country, there will be a drought, while flooding rains will bombard the other. The warmer oceans will be fuel for monstrous storms. Just imagine how many fatalities there would be each year. Imagine having three Katrinas a year. Imagine having a dust bowl every year. Don’t forget that we are creating an unhealthy environment by contaminating our water, air, and soil with waste. The number of people with asthma has gone up by 59% since 1970. I am the first member of my family who has been diagnosed with asthma. Factories dump waste products into rivers, contaminating water, which in turn, contaminates our food. You remember the spinach, right? Although that was just cow poo, there are worse things then cow poo in our food. Fruit and vegetables are laced with pesticides. Pesticide is poison, and we ingest every day. Are food is full of poisonous substances. So, with all these issues, what can we do about it?
The answer is, we can do a ton. The solutions are out there, but people simply aren’t supporting them. A common misconception is that making changes to help the environment would hurt our economy. This is completely wrong. Alternative energy would greatly benefit the economy, because the money that it is spent on the building of the energy transmitter, like a windmill, is earned back in the first year. So basically, after a year, you give nothing and get tons! Now how is that not good for the economy? Another huge problem is that the US government is loosening and destroying environmental laws, especially the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Just recently, the EPA considered allowing lead gasoline in the market again. Lead in the atmosphere is not only bad for our climate, but bad for us. People avoid lead paint, but having lead in our air is worse. Everyone will be exposed, and everyone will feel the effects. That’s our health they are messing with! Not only that, but we have all of the technology we need to reduce the negative effects we have on the environment, but people just don’t want to use them. There is simply a lack of public support. But what can we do about it? We don’t have any power over the government, we can’t even vote yet. But voting isn’t the only way to make a difference in the world. The saddest thing about the state of our environment is just not being lazy can solve a lot of problems. Recycling is an extremely easy and extremely effective way to help the environment. Natural resources are limited, and reusing paper, and recycling paper and plastic products not only saves trees, but also helps the economy. Money is wasted on burning trash, while recycling not only costs less, but also gains the money back, and even creates a profit. So do the world a favor, and walk the extra five feet to the recycling bin. Alternative energy is great, but conserving energy is even better. In the winter, try putting on a sweater instead of turning up the heat. And when you leave rooms, turn off the lights. Simple things like this can help solve a lot of problems. Reusing and using less of materials can do a lot of good. Another great thing to do is to talk to your parents. I’m sure everyone would love to do this, because who doesn’t love to talk back to their parents? If your household doesn’t recycle, tell your parents to start. When your parents pick out cars, tell them that buying an SUV isn’t the greatest idea in the world. And guys, just so you know, buying a bigger car doesn’t compensate for any other “size�? issues you have. Your parents are who make the big decisions, so help them make the right ones. Keep them informed and up to date on ways to help the environment. Don’t forget that just supporting environmentalists and pro-environment ideas helps a lot too. Although every individual can make a difference, working together towards one goal, a healthy environment is the only way we can change the world.
Now, imagine a world where the weather isn’t perfect, but we adept to the every day disturbances. And maybe we would have had to make a few simple sacrifices, but we would be alive, healthy, and able to take a breath without grasping for an inhaler. I don’t know about you, but I think I would pick this world over the apocalyptic one. You may not agree with the statistics and the theories, but there is truth in them. That truth is that our environment is changing drastically, and we need to act now or there will be a big price to pay. As a proactive environmentalist myself, I know first hand that the most important thing to the environmentalist movement right now is public support. Every single person in this room can make a difference! Every day I talk about this, people ignore me or just flat out contradict me. But why? I’m not just fighting to make a difference for myself; I am fighting for every single person in this room. Every one of you is affected by what happens to the environment. Every time you choose not to recycle, every time you forget to turn off a light, and every time you choose to ignore the truth, we walk closer to our demise. The future, our future, is what is at stake! It is your choice that is going to make the difference. Whether or not you decide to act upon the problems we are facing is what decides our fate. The future is in our hands, now what are you going to do about it?