Man is a social animal.

We probably learned this in middle school. Up until then, the innocent mind of ours thought, other animals and creatures were created for the benefit of humans, and everything around us was designed for humans. Quiet a sense of entitlement right!

However, now, we know better, we are grown-ups, adults capable of making life decisions. Yet, our concern for our planet remains callous.

SIDE HUSTLES ALERT!

But do you know a secret?

EARTH IS THE ONLY PLANET THAT IS CAPABLE OF SUSTAINING LIFE. THERE IS NO OTHER PLANET!! 

While we see signs of the environment deteriorating—Climate change, Global warming, animals going extinct—we go on with life, with an indifferent attitude. We think, someone will fight for it, someone will come up with some idea, I can’t go and save the environment, I am not a tree hugger, or wildlife saviour, someone else will do, but not me.

If you eat the food grown from the soil, drink the water flowing in the rivers, and breathe the air produced by the trees, my dear human, you are in debt with Mother Earth. We are so in debt that perhaps our whole life isn’t enough to repay it.

Today we are fighting the COVID pandemic. We are fighting an invisible virus which has killed over tens of thousands of people and forced us to halt our rat race and stay at home.  Humans are suffering whilst Earth is healing. It almost seems satirical!

It’s true since countries have gone in lockdown the ruin we rained over Earth is retreating. Climate is getting better; pollution is decreasing; animals not seen or believed to be extinct are returning, and the Ozone layer is healing. Come to think of it we were the ONLY ones destroying the beautiful world we are blessed with.

We have mistreated Earth. Took it for granted. If there was any planet in the universe which can support life. And if we, by some futuristic advance technology manage to reach it, the native inhabitants would never let stay there. They wouldn’t want humans anywhere near their planet. James Cameron showed us a glimpse in his magnum opus Avatar.

But enough said, now is the time to act. How you ask, you know it! Stop being selfish and start giving back. It’s about time.

Conserve water:

Water scarcity is a growing problem, and it is predicted that major cities of the world would run out of water (even groundwater) in a decade or two. Also though we are surrounded by majestic oceans and great seas, making up to 97% of the water, the water which is suitable for drinking is less than 3%. In which around 2% of the freshwater is frozen in glaciers, ice, and snow. So if we don’t conserve water, we are doomed.

 Start by taking these tiny, but significant steps:

  • Use water carefully
  • Repair and fix leaky faucets and pipes
  • Don’t leave the tap running
  • Rainwater harvesting

Plant trees:

Oh, how we love our Mahagony, Rosewood, Teakwood. How we love wasting hundred’s and thousands of tissues. How we fancy tossing beautiful sheets of paper over and over again. For this insatiable love of humans, daily hundreds of trees are cut down. We see climate change and the rise in temperature as well as an alarming increase in air pollution and soil erosion. All of this is directly the result of deforestation.

Lucy Larcom said, “He who plants a tree, plants a hope.” If every human, alive today planted one tree, we would have over seven billion trees! When this pandemic is over, make an effort and plant trees. Because trees are our hope; our weapon, and our amour for the better tomorrow.

Avoid plastic:

By now, we all know the constant use of plastic is disastrous for the planet, but we don’t stop using it. We are so comfortable using plastics; we can’t think our life without it. But do you know, the single-use plastic which you carelessly discard takes almost 1,000 years to decompose!! Every single item made from plastic takes years to decompose. And since we consume enormous amounts of plastic daily, it ends up in the ocean, landfills, forests, and worse around the throats of marine creatures and in the stomachs of animals.

You can start by:

  • Switching to cloth bags­—reusable, environment friendly
  • Switch to glass and stainless steel containers
  • Don’t loiter plastics carelessly
  • Segregate waste and discard them properly

Conclusion:

 Climate change is real, and it’s becoming worse. The environment is getting wreaked as we speak. We need to act, and only a combined human effort can save this planet.  People are in denial; people are indifferent. But sooner or later, the signs will be too hard and too harsh to ignore. If we don’t stop and change our ways, we may not have a planet for our future generations.

This Earth day, think about it. Think about it hard; let it sink in. OUR PLANET NEEDS SAVING! Earth has to be saved before it’s too late.

Take care of the planet while Mother Nature is being gracious and forgiving. If Earth’s wrath is unleashed, the civilizations, cultures, and world built by humans throughout centuries will be destroyed in minutes. Then we will be left will nothing but regrets.