Environment Magazine

35 Reasons Why We Need to Be Environmentally Conscious

Posted on the 18 January 2017 by Rinkesh @ThinkDevGrow

It is critical to protect the environment so as to reduce the destruction of eco-systems caused by a myriad of anthropogenic activities. It is more of a moral obligation for humans to protect the environment from pollution and other activities that lead to environmental degradation. Importantly, environmental degradation is detrimental since it threatens the long-term health of the animals, humans and plants.

Air and water pollution, global warming, smog, acid rain, deforestation, wildfires are just few of the environmental issues that we are facing right now. It is everyone’s responsibility to take care of the environment to make this planet a wonderful place to live. One does not need to put lot of money to go green but simple changes in daily lifestyle is all what is required to reduce your carbon footprint on the environment.

environmental-protection-environment

Here are the 35 reasons why humankind should save the environment or at least be environmentally conscious.

  1. The environment helps in protecting the ecosystem: Changes affecting the ecosystem put multiple species in the danger of extinction necessitating the need of protecting the environment. Ecosystems are deeply connected to one another.
  1. Protecting the environment protects humanity: Pollution is one of the most hazardous factors affecting the environment. It affects the quality of food leading to the ingestion of toxic substances.
  1. Humans have a moral obligation to preserve nature and its features: Humans are responsible for taking care of the environment. Protecting the environment would be an act of fulfilling their compulsions.
  1. Biodiversity is a significant part of life in the world: Biodiversity not only consists of the animals living of earth but also the forests, grasslands and tundra, which are significant features in maintaining the life-cycle of the eco-system.
  1. Forests provide raw materials for various consumer products: Forests are a significant part of the environment, which helps in providing various raw materials such as food, rubber, timber and essential oils. Forest management means availability and sustainable use of these natural resources.
  1. Forests provide habitats for a variety of species: Almost half of the species live in forests thus destroying the forests would lead to the destruction of the ecosystem at large.
  1. The way in which a person protects the environment reflects their personality: Just as the way you treat other people reflects your personality, the way you treat the environment reflects who you actually are. A good person will treat the environment responsibly. So treat the environment well and prove that you indeed have a good personality.
  1. It is a way to give to your generation: One will be happier in life if you focus on giving rather than receiving. Treating the environment well is one way to give to the others in your generation. By treating the environment well, you make the planet a better place to live for everyone. You help yourself and others to have higher quality of life.
  1. It is a way to give to the future generations: Not only protecting the environment benefits people in current generation; it will also benefit people in many generations to come. This planet is our legacy to the future generations.
  1. It is a way to give back to the planet: Whether we realize it or not, we can only live by consuming resources provided by this planet. Take energy for instance. We only get the energy by utilizing resources like oil and coal provided by the earth. This is not to mention basic needs like food and water.
  1. The environment is effective in generating successful food chain: The sun provides light for the plants. The plants are food for the animals that are in turn consumed by other animals. Therefore, destroying the environment would destroy the food chain system.
  1. The trees that are a significant part of the environment helps in keeping the climate cool: trees play a significant role in creating shades on the ground. Urban trees help buildings stay cool, reducing the need for electric fans or air conditioners, while large forests can tackle daunting tasks.
  1. The environment is useful in maintaining the earth’s balance: Trees also have another way to beat the heat: absorb CO2 that fuels global warming. Plants need some CO2 for photosynthesis which is stored in wood, leaves and soil, often for centuries. The forests equally absorb impurities from emissions.
  1. A balanced ecosystem results in rain: large forests have the tendency of influencing the weather patterns hence creating their own microclimates.
  1. Trees, a significant part of the environment, play a critical role in the refilling of aquifers: Forests are like giant sponges, catching runoff rather than letting it roll across the surface, but they cannot absorb all of it. Water that gets past their roots trickles down into aquifers, replenishing groundwater supplies that are important for drinking, sanitation and irrigation around the world.
  1. Trees play a significant role in blocking the wind: Farming near a forest has many benefits, like bats and songbirds that eat insects or owls and foxes that eat rats. Nevertheless, trees can also serve as windbreakers, reducing wind speeds of wind-sensitive crops. In addition, beyond protecting those plants, less wind makes it easier for bees to pollinate them.
  1. Trees help in keeping dirt in its place: A forest’s root network stabilizes huge amounts of soil, bracing the entire ecosystem’s foundation against erosion by wind or water. Not only does deforestation disrupt all that, but also the ensuing soil erosion can trigger new, life-threatening problems like landslides and dust storms.
  1. Many animals need the environment for survival: As the environment gets destroyed, the more animals in the ecosystem perish. As the environment is degrading, most of the animal species face extinction.
  1. Preserving the environment could prevent soil erosion: Soil erosion is a factor that occurs due to various human activities that have led to environmental degradation. Erosion can occur naturally from the impact of water and wind, or it can be encouraged by irresponsible farming practices.
  1. Maintaining the environment slows down global warming: Deforestation adds more carbon and carbon dioxide that capture and absorb heat, thus speeding up the process of global warming by making the Earth hotter. The forest slows this process down because carbon dioxide is stored in the trees and also converts it to the oxygen.
  1. Maintaining the environment leads to the creation of the natural watersheds: The plants and trees in the forest catch rain and other types of moisture. It helps water to naturally discharge into larger water bodies like the lakes and rivers. This maintains water quality and enables aquatic systems to flourish.
  1. The environment provides an excellent source of groundwater: The Forest Service has reported that 20% of our drinking water comes from forests. In forest ecosystems, rain and moisture is made into groundwater that is collected as freshwater used for drinking.

trees-perspective-sunlight-trunks-environment

  1. The forest, a useful part of the environment, helps us to breathe: Did you know that more than 10 people can get nourished by oxygen from a single tree? Well, trees are the typical lungs of the earth as they absorb carbon dioxide and change it to oxygen thereby allowing survival on earth.
  1. The forest gives us clean air: The air we breathe is less harmful to us because the forest trees act as a natural filter to remove the harmful particles.
  1. Maintaining the environment leads to less solar radiation: In small doses, the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun are good for us and provide a healthy dose of vitamin D. But, when we are exposed to too much sun, it can be uncomfortable and lead to skin cancer or many other health issues. UV rays are made less powerful because the forest has the ability to weaken solar radiation.
  1. Maintaining the environment such as growing of forests stabilizes noise pollution: With the way our ears process sound, the forest actually cuts down much of the noise we hear or makes some sounds so subtle that we barely notice them. Instead, the forest replaces intrusive noises with its own pleasant sounds of birds chirping and leaves softly rustling.
  1. Maintaining the environment is critical in providing food for people: There are many healthy edibles found throughout the forest. Around the world, many people depend on forest food to live.
  1. Maintaining the environment leads to availability of food for both animals and plants: Food from the forest also provides sustenance for animals. Without the forest, many of these animals would perish. Even if we tried, we could not replicate all the foods that are naturally healthy for them in the way the forest can.
  1. Environmental protection promotes economic stability: Many people are employed because of the forest and millions of jobs would be lost without it. The forests simply provide energy and are a source of livelihood for many.
  1. Protecting the environment make us happy: Millions of people head to the forest to find relaxation and renew their spiritual energy. It has also been scientifically proven that the natural elements of the forest can serve as a remedy for emotional and mental distress.
  1. Environmental protection encourages better physical health: The quality of air found in the forest can help to improve lung health and there are many recreational activities to be found there as well. For example, taking a walk through the forest enhances ones physical endurance.
  1. Environmental protection reminds us to appreciate the beauty of nature: There is nothing quite like spending time in the forests to sightsee and enjoy a day filled with surprises that only nature can afford. The visual splendor of the forest is one of the things that make the Earth especially stunning and unique.
  1. Environmental protection awakens our imagination: The visual and mental stimulation that the forest provides heightens our imagination and inspires our motives.
  1. Protecting the environment increases tourism: Many societies have benefited from funding, support and economic revitalization through tourism. Tourists are mainly attracted to areas such as forests and zoos which are all part of our environment.
  1. Medicines can be found throughout the forests and environment: Medicines are found in the forest that can be used for a wide variety of health disorders. Medicines can be extracted to cure infections and a myriad of health problems.
Image credit: Comfreak , Unsplash

Back to Featured Articles on Logo Paperblog