The quality of human life has improved greatly over the past centuries, but the earth is being harmed more and more by human activity. As we develop new technology, we demand more from our planet. Eventually, this will harm people as well.
The earth gives us everything we need, but natural resources are not endless. Strip mining devastates whole regions, leaving bare and useless ground. Deforestation removes old-growth trees that can't be replaced. Too much fishing may reduce the number of aquatic species. We are too careless about taking what we want without giving anything back.
There are more people on earth than ever, living longer than ever, so is it any surprise that many areas suffer from overdevelopment? Anyone living in or near a city has experienced "urban sprawl." There is a new shopping area on every corner and new houses, townhouses, and apartments always springing up. Traffic gets worse and worse because urban planners can't keep up with the growth. Keeping up with human demand is hard for the earth to sustain. Most people don’t seem to take environmental concerns into consideration.
Companies and communities dump waste into the water. Landfills are full of trash. Emissions from factories pollute the air. Barrels of industrial waste and, worse, radioactive waste have no safe place to go. If we're not careful, we can harm this planet beyond repair.
People need to respect the earth’s natural resources and try to preserve them for
future generation as well. If we don't, what kind of future will we have? |