World issues have recently, in our society, been put into question by the altered views of the way humanity should be expressed. Topics such as sexism, racism and overall inequality have taken over many aspects of the average lifestyle and continue to fuel the way people wish and deserve to live.

While these movements are extremely important to the evolution of our generation, one topic that is rarely ever talked about or encouraged is the fact that the selfish life of the average American and human, for that matter, greatly diminish and contribute to the ultimate demise of the planet that we live on.

Petroleum production, factory farming, deforestation; all of the things that make the human life more comfortable are the steps that humankind continues to climb in order to blindly destroy the Earth and punish future generations of all species, alike.

Personally, I’ve always felt extremely guilty knowing that the way I live my life is negatively affecting many species of animals and the environment as a whole. Animals that I once used to adore are being threatened due to simple and avoidable actions.

According to World Wide Life, a few examples of animals that have been added to the critically endangered and the near extinction lists just in my lifetime is the Polar Bear, the Amur Leopard and, more recently, the White Rhino. All three of these species, not to mention the countless others, are only threatened due to human overindulgence and greed, and it continues to get worse as the years go by.

Along with the infringement of animal rights, the pollution and factory farming that rips open the ozone year-by-year only adds to the sad truth that one day the Earth and all its inhabitants won’t be left with any protection from the sun and will fall to corruption of the human species.

The simple reason for all of this is the fact that humans just aren’t doing enough to protect and support the environments that they are harming. It’s evident that people have no issue taking whatever measures they can to improve their life without any regard to the other living things despite the fact that the plants and animals that are being destroyed are necessary for human existence.

While this may seem unmendable, it’s never too late to repair what has been damaged. Choosing to live a green lifestyle and exercising important activities such as recycling, supporting small scale farming and refraining from using natural gas are all simple steps that can make a difference in the long run.