Our food, our houses and mostly everything we have comes straight from the Earth. As we become more reckless, we are making life on Earth worse and worse for us and future generations. We produce waste and pollute with no care for the environment we are affecting. The biggest problem I have is the lack of action to combat these problems that we, as humans, are creating. This not only risks the stability of our habitats but it hurts what we have and poisons the oxygen we all rely on. 

The best example of our apathetic attitude towards our environment is the way we have responded to the Amazon Rain forest fires. Recently, according to National Geographic, over 7,200 square miles of the Amazon Rain forest has burned down in two weeks and is still burning now. The problem is news stations were not covering the fire until exactly two weeks after it started. It seems small but 7,200 square miles is equal to 126,720 football fields, and this number is continuing to grow. The issue that many people are not realizing is this is hurting our ecosystems, our animals and the rate of the climate is changing. If people don’t see what is wrong with what’s happening, our planet will not be able to withstand our lifestyles. 

Although seeing the changes happen in real time, and the research that has shown that global warming is a real issue, there are many out there still against the idea. According to NASA, Earth’s average temperature has increased by about 0.8 degrees Celsius and continues to increase each year. This is causing sea levels to rise and it affects our wildlife. A study done by The World Wildlife Fund says that many animals are being harmed by the toxic chemicals being dumped into the water and the smog we create. These actions have devastating effects on the habitat and well being that these animals have. People would say they’re concerned but many choose to make many non-eco friendly choices; driving all the time, using plastic, littering instead of recycling. People who know global warming exists choose to hurt our environment to make money or are just reckless. 

If proper knowledge isn’t taught and these actions keep continuing, we are just pushing the timer on  Earth’s collapse. The United Nations has recently addressed this global emergency and says we only have 11 years left before irreversible damage is caused. This shows us that we need to take the dangers of harming our earth more seriously before we make life harder on us. Learning about the impact of climate changes should be regularly taught in school so that students can care and try to change for their future. 

 According to Time, the Amazon Rain forest fires have been started by farmers to make room for grazing and farming land. The fact that they are willing to put thousands of species of animals and plants in danger of extinction to have more land for their personal benefit is absolutely awful and shouldn’t be tolerated by their government. 

The rate of climate change has left it’s signs everywhere and we can feel it for ourselves but it is still being ignored. We see it in the smog in the air we breath and the rise in our oceans. We all need to start changing now to slow down the rate of climate change. The effect we, as individuals, make may seem small but if we all accept that climate change is a real problem and put effort into changing our carbon footprint, we can make a big impact and provide a better future for all of us. A better future means sustainable diets, clean water, and fresh air to breathe.