Reduce your carbon footprint

By Vivian Lin

As humans evolve, they begin to damage the environment—thus creating the need for conserving the environment.

“Polluting lakes and climate change cause species to die,” freshman Nghi Nguyen explains.

Because of these consequences, some are realizing that the environment needs to be conserved.

“I think being humans and having this amazing ability to use our logic and our (reasoning), we have a responsibility to make sure that we take care of every living thing on the planet and that their ecosystem is healthy,” English teacher Ryan Lundell says.

One reason to preserve the environment is that people continue to rapidly use up limited natural resources provided by the environment. According to The Guardian newspaper’s website, the six natural resources that are used the most are water, oil, natural gas, phosphorous, coal and rare earth elements like scandium and terbium.

“If we are using up those resources, then it won’t be there for future generations and will cause extreme suffering and death. We will then basically suffer from our recklessness, which I don’t think is morally right,” Mr. Lundell elaborates.

Some people still do not understand why we should preserve the environment. According to Mr. Lundell, ignorance and laziness are the main contributors to having no motive to start doing so.

“It does not concern them because it’s kind of inconvenient (to preserve it). It takes more effort to recycle, to use less waste, and to live a sustainable, and eco-friendly life,” explains Mr. Lundell.

Another reason is that humans and other organisms depend on the environment and it depends on us. For example, people eat cows that eat plants that need bees to pollinate them. That’s why humans have an obligation to protect the natural habitats of the organisms as well as theirs.

“The present is much worse than the past,” Nghi begins. “At least, (in the past), icebergs were not melting and polar bears were happy.”

“We definitely have seen some human made changes in the last hundred to hundred fifty years. I still think we have a beautiful world, but we have to wake up and realize that it’s not what it used to be,” Mr. Lundell implores.