The Page Turner

Nature is a wonder; it’s what created us, what we are a part of. It provides us with the basic necessities of life, it gives lives. The perfect mix of survival and comfort. And yet we slowly wear it away. What was once hectares of green grasslands and thriving trees have now been replaced with factories, plumes of smoke, and arid terrain. Instead of a pristine atmosphere, our lungs are filled with polluted oxygen. The increasing amount of fumes release greenhouse gases into the air, resulting in the climate getting warmer, and leaving animals less likely to cope. Our world supplies us (in rich abundance) with all we need, but what we fail to acknowledge is that Nature, in its own impactful way, fights back.

The widely trusted United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) show us that by 2050, millions of square kilometres of forests and other natural spaces could be lost, and nearly all warm-water coral reefs could be destroyed due to the rising sea temperatures. That means that the only two ways of getting oxygen for us to breathe could potentially be impossible. The human race could be wiped out before our planet does. And yet many of us have not noticed our negligence. Earth is being shattered, we are shattering it, before our very eyes, but we do nothing. And the worst part is, we can do something, we can still strive to make our surroundings a better place, a place worth living. Even a small thing, enough to provide us with hope that things can change, works too. We can still try to salvage what is left of our home, to ensure that our world, and its miracles, can live to see another day.

Our world is a powerful force, home to billions of people, animals, trees and rivers, and, incredibly, it still has the time to keep providing us with food, shelter and warmth. But instead of respecting our planet, we strip down the spirited trees that provide us with oxygen, we excavate our fertile land to extract fuel, and we excessively produce single use plastics that do not decompose. We are using our planet unnecessarily and ignoring the many things it has to offer. Soon, our “Blue Planet” will become a grey one. If we keep wasting away our natural resources, what will happen to our precious world now? Climate activists including Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough are striving to positively influence us to aid the pressing need our Earth requires, but in the end, it is a shared responsibility that each and every one of us must face. It is a problem that we must be willing to solve together, because we need to work as one community, not 8 billion individuals, if we want to make a real difference.

The effects of our actions is evident from the steep rise in temperatures this year; many parts of Europe are facing severe water shortages, and are unable to produce energy. Moreover, the UK is suffering from what is confirmed to be an exceptionally serious drought. Satellite images have depicted that all of the well-know green fields have turned parched and bare. Additionally, this July has officially become the driest in 190 years, with the rainfall being 7% of its average, and parts of England only receiving 1% of that. By 2045- 2050, the country is scheduled to have severe supply deficits of water and may even need to borrow from other countries. We cannot let this happen. Nature is a breathtaking and mystifying power, and it is vital that we preserve for it long enough to explore it further. Our Earth cannot be compromised because, in the wide expanse of the universe, our Blue Marble is the only one out there. We cannot compromise our forests, oceans and air and restrict the ever-shrinking resources we have. Because deep down, we all know that, the liberties we exercise over ourselves, the provisions we consume, if we’re not careful, it could disappear with the snap of a finger. And our job is to change that. To twist the fate of our planet around, each and every one of us has the opportunity to make an impact. Let’s go and save the world. For us. For the better.