Save the planet or face the consequences

By Emmanuel Ogamodey from Nigeria.

Our planet is made up of seven continents – Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America and South America. It is comprised of 196 countries. Logically I do not think improving the life of an individual is more important than the whole seven billion people on this planet. Our population is on the increase and the benefit of the planet’s resources is decreasing alongside our technical ability to change the planet for good or ill.

Saving the planet is inventing things, bringing ideas or thoughts that will affect the planet positively and that everybody will benefit from. It is more than the self or a group of people; it affects everybody differently but positively. This is a wonderful planet, and it is being completely destroyed by people who have too much money and are drunk with power. If everybody on the planet were selfless, one way or the other, nobody would have any reason to think about being better than others and the world would be much better. Saving the planet brings solutions to people’s problems, health situations and mostly to the day-to-day activities of people, not just in a particular continent, country or community, but to the world at large. What is the use of a beautiful house in a badly polluted environment? The earth will not continue to offer its harvest if we continue to remain unfaithful stewards.

The atmosphere directs the air and water pattern of man. Climate change is one of the problems of the earth, and if it is not dealt with the potential future effect of it could include: more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some parts of the world, irregular pattern of rainfall and stronger and more intense hurricanes. The most important thing about global warming is not what is responsible, the climate scientist can figure that out, but our sacred duty to leave this planet in the spherical shape that we met it for the future generation to be able to enjoy its beauty.

If the atmosphere is defiled and the air we breathe in is polluted, it can cause asthma and other respiratory diseases. It can also lead to the contamination of plants and waters. And when this is contaminated, it affects us when we eat and drink. Environmental pollution can cause incurable diseases, which can only be prevented. If we ignore problems like these and we continue improving the life of the individual, it will survive to hunt us someday because once the air is polluted we inhale wrong gases which leads to incurable sicknesses and spending of money. But if this is solved, everybody will benefit from it and diseases will be less, also less money will be spent on health and environmental sanitation. People cause pollution because they are not paying for the cost of dealing with it, but the truth is that their health pays for it.

The land is where we live and search for our daily bread. If the land is not taken care of in terms of food, security, cleanliness, then it will pose a big problem to everybody. Imagine if agriculture were no more attractive for people to engage in due to the damage on lands, what would happen? There would be low production of food, which would lead to the high cost and scarcity of food. The poor and the poorest will be most hit. I love this planet; I want to see the environment and human race preserved. I also would like to see everybody including the poor and the poorest live decently in a more impartial, kindhearted and thoughtful planet.

Talking about water bodies, what happens if the rivers, oceans, lakes, streams are polluted? In the Niger Delta region of Nigeria where I live, I saw the lands, rivers, lakes, streams polluted by crude oil and the air constantly polluted by gas flaring. The activities of the oil companies in my area continue to pose a big problem to us living there not only in the production of food but also in the production of aquatic lives. This has led to the low production and high cost of food. The polluted water is not good for consumption and potable water, a well-known pure natural liquid, has become a scarce commodity for us all in the area. In my view this planet should remain intact when I am dead and gone and I am responsible to ensure that every one refrain from activities that will make the planet become extinct.

Improving individual life means providing for individuals their basic needs which are job employment, schools, power, hospitals, food, and good water. All these are good ideas, but the question is how they can enjoy these amenities and facilities when the planet is not saved or is in danger. If any problems should arise like some of the problems arising from neglecting the earth I mentioned above, it will affect everybody. Like I said, the earth will not continue to offer its harvest except if there are faithful stewards. So much of the pollution and destruction of our planet today is based on the free hand given to some powerful people to degrade our planet. If we are avaricious and we ignore the problems of the planet, we are making lives difficult in the long run. The planet involves everybody in the world including the improved lives. If the planet perishes, it will affect everybody in it and nobody will be saved.

In conclusion, saving the planet means using the natural resources of the earth and good ideas to edify, help, develop, save the planet and the direct consequence will be saving the lives in it. I do not know if mankind is alone on this great planet, but I do know that we should cherish our existence on this precious spot of the planet. By doing so, we are saving the planet. The only way to save the planet, move it forward and improve the good worth of our planet is to get everybody involved.

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