Interesting Environmental Issues

Go Green! That is the new war cry of everyone from food manufacturers to financial institutions, as more and more people take on the responsibility for preserving our environment.

As citizens of the world, each of us is responsible for the health of our planet. Our choices and our actions contribute to the well-being or deterioration of the environment. Yet, it’s our earth, the only one we have. If we don’t care about the environment, who will?

Who will preserve the quality of the air? Who will restore our natural resources? Who will help make the planet safe for many generations to come? You will! Anyone and everyone can participate in making our world a safer, less harmful place.

Have you ever thought about how your choices affect the earth’s well-being and how you can minimize the impact you and your family make on the environment? From the cars you drive to the products you consume, every choice you make on a daily basis has a consequence for the environment.

Why should you care about the environment?

How about for your health and the health of your children? How about for your quality of life and that of other citizens of the planet? How about for the choices you have of resources that are now being depleted? How about for the air you breathe and the water you drink?

Our natural environment becomes unbalanced and unsustainable when it is polluted and stripped of its natural resources by over-consumption. Our lives are at stake as we find our health being affected by environmental toxins in the air, water, and foods we consume. Our earth is a fragile planet with limited resources. The growing threat of climatic changes means everyone from individuals to businesses must reassess their environmental impact and daily choices.

If you don’t think this situation is critical, here are some facts to consider:

• We use 50% of the Earth’s land area for food production and 50% of the Earth’s available fresh water for drinking.
• The main source of water pollution is not chemical waste but the excrement of farm animals.
• About 70% of the world’s marine species are at risk of extinction.
• By the year 2100, extinction may reach one third of all species now living.
• Animals raised for food currently generate between 15 and 20% of methane emissions globally.
• Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
• Each year, over 63, 000 square miles are destroyed resulting in more than half the world’s tropical forests being lost.