Saving the Environment Essay

Submitted By claudiaknight
Words: 1139
Pages: 5

According to Don Marquis, development of civilization usually transmutes vegetation into bleak and barren deserts. This statement sounds very pessimistically, especially to people with vivid imagination. However, Little Prince from famous Antoine de Saint Exupery’s novel claimed that what makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. Did he suggest a chance for people to find among vast sand dunes a spring that could save the earth? I believe he did.

The first major step to combat hazards to our planet has already been taken. People have become aware of consequences of their deeds to the environment. Is it really so essential? I will prove the importance of this fact using an apparently remote example of such a phenomenon. When I remind myself of The Plague, the novel of Albert Camus, I always think about its first chapter. If Oran’s authorities had realized earlier how serious the situation was, they would not jeopardize so many people to the disease. Doctors would be able to treat their patients more effectively as well as protect other vulnerable citizens from infection. This fictitious problem can be compared to real attempts to save the environment. Even a dozen years ago only few conservationists, idealists similar to Doctor Rieux, were aware of dangers connected with polluting the world. A handful of greens was not able to protect the environment. Happily they managed to educate people; therefore today probably no person exists who would have never heard notions such as pollution or ecology. Since humans know enemies of the earth, they can effectively fight with them. Even a small child will confirm that protecting the environment can be easy what seems an immense opportunity for the world. Of course still too few people want to change their everyday habits such as leaving light in the room where they are not going to stay. Due to this fact, damages to the natural environment are increasing in such a pace that a catastrophe remains inevitable. Nevertheless, we should not be impatient. The mankind needs time, maybe even the whole generation, to get used to that new situation.

Eco-pessimists may argue that we cannot wait patiently until most of people make an effort to save the place they live, because when it finally happens, it will be too late to rescue our natural environment. To my mind their argument is only partly true. Obviously sitting on our hands and observing the earth being damaged is unacceptable. On the other hand, changes in the climate or biosphere happen not so rapidly as it appeals to many people concerned with our planet. Although it sounds like a paradox, the more developed the civilization becomes, the slower the nature is being spoiled. The reason is simple – new ways of saving the earth are strongly linked with both the progress in the technology and the changes in the society.

For instance, the aforesaid ecological education is nowadays strongly supported by modern inventions that make it not only much more common but also attractive. I must admit I get sometimes irritated when getting loads of leaflets from ecological organizations, not to mention doubtful eco-friendliness of such a method. Usually we do not have enough time or willingness to read carefully important information they contain. However, when somebody downloads a desktop with a text: Switch me off after you finish your work, he will never forget how much energy a computer consumes. Children can find on the Internet some humorous cartoons or movies about serious environmental issues and later model themselves after fearless heroes saving the world. Adolescences prefer to follow the fashion advertised by celebrities: they buy notebooks from waste paper, locally grown fruit and pack it all into biodegradable bags. Ecology has become both trendy and pleasant so it gains more and more admirers.

Modern technologies benefit not only to education, but also help directly to handle with particular environmental