Life on Earth

Most people feel a responsibility to protect the earth in which they live. Everyone realizes that the earth is changing. Some people feel this is a pressing issue, while others believe it to be a cycle of life. Who is right? Is the biodiversity dwindling because of humans, or is nothing wrong with our planet at all? Biodiversity, the broad scale of ecosystems, is slowly being destroyed by the human race; is it possible to fix this problem while humans maintain their way of life?

Biodiversity is the biological diversity of life on earth. This includes varied ecosystems like forests, as well as the diversity of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, and the multifariousness of genes in these species (Shah). All species have an important function to increase the success of its ecosystem. For example, the more varieties of plants there are on the planet, the more food there is to provide for animals. The more food there is means the less animals have to fight for it, which leaves more animals living together harmoniously.

Plants are the basis of every ecosystem. Plants help their ecosystems in more ways than providing food for animals, though. Many of them are used for medicinal purposes, such as certain varieties of mint. The leaves are crushed and the aroma is used to relieve headaches (Importance of Plants). Plants help provide protective covering, not only for humans but other creatures as well. With some work birds are able to make a tree into comfortable lodging. Plants likewise protect the soil from heavy erosion from wind and water. However, plants also have another purpose: to clean and purify the air. Besides producing food, medicine, shelter, a clean environment, and many other purposes like making clothin...

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...e is facing, global warming.

For the most part, humans are causing the loss of biodiversity in the environment. It started with deforestation, but has progressively gotten worse over the decades. Instead of putting good things for our ecosystems back into our environment, such as planting gardens and diversifying our ecosystems, we are slowly replacing all of these things with cement and buildings. More cities are being built while others are expanding, destroying what is left of the ecosystems. As if that is not enough, humans are also polluting the environment. They are doing this by releasing emissions when driving their automobiles, and the many factories that are also dumping harmful toxins. This can all be prevented, or at least stopped from progressing. The United Nations is off to a great start with the Kyoto Protocol and the more recent Copenhagen Accord.