Despite the impending doom of our Earth due to negligence on the part of its human inhabitants, there have been some small stepping stones reached. And while these achievements will not solve the entire crisis that is Earth rolling steadily down a path to corrosion, they can give us hope that the human race is standing up to fight for our planet.
Notably, sea turtle populations have recently soared by 980% due to certain legal actions being taken to protect them. A new report, published in the academic journal PLUS One, came out revealing the effect that the United States’ Endangered Species Act has had on marine animals. Amazingly, out of 31 marine populations, 78% of marine mammals and 75% of turtles rebounded. Even more groundbreaking is the conclusion that the median sea turtle population increased by 980% and the median augmentation for mammals was 115%. Sea creatures have for far too long been and continue to be, the helpless victims of human environmental apathy. This newly disclosed information is both astounding and beautiful. Center for Biological Diversity scientist Shaye Wolf revealed in a press release how the ESA has saved whales, sea turtles, sea otters, and manatees from extinction. While there is still a long way to go, this is a giant leap in the right direction.
In addition, hundreds of sea turtles are hatching for the first time in decades on the Versova beach in Mumbai, India. This new life is possible thanks to 96 weeks of labor from thousands of volunteers. But it was all worth it. Plus, after years of federal protection, the Hawaiian coral reefs are returning to their former glory. They are showing signs of recovery. The coral reefs are essential. They provide homes for a myriad of ocean creatures, they reduce shoreline erosion (by absorbing energy from waves) which protects coastal housing, provide food for people living near the reefs, and more. So it is fantastic that the ones in Hawaii are starting to rebound.
Furthermore, scientists have finally discovered news that is crucial to solving climate change. It had been revealed that planting a trillion trees could be the most effective way to combat this climate crisis. Specifically, planting 1.2 trillion trees could cancel out a decade of CO2 emissions. This could buy more time for our species to fight global warming.
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to do for the Earth. Climate change is still a major, life-or-death issue that the government is ignoring, despite the wonderful news about tree planting. And infuriatingly, the Trump administration is looking to decrease animal protections at a legislative level.
Furthermore, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil is currently on fire. Please take a moment to digest the reality of that. The acclaimed Amazon rainforest, provider of 20% of the Earth’s oxygen, is currently burning. And the media coverage has been abhorrently lacking. The world just doesn’t seem to care about anything anymore, unless it’s the Kardashians taking a trip or SpiderMan being removed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
These fires could turn the cherished rainforest into a desert. This massive inferno isn’t normal, either, for the Amazon is one of the wettest places on Earth, which just gives yet another example of how climate change is drastically and negatively impacting our world RIGHT NOW. The smoke from the flames is so bad that it is literally blocking out the sun in Sao Paulo, a city two thousand miles away from the forest. San Paulo is cast in complete darkness in the middle of the day.
Spread the word about the Amazon rainforest. Sign the petition to save it on change.org. A link to it is here. Contact the government officials near you and push them to take legislative action to fight climate change as well as save the rainforest. Most importantly, remember that Earth is the only planet we have right now. If we want life here to survive, if we want our posterity to have a future, we have to take a stand against environmental issues and against the governments that are ignoring these fatal issues of our world. We have to take a stand. Period.
