“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” — The Lorax
For those of you who don’t know, the Lorax is an animated children’s cartoon where a 12- year- old boy called Once-ler moves into this forest filled with exotic Truffula trees. Throughout the movie, Once-ler falls in love with the rare silk that comes from these trees and decides to cut one down to make a scarf. However, as the movie progresses, Once-ler becomes greedy and starts mass-producing these scarves, cutting down the trees faster than they can grow.
Millions of people worldwide grew up watching Dr. Seuss’ Lorax, an animated cartoon that taught us the importance of taking care of the environment and preserving it for ourselves and for future generations. The Lorax is a movie that highlights the importance of maintaining a sustainable environment, while at the same time offering joy to children who watch. The cautionary message behind the children’s movie, which was first released in 2012, is more relevant to today’s world than it ever will be. In the year 2021, the world is heading down an unsustainable path. Carbon emissions have been rising steadily; We are consuming more resources than the earth can sustainably provide; Global warming is at an all-time high.
According to Population Matters, we are currently using up the renewable resources of 1.7 earths! And it is estimated that unless we make drastic changes we’ll need three earths by the year 2050! The overconsumption of mankind isn’t something that has happened overnight. This unsustainability we have created is a byproduct of greed and economic growth. For example, the US only constitutes 5% of the world’s population but consumes 24% of the world’s energy, according to the International Business Guide.
Much like Once-ler, the US has been heading down the same path. Whether it be mining, fracking, stripping forests, or emitting mass volumes of harmful toxins into the air, the US has and will continue to do this indefinitely.
According to World Data, more than 99% of the four billion species that have evolved on earth are now gone. In fact, in just the year 2020 alone, 15 species have gone extinct! This is all due to overconsumption and its negative effects on the habitats of thousands of species, common species that we all learned about growing up in school. But now because of this dire impact on their habitats, the next generation may never be able to experience these animals first hand.
Some of the more common animals that are critically endangered due to human threat, according to worldwildlife.org, are the black rhino, several species of elephant, blue whale, chimpanzee, several species of gorillas, and more.
Many scientists say a sixth mass extinction is underway. The United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services reported in 2019 that over 1 million species were endangered which has only gotten worse throughout the years.
What is the domino effect of mass extinction?
Well, according to the UN $557 billion dollars in annual global crops are now at risk because of the loss of pollinators. This means that the GDP for countries that heavily rely on their agricultural production will experience harsh financial situations. This will also cause economic opportunities that rely on ecotourism throughout the world to fail as species begin to vanish. However, unlike some other mass extinctions, the one we are experiencing is entirely of our own making. After more than a century of habitat destruction, pollution, the spread of invasive species, climate change, and population growth pushing nature to the brink, it’s no surprise that the sixth mass extinction is underway.
What are we doing to prevent further damage?
On December 12th, 2015, 196 countries came together and signed the Paris Agreement, which is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. Its goal is to limit global warming to pre-industrial levels. This agreement is the first multilateral step presented by the UN towards preserving the environment for future generations to come. And this year, 2021 is the year the 196 countries will take tangible actions outlined in the Paris Agreement.
Aside from what’s happening on an international level, on a smaller spectrum, individuals, organizations, and communities are coming together to create fundraisers that will help preserve habitats. For example, savetheearth.org is a non-profit organization that helps spread awareness for what’s happening throughout the world and is helping fund other non-profits on this matter. There are millions of non-profit organizations taking donations to help replant trees, clean up garbage in our oceans, and spread awareness for these dire matters worldwide.
So, how can YOU help?
- Spread awareness for an environmental issue you feel deeply about.
- Donate to non-profit organizations.
- Reduce your carbon footprint.
- Be mindful of the food you buy, make sure not to waste it.
- Pull plugs!
- Power your home with renewable energy.
Going back to the Lorax, the reason he felt so deeply about the Truffula trees was that he knew that with greed and the desire for economic growth, destruction would come.
We already know what’s going to happen if we continue down this path, so let’s work together to make sure that doesn’t happen.
