What’s the difference between the plants people have in their houses and the wildlife that grows in the middle of the woods? You should think the answer is nothing, maybe types of plants? That’s part of it, but it’s mainly the view we have on them. We view plants in our homes as more valuable than the wildlife that naturally grows in the world. We care more about having plants in our homes and in our front yard than we do about having trees left in the world or having enough oxygen to sustain ourselves. Why has our obsession for plants not included things that sustain our species?
Approximately 150 acres of land are destroyed every minute, that’s 78 million acres a year. That’s 121,875 square miles of land destroyed every year, yet we continue to buy aesthetic plants for our homes. How has owning plants become an “aesthetic” that everyone desires? What is the obsession with succulents? Succulents don’t do much for us compared to the giant tress destroyed every year. 15.3 billion trees are cut down every year, yet only 1.9 billion are planted every year. That’s a 13.4 billon tree deficit that we are losing every year that continues to contribute to climate change and eventually our own demise.
The flora of this world is deteriorating at an accelerating rate, and it’s because of us. Carbon emissions are at an all-time high because of us. The average temperature of the Earth is rising, and its because of us. Our negligence for the needs of our planet is causing the Earth to reject us as a species. There's a 500 year flood every year. Every year summer is the hottest summer, and every winter is the coldest winter. The Earth is rejecting us like a plague because we are killing her. Areas we inhabit are disappearing while we try to sustain the nature of erosion. The Earth will win no matter what.
The Earth and nature has been here before us and will continue to be here after us. How long we inhabit this Earth is the only variable in the situation. The Earth has a natural heating and cooling cycle, yes, but not at this increasing rate. From the year 1900 to 2000 the Earth’s temperature raised ~1˚(NOAA). From the year 2001 to now, 20 years compared to 100, the Earth has already had a temperature increase of ~1˚. At this rate, if it remains the same, if it doesn’t continue to increase like it currently is, the Earth’s temperature will raise by 8˚ by 2100(NOAA). That kind of change destroys us. The last time the Earth adjusted its temperature like that was the ice age but in the negative.
What can we do? Well, we have to change our view; get a new perspective. It first starts with acknowledging our faults and realizing that our actions are having a rapid incline of devastating effects on this planet. The next thing we need to do is change. Regulations and laws need to change to protect this planet from us. We are killing this planet faster than ever, and we will only continue to destroy this planet rapidly before we can have a chance to evolve into something better. We as a species, as a community, and as a people are supposed to change. We are supposed to evolve and progress through time. If we do not, we will cease to exist and it will happen a lot sooner than we’d like to think. Take another look about what plants you have in your home and what plants actually matter to protect.
Lindsey R and Dahlman, March 2021. Climate Change: Global Temperature. NOAA. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature
