Right now, earth is very different than it was 100 years ago, or even 50 years ago. The environment is rapidly declining due to excessive pollution and in May 1985, three scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica (Ask 4). At the current rate of environmental degradation, five to ten percent species found in tropical rainforests will go extinct every ten years (Environmental 2). Humans are taking advantage of the earth’s resources with no concern for future generations. Their health and well-being will likely be directly influenced by the condition of this planet that is being ruined.
Today, more than half of the world’s population of 3 billion people live in poverty; spending less than two and a half American dollars …show more content…
Recycling has become more popular in recent decades, but is it enough? Only twenty-four percent of the United States’ waste is recycled or composted, compared to the European Union’s forty percent. Another sixty-nine percent is put into landfills while the European Union puts almost half as much of their waste into landfills (Lacey figure 3). Although some landfills around the United States are creating technology to generate electricity from methane emissions, only about one third of the greenhouse gases are actually turned into electricity. The rest of the gases are either burnt up or not captured at all (Lacey …show more content…
In more developed countries the people are used to living materialistic lives. They always want things that will make their lives more comfortable. In underdeveloped countries, the people know how to live with less. They do not have the need to use up the planet’s limited supply of nonrenewable resources. If everyone were to live their lives modeled after people who live in poverty, the environment would not be declining at the current rate. Even without noticing, these “humble” people are helping future generations to have lives that will not be affected by the state of the
Today, more than half of the world’s population of 3 billion people live in poverty; spending less than two and a half American dollars …show more content…
Recycling has become more popular in recent decades, but is it enough? Only twenty-four percent of the United States’ waste is recycled or composted, compared to the European Union’s forty percent. Another sixty-nine percent is put into landfills while the European Union puts almost half as much of their waste into landfills (Lacey figure 3). Although some landfills around the United States are creating technology to generate electricity from methane emissions, only about one third of the greenhouse gases are actually turned into electricity. The rest of the gases are either burnt up or not captured at all (Lacey …show more content…
In more developed countries the people are used to living materialistic lives. They always want things that will make their lives more comfortable. In underdeveloped countries, the people know how to live with less. They do not have the need to use up the planet’s limited supply of nonrenewable resources. If everyone were to live their lives modeled after people who live in poverty, the environment would not be declining at the current rate. Even without noticing, these “humble” people are helping future generations to have lives that will not be affected by the state of the