Do you feel a sense of urgency regarding the future of existence? The earth is our one planet, our one home, and in order to protect it we must look further than we ever have for solutions. What was once a flourishing environment is now facing a grim future with many countdown dates to the end of resources as we know them. Based on scientific research and the analysis of current trends we have about 48 years to repair the hole in the ozone layer caused by our air pollution. Those 48 years will come faster than we think and once there we will have officially reached a point of no return for saving Earth. For those who still may not see an urgency in this cause, in about 26 years there will not be enough fish in the ocean to feed our masses. These fish are the core of the oceans ecosystem and feed millions, but due to overfishing, pollution, and climate change their numbers are rapidly declining. Paige West, an anthropologist, suggests that we’re now in “biodiversity collapse”. What this means for all living organisms is not pretty.

We must find a way to restore the once prosperous planet back into a state where we can coexist with nature without being a detriment to it. Solutions to this issue have long been studied by many scientists and government organizations. The High Ambition Coalition  has a goal to protect “at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030”. While this seems like an ambitious plan, it outlines the means necessary to save and replenish the environment. The HAC has more than 50 countries as members, as this issue is not solely for one part of the world but rather everywhere and everyone. The United States has yet to join, and while they have their own plans for conservation efforts, joining the HAC would be a big stride. There has also been a push for the “collaboration among conservationists, Indigenous nations and governments” which “holds a key to protecting biodiversity”. These indigenous groups have rights to land that represent “over a quarter of the world’s land surface, and intersects about 40% of all terrestrial protected areas and ecologically intact landscapes (for example, boreal and tropical primary forests, savannas and marshes).” It is therefore evident that our governments should push collaboration on all fronts to the maximum extent possible. 

And while many argue that these efforts are economically detrimental to the countries and its people, in the long run it will save money that would  have to go towards finding alternative options to the earth’s resources that we depleted. So encourage your legislating bodies to participate in initiatives to change our ways before the damage is irreversible. Go the extra mile and do the most you can, a singular person cannot convince the world of the importance of this issue, however, by joining environmentally concerned clubs and switching to eco-friendly means of living you are raising awareness in those very acts. The world will now watch its timer countdown with most in hopes that we save it before it is truly too late.