MWA Proposal

Asael Leyva-Guaderrama
Engl 1120 Valdez

The world around us shapes and defines the freedom we have. Through the years, as both

technology and humans evolved, the need for land, food, and other crucial resources has

exponentially increased to accommodate the expansion of societies and wealth. While this boom

of social and technological maturity has brought many revolutionary ideas and products, those

which have undisputedly changed our lifestyles, a factor many tend to disregard are the effects

on the environment our expansion causes. From pollution to extinction of species, the impact

humans have on the Earth is too grave of a byproduct to ignore. While many propose an increase

in funding towards more “green” methods of energy production as a way to prevent a global

epidemic of environmental decay, a need for major changes in lifestyles and investment in

environmental preservation is needed to ensure not only the Earth’s survival but the survival of

the Human race. A general need for change is needed, but a greater need for the advocacy of

global rescue is needed to ensure a healthy planet.

From deforestation and excavation to accommodate larger living spaces, to the

enslavement and inhumane captivity of species for consumption, the way we live and thrive is a

direct result of harming the Earth. As a more common and advocated example, pollution is only

one of the major contributors to the harming of the environment. While pollution is inescapable

and a prevalent part of our society (like trash that is thrown along the highways and the emission

of millions of metric tons of air pollutants being released into the atmosphere), the severity of

human contribution to pollution is often forgotten. Pollution greatly affects the environment and

more directly threatens the habitats of animals across varying regions. With estimates of 5.25

trillion pieces of man-made debris being in the ocean, year after year humans deposit harmful
deposits into the ocean harming the beings which inhabit it. From fertilizer to plastics, human

deposit in the ocean leads to marine life, like loggerhead turtles, to mistakenly consume plastics

as well as an abundance of algae growth which depletes the water of oxygen leading to an

accumulation of poison which harms fish and birds (Kumar, 2004).

Similar to physical pollution, air pollution greatly affects the environment and

more directly threatens the survival of our species. The US produces around 147 million metric

tons of air pollutants each year, as seen in LA’s 1950 smog emissions which caused the

ground-level ozone to surpass 500 million parts per billion volume (ppbv), where the National

Ambient Air Quality standard finds a 75ppbv to be adequate air quality. The smog levels were so

severe many believed a foreign nation had attacked them due to the sting caused by the smog.

The cause for this event was later found to be a direct result of the harmful nature of aerosols.

While I do agree that air pollution rates have decreased or at least improved in the US, many

developing countries still experience large amounts of smog emission to the extent of blocking

out the sun in a shroud of dark clouds.

In our consumer-centered society, technology is great for the advancement of our society

as a whole. But with it comes an increased consumption of resources and an even greater output

of pollutants. The best way we can prevent an environmental collapse is to change our lifestyles

as advent consumers. Most specifically to address pollution, we must change our directive from

indulging in the relatively cheap and accessible luxuries of the modern world to altering the way

we live and interact with the outside world to better increase the chance for survival not only for

our species but for those who also inhabit the earth. Preventing pollution does not only mean

“subscribing” to your local recycling programs, but putting forth an effort to minimize our
footprint in the environment, and mitigating future activities and lifestyles which contribute to

the increase of pollutants.

To tackle environmental change head-on, we must first fix the agricultural system, stop

overfishing of oceans, and ramp up the production of clean energy. While pollution is a major

factor in the harm to the environment, I believe investing in solutions to target these 3 problems

would greatly aid in healing the environment.

The agricultural system is the biggest contributor to land conversion and water usage. By

growing and maintaining food in smaller areas where it is more likely to naturally thrive, we can

mitigate the destruction of biomes and the consumption of water. This would most benefit areas

of the globe like Brazil, where nearly 50 percent of the natural habitats in the Cerrado region

have been converted to agricultural farms. This paired with advocacy of healthy sustainable

practices for farmers would address the agricultural issue we face.

Overfishing too is a major disruptor of the oceanic ecosystem, as it topples the hierarchy

and order of fish species. It brings imbalance to ecosystems and food webs, while also posing a

threat to billions of people around the globe who rely on seafood as a dominant source of animal

protein. A proposed method of addressing this issue is to have targeted fishing, where we take

only the amount of fish a species can tolerate. Doing so would keep the balance of food webs

and ecosystems while also promoting the growth of species that we do not consume yet rely on

the fish we capture.

Increasing clean energy is a common proposal most make, as our current energy

production is not only unsustainable but also produces large amounts of pollutants. With climate

change being considered the most serious threat to our planet, reducing carbon emissions to the

agreed-upon levels stated in the Paris Climate Agreement would be a great beginning towards
cleaner air. If we were to propose an 85 percent shift of the world’s energy sources towards

non-fossil fuel sources, and invest in operations focused on capturing the carbon emissions, like

reforestation, many believe we would be able to slowly revert the effects humans have on the

environment.

Investing in something as simple as reusable straws or shopping bags is a great step

towards creating a better environment. More drastic measures would be encouraged but are often

difficult to enforce due to legislation, but the greatest advocate for environmental change is the

advertisement and strive for acceptance that the world has been severely impacted by humans.

With shared knowledge that the world needs healing and care, we can better equip future

generations and create legislation to better the future of our race. A sustainable path towards

green earth is possible, but it can only be done through the rallying of individuals, government,

and companies around the world to strive towards going green.

Cited Work

Begum, Tammana. ‘Humans are causing life on Earth to vanish” Natural History Museum, 2019.
Web.
Kassim, Mohammad Salha. “The Importance of Recycling Waste Management” WILEY-VCH,
2012. Print
Kumar, Arvind. “Water Pollution” S.K.M Universit, Dumka, 2004. Web.