I.S.E.G.

H - 2020
English Language IV

Rodríguez, Denise Johanna

The environment in the 21st century

It is well-known that the past centuries were full of inventions and changes, in particular,

factories, means of transports, and especially technological advances which have caused

pollution worldwide. These changes may have allowed people to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle

but also have damaged the planet. This writing will argue different types of dilemmas related

to this notorious topic such as the necessity of creating environmental awareness at schools,

different ways to take care of the environment, causes of air pollution and how it affects

human beings.

Initially, environmental education has its backgrounds in the United Nations (UN) conference

where a project was proposed as an alternative in international societies to promote the care

and conservation of nature (United Nations, 1972). That project and its aims encouraged and

spread environmental education as a primary tool in all educational levels. It was suggested

active participation of teachers and students at schools, so they can be able to create a garden

in the schoolyard or learn about waste sorting; and they may also become aware of the

environment and acquired knowledge, values, and skills as a form of connecting what they

have learned with everyday life (González Muñoz, 1996).

Moreover, The United Nations celebrated last year World Environment Day trying to find

different solutions to air pollution, which is a severe problem that affects millions of people in

every corner of the world (United Nations, 2019). “The United Nations Agenda for

Sustainable Development” expresses their purpose to have permanent preservation of the

planet and its natural resources through the commitment of all members of the community. It

is believed that by doing simple things people can help taking care of the environment, as
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recycle, to use solar panels, to plant more trees, to walk or ride a bike instead of using means

of transport.

On the other hand, The United Nations also presented various causes of air pollution which

may affect any human being, for instance, the world transport sector which can originate

carbon dioxide; the burning of varied waste releases harmful dioxins into the atmosphere

(United Nations, 2019). But not all air pollution comes from human activity as in the case of

volcanic eruptions, dust storms, tsunamis, among others. The whole world should be

conscious of these issues to eradicate the contribution of humanity to global warming and stop

its malicious effects by using recyclable objects or ecological machines and also to train

people on what to do in a situation of a natural disaster. 

In addition, according to the award-winning analytical and atmospheric chemistry Unesco for

Women in Science, Najat Saliba, breathing contaminated air is as dangerous as smoking

(Saliba, 2014). Nowadays, air pollution could have caused the death of more people than

tobacco; information taken out from “the World Health Organization” estimated that one in

eight deceases in the world was because of air pollution. It should be essential to seize a

solution to this challenging problem. Saliba suggests that people, politicians, ecological

groups should work together to exchange ideas and seek an answer to environmental pollution

(Saliba, 2014).

Thus, all climate changes that the entire world is passing through are getting worse and worse.

All the points that have been exposed previously show the importance of environmental

awareness in educational systems, so that children can learn ecological habits and different

manners of taking care of the environment inside and outside the educational establishment.

As it is stated many causes of air pollution are not only caused by nature, but also by the
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participation of humanity by using carbon dioxide machines and the burning of destructive

wastes which can be dangerous for all living beings. People should work together to preserve

and keep the earth clean because is the only planet human race has.
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References

-Jarosińska, D. (2019). World Health Organization: Beat air pollution to protect health: World

Environment Day. Bonn, Germany. Retrieved from:

http://www.worldhealthorganization.com

-Gutierrez, A. (2019). United Nations News: Take action on air pollution to save lives, and

the planet: What does produce air pollution. Beijing, China. Retrieved from:

http://www.news.un.org.com

-Saliba, N. (2014). Spain´s News: We will die of environmental pollution if we do not act.

Paris, France. Retrieved from: http://www.spainsnews.com

- Rodríguez A. & Hernández A. (2012). SCielo; Educación ambiental escolar y comunitaria

en el nivel medio superior. Puebla-Tlaxcala, México. Retrieved from:

http://www.scielo.org.mx.com

- González Muñoz, M. C. (1996). Revista Iberoamericana de Educación: Principales

tendencias y modelos de la educación ambiental en el sistema escolar. Madrid, España.

Retrieved from: http://www.rieoei.org.com