ARE WE TOO LATE TO BREATHE?

Hypocrite are we, when we talk but never walk.

Scientists and environmentalist have seen that 20% of the earth’s supply of oxygen come
from the Amazon forest of Brazil. The rainforests in Indonesia scattered on its island, in
Malay peninsula, Laos and Cambodia, and in the Philippines where mainly the areas of
Luzon is considered as the extensive Eco region of the country contributes to the abundance
of oxygen in the environment. Oceanic planktons or the marine drifters also contribute are
oxygen suppliers.
From all of the aforementioned examples of oxygen suppliers, are we giving importance to
them? Are we worthy enough for these abundance when we keep on damaging the
environment? Are we still capable to breathe in the next years of our life?
From the documentary report of National Geographic Channel, “Air Pollution 101”, five
years ago, it tackles how simple man-made activities create an impact in the environment.
The burning of fuels to produce energy, gases from the vehicles we use, and the use of
chemical and synthetic products, these are just the examples which cause air pollution. Our
country is one of the most polluted country in the world landing on the 69th place.
The news articles, news report, documentaries, blogs and others which concern global
warming, in relation to air pollution are scattered on the internet, however actions are not
walked after being talked. In observance to lessen the effects of climate change, the Paris
Agreement which was adopted by nations on 2015 and entered into force on 2016 was made.
However, things really turned upside down. Certain effects are observed. Human health is at
risk, and weather changes, these are just the two of the specified reasons among the listed
effects of air pollution.
Human health is certainly at risk. Communities alongside the Yangtze river in East China
near in Shanghai, deals with smog due to the factories nearby area. This is a problem in large
cities such as China, since the industrialization reaches another level, the particular matter in
the air rises as the factories produce their outputs. World Health Organization has determined
that 21 percent of Chinese’s disease burden is related to environmental pollution.
From the Earth Journalism Network Philippines, among the 7 million premature deaths, 2.2
million is recorded as death due to air pollution, which is documented by the WHO in 2018 in
the West Pacific Region, which includes our nation, Philippines. The main thing here is that
the respiratory and the immune system of us greatly weakens as the level of air pollution
increases. We inhale dirt, and it results to the degradation of our system.
Furthermore, the heat trapped in the atmosphere creates an imbalances of chemical which in
turn makes the weather differ. Up to this day, climate change is no longer a new topic to talk
about wherever part of the world we are. We observe how the weather changes. Here, in the
province of Cagayan, we have observed how the summer season suddenly changes. From the
previous years, the heat index is still tolerable, yet today, we have felt the gradual increase of
the temperature which leads some of the elderly or even the young to suffer from heat stroke.
Not only that we have also documented how the rainy season gets more violent. The sea level
also increases which makes various parts of our nation prone to flooding.
Now, we know we are to blame. As I have mentioned, we are entirely at fault. We are
educated by teachers and parents on how to conserve our environment. But what we do
reflect on the environment we are in. We get sick, not because of the inherited asthma from
our grandmothers, but due to the pollution we have created. We suffer flood, not because the
typhoon is too violent, but because of our pollution. We are pollutants, and we are destroyers
instead of being change agent. We have the freedom to choose, we have the right to live.
However, the privileges given to us are use in the opposite way. We already know what to do,
but we remain to be dead cells.
We have to take actions before things will go at the brink. Change must start in ourselves.
From the simple way of segregating our waste, making the bio-degradable as fertilizers, and
the non-biodegradable as recyclable items at home, to the utilization of bicycles instead of
using motorcycles or cars in short-distance travel, or we can walk, which is way beneficial to
our health. We have the power to empower eco-literate people, and we have the ability to
suppress the climate change if we want to. All we have to do is to say “yes”, into this
challenge.
When are we going to walk the talk? Are we finally saying yes when it is already too late for
the next generation to breathe? Or are we going to move when it is finally over for us to
breathe?