Why Are We Destroying Our Home? | Teen Ink

Why Are We Destroying Our Home?

December 10, 2018
By Emir SILVER, Tirana, Other
Emir SILVER, Tirana, Other
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A friend to all is a friend to none"-Aristotle


Think about it. Would you go around your house destroying everything you see like the tables, TV, couches, or beds? I am sure that most people wouldn’t. So why are we destroying our home? The earth has many problems and arguably the biggest problem at the moment is global warming. You may think that there is nothing you can do since you are only one person and there are about 7.6 billion other people on earth; but you can do something and if we all 7.6 billion people do something, then we can make a big difference. My goal is to raise awareness for this huge problem. Individuals and governments should all take action about global warming in order to not destroy the planet we live in for the current generation and future generations.

If we all take action to stop global warming, then we can make a significant difference. You may think that you might need to spend more money in order to take action against global warming but that is not the case. A lot of people use CFL light bulbs as they are cheaper than LED light bulbs. LED light bulbs can be used for up to 25,000 hours while CFL light bulbs can only be used for up to 8,000 hours. You will have to pay a lot less than you did before on your electric bill so LED light bulbs aren’t more expensive than CFL light bulbs. Never ever should you buy CFL light bulbs, always buy LED light bulbs.

I hope that you already know all the simple things like using reusable water bottles instead of plastic water bottles, taking showers instead of baths, turning off lights when you are not using them, and turning off the water when you are brushing your teeth. Fossil fuels are the main source of global warming so switching to alternative energy sources like solar energy can be very useful. Sure, it is expensive but many companies are offering discounts up to 50% off. A 5kW solar system would cost about $5,500-$8,500 and it would produce around 20 kWh a day which is enough for a medium to large home. Plus, it will pay itself back in 3 to 5 years. Solar energy does no harm to the environment.

We are in the 21st century and we have discovered loads of things across many topics. Scientists have also found out that global warming is real. “Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide and other air pollutants and greenhouse gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into space—but these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter”. This is a definition of global warming. There’s a joint statement of 11 science academies which state that global warming is definitely real. But it’s like the flat earth debate. There are some people out there who still believe that global warming is a hoax and therefore is not real. My suggestion for those people is to open their eyes and look around.

In 2015, nearly 200 countries signed the Paris Agreement which is an agreement to fight against global warming. At the moment, the US is the only country to have not signed the agreement after Donald Trump, the current president of the US, decided to withdraw the US from the agreement after Barack Obama had signed it in 2015. The goal of the Paris Agreement is to reduce the increasing of the global temperature to below 2℃. Governments need to also switch to other energy sources from fossil fuels. Alternative energy sources include wind power, solar energy, geothermal energy. These energy sources have absolutely no negative effect on the environment. Nuclear energy is also an alternative which is less harmful to the environment than fossil fuels but still is a bit harmful and is very risky. It needs to be handled very carefully or else it could damage people’s health.

Global warming has been proved by scientists to be a serious threat to the world. The temperatures and sea levels worldwide are rapidly increasing. So what are we waiting for? We need to save our home, not only for ourselves and our future children, but also for all the other living creatures on earth. We have no right to destroy their home as the world is their home as well. We need to start changing our actions in order to save the world. Together, we can do it!



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