by Abdullahi Dosunmu | |
Published on: Jul 5, 2002 | |
Topic: | |
Type: Opinions | |
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=443 | |
The life of the human being from the moment he arose throughout the entire process of his evolution, has always been closely connected with Mother Nature. His existence would be simply inconceivable without the flora and fauna, which satisfies all his needs and necessities. We can outline several decisive leaps in man's evolution that gave rise to his domination over the other organisms and species. Mastering the fire and making the spear is the first stage of his perfection. Warmed by the fire and the animal furs used for clothing, man gradually started enlarging his area and his influence on the environment that surrounds him. However, at that point of time, the amount of forests destroyed by flames and animals killed for food was not that threatening. In the course of time, man noticed that from the seeds of flowers grow new plants and he started sowing seeds around his home. This activity kept him on one precise place and led to his settled way of life, which we can characterize as the next stage of evolution. However, this new situation caused the disappearance of some animal species, including massive mammals. Centres of ancient civilizations - the Near East, the Mediterranean, etc.- profoundly changed their appearance: the wood vegetation was destroyed; the earth - bare; the soil - in severe erosion; many animal species that inhabited these places disappeared. Little by little, man’s influence on nature increased more and more. Population grew as well which led to the creation of new towns and massive destruction of forests in order to provide new farming area. The small amount of woods caused drainage in many regions. And industry is yet to originate. Nowadays, we are all witnessing the consequences of man's irrational activity and abuse of natural goods. The fact every country has its sulphuric oxides in the atmosphere, many people suffer from the so-called "acid rain-showers". We all know that the big forests on Earth are the main oxygen producer. Without them, the aquatic balance on our planet will change drastically and the number of deserts will increase considerably. The air we breathe is being polluted every day. Let us pause on the main air polluters: -sulphuric oxides - leads to inflamed mucous membranes, make the eyes water, cause bronchitis; -carbon oxide - it causes headache, weakness of man's body; -carbohydrates - some of them cause cancerous diseases; -carbon dioxide - its increased concentration in the atmosphere leads to the so called "hot house effect" that caused the melting of ice blocks; We all experience the consequences of man's contribution to the pollution of the atmosphere. The surface of Earth is changing, the environment is being harmed, the rotation, circle of substance is being disturbed. The consequences are disastrous and what's worse - irretrievable. Here are just a few: 1. Destruction of the ozone layer – it certainly affects human's body /skin cancer, blindness 2. Pollution of the hydrosphere - for his activity, man needs not seawater but sweet water. Destroying the woods, he changes the quantity of rainfall in some regions around the planet. Polluting rivers and lakes, the human being makes the water in those basins unfit for his own use. 3. Global heating changes the climate, the flora and fauna; causes nature anomalies (whirlwinds, more rainfall and fogs, etc.); small countries (like Bangladesh) that inhabit low lands, will disappear; the processes of reproduction, growth and development of organisms are already violated. 4. Soil erosion 5. The dry-terrestrial ecosystems are seriously damaged by the rapacious economy 6. Undernourishment and famine I would choose to formulate my conclusion into an appeal towards all of mankind - let us live our lives in a worthy way and as rational as possible. Let's repress our egoism and think about the future generations. To be born, live, eat, drink and finally die, is a way of living, typical of parasites. But the human being, as a Homo sapiens, is far more than that; or at least it should be! Nature has blessed and endowed us, the common mortal, with its goods - our duty is to preserve them reasonably. Otherwise, nature has its laws and will punish the imprudence of humans in her own way. We should live our life in a way that when the time to leave this world has come and we are lying on our death bed, we draw up a balance sheet of our actions in life and conclude we've done nothing to be ashamed of. I wish every person does his own duty in the path of life and lives in harmony with nature, with which he is inextricably bound up with. « return. |