WAYS TO REVIVE AND CONSERVE OUR ECOSYSTEMS
Do you have an idea how damaged our planet is? 75% of environmental degradation and destruction are caused by humans, brought on by us and our human activities, resulting in many ecological risks such as pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change, and so much more.
These threats we impose on the environment do not just endanger vegetation or animal lives. We are engineering our very own extinction. If we don’t learn to live sustainably and continue to overuse our natural resources, we are ushering ourselves to the path of our demise.
However, we can undo all the damages we have lavished upon our home by restoring the ecosystem. There are countless ways to help in the healing process of our planet. The planet’s resilience is remarkable, but we are close to reaching the Earth’s tipping point if we don’t stop abusing our resources. To a point, all damages done to the planet can be irreversible, and to be honest, we are almost there.
The Earth might be better off without us, but all living things rely on others for existence. We are all connected. Now is our chance to give back to nature. After centuries of taking and razing through the ecosystems for our own selfish needs, we must do our part to restore the planet’s health.
WEANING AWAY FROM PLASTIC DEPENDENCY
Pollution is one of the main factors why the effects of climate change continue to escalate. There are different pollution and plastic waste forms, which pose severe threats to the environment, most notably marine life.
Did you know more than 8 million tonnes of plastic find their way to our oceans every year? The problem with plastic is that it stays in the environment for a very long time. Either animal gets tangled in it and die, or when these plastics break down into smaller pieces, known as microplastics, it is eaten by different sea creatures and end up in their food chain. One meaningful way to conserve and restore our ecosystems is to veer away from single-use plastics.
EMBRACE A PLANT-RICH DIET
Animal farming is the most significant contributor to environmental damage. Cattle ranching, illegal logging, and animal agriculture are the leading cause of deforestation around the world. Reducing your consumption of meat would help prevent destruction to our natural habitat.
Shifting to a plant-based diet is an ideal diet to achieve optimal health in humans; you stop contributing to the mass slaughter of animals and save them from a lifetime of suffering; it is a perfect diet to restore the planet’s health!!
START AN URBAN GARDEN
Gardening has been a favourite pastime for everyone ever since the pandemic has begun.
Growing your fruit and vegetables can help restore the ecosystems. Furthermore, a garden can create a habitat for birds, insects and other species that thrive in a healthy ecological community. Different species living in a garden can help pollinate, dispersing seeds, and even maintaining biodiversity. Aside from that, you contribute to the production of oxygen through urban plots and help sequester carbon, which can also aid in the mitigation of climate change.
There are so many other things you can do to contribute to the restoration of the ecosystem. We can focus on climate justice to create change that will help in restoring it. We can help in the rewilding processes of our forests which will help recover the environment. We can do many things to assist in the recreation of wildlife, and when we start doing these, we contribute to the sustainability of lives – plant life, the wild and ours.
What have you done to restore our ecosystem? If you haven’t started, this is your chance to revive and conserve our ecosystems. Join #generationrestoration this World Environment Day!
