THE END IS NIGH!!!

From what we read in every religious book and on the Internet, the extinction of the world is drawing nigh!!!  Niall McCarthy on the Internet says “Massive Insect decline threatens Collapse of Nature!!!’ According to the first global scientific review, the world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems!!!”   The rate of insect extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles!!!  Frighteningly, the research found that 41% of the world’s insect populations are becoming extinct and still more are endangered!!!  Apparently, the extinction of a single species of plant or animal creates a dramatic imbalance in the ecosystem!!!  We are also told that the impact of fewer insects would result in the non existence of birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish as they rely on insects for survival and would eventually starve to death!!!

Man is the root cause

Man has also contributed to a great and grave extent in many irresponsible ways to the decline of nature!!! We have ruined the environment by felling trees, through global warming and causing an energy crisis and these have caused climate change which has become very obvious over the past decade!!! Temperatures in some countries have risen, while glaciers and icebergs in other countries have melted, we have dealt with frequent storms, tsunamis, rising sea levels, and volcanoes, so it is not difficult to predict that planet Earth is heading for a dramatic downfall somewhere in the very near future!!!
Biodiversity 

We dealt with species conservation earlier but flora and fauna both need to be conserved as well to halt the extinction of all species!!! The extinction of one or more species moves the entire ecosystem into dramatic imbalance!!! Due to man’s insensitivity, several plants and animals have already faced extinction creating a major imbalance to the biodiversity of the planet!!!

Energy factor 

Our energy requirement dependency is yet another devastating factor!!! While some countries largely depend on fossil fuel, our energy requirements have created a significant energy crisis for planet earth!!! In various parts of the world, our greed for more energy has left a void in terms of natural energy resources!!! Man has resorted to excessive mining, agriculture, fishing and other activities which have triggered large scale deforestation and a drastic decline in many marine species!!!

Don’t care  

While there are multiple threats to the environment and we are looking at the possibility of annihilation, humans seem to adopt a ‘don’t care’ attitude to the impending disaster!!! We constantly read about people being killed, either by natural disasters or worse still through the brutality of other humans!!! Man’s inhumanity to man is increasing instead of decreasing!!!

Nukes 

Nuclear issues are astronomical and can have an extensively damaging impact on our planet!!! Radio-active waste from nuclear power plants is a major problem the earth would have to contend with, particularly if safety regulations are not adhered to!!! Nuclear tragedies can lead to major disasters for mankind, similar to what happened with Chernobyl!!! If some misguided nation seeks to divert its nuclear power to produce a nuclear arsenal, a threat similar to Chernobyl is likely and the resultant disaster would be unthinkable!!!

Do not populate

Overpopulation is yet another frightening issue!!! Populations around the world continue to soar at an alarming rate, increasing pressure on the planet’s resources and diminishing valuable essentials like food, water and even space for natural burial!!! Sustaining huge populations requires mammoth efforts for every nation, especially contending with the economy!!! Population increases inevitably result in the increase of human activities eventually producing large scale pollution!!! Quoting directly from the internet “Air pollution can be attributed to a large amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by industries and vehicles, water pollution and land pollution are caused as a result of waste disposal from factories, oil-carrying vessels, etc!!! Basically, mankind is to be blamed for this issue as our activities tend to hamper the environment at an alarming rate!!! If this trend continues, very soon we will be left without fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink”!!!

Greed

What the world does not realize is that our constant greed for more has left us devoid of natural resources in various parts of the world!!! Improper use of land has caused large scale deforestation!!! The natural environment is being destructed to make way for urban sprawl which means that indirectly numerous species lose their habitats!!! Most often unauthorized construction of huge buildings close to one another also contribute to improper land use!!! Problems for the environment seem to be the least concern of contractors and major developers!!! It is good for us to sit back and think whether the construction of major high rise buildings, which come up almost next to one another, is feasible not only from the improper use of land but more importantly from a safety point of view!!! We have seen the indomitable power of nature flatten major skyscrapers in other countries; shouldn’t we therefore not stop and think whether what is happening in our country is dangerous for us humans too??? Are all the required safety regulations being followed??? Several problems like soil erosion, degradation of land, desertification, reclaiming land, etc., have all these been looked in to??? Humans have sadly started to destroy not only our habitat but also that of the birds, mammals, and reptiles!!! Even at this late stage, let us start appreciating the many blessings that this God-given planet has bestowed on us and stop destructing it and the many species that inhabit it!!!

-THE VOICE-