Failure to Protect Nature

Consequences of Failing to Safeguard Nature

Olivia McQueen

There are so many examples of our failure to protect nature in today's news as well as throughout history. This can come in the form of destroyed bio systems and habitats, species extinction, overuse of natural resources, and pollution. It is my belief along with many other scientists that we are currently facing the planets sixth mass extinction event, this time due to human activities. I want to shed light on some species that have gone extinct because of climate change, talk about how the overuse of natural resources harms nature, as well as discuss forms of pollution that we as a society may not think is very prevalent. 

The Golden Toad was native to Costa Rica before its 2019 extinction. Golden Toads went extinct due to the change in weather patterns. Their reproductive cycle was directly tied to the amount of rainfall in their environment. The toads laid they’re larvae underground and due to heavy rainfall, the larva would be stranded. Droughts also kept the toads dehydrated. Climate change had caused the toads to slowly die off and without being able to reproduce, they are now extinct. 

The Bramble Cay melomys are the first mammal that is recognized as extinct due to climate change. They lived only on the small island of Bramble Cay off of Australia and were recognized as extinct by the Australian government in 2019. The small island sits about 10 feet above sea level. In 1978 there were hundreds of these small rodents on the island, but the last known siting of a melomy was in 2009. “Since 1998, the part of the island that sits above high tide has shrunk from 9.8 acres to 6.2 acres. That means the island's vegetation has been shrinking, and the rodents have lost about 97 percent of their habitat” (NatGeo). Around the Torres Strait, where Bramble Cay sits, sea level has risen at almost twice the global average rate between 1993 and 2014. The demise of these once thriving mammals can be contributed to extreme weather effects and ocean inundation. 

Overconsumption means that we are using a resource that we cannot replenish or cannot sustain itself at the rate in which we are consuming it. Many resources that our society uses are diminishing due to overconsumption. Because ecosystems can’t keep up with our overconsumption, there is large amounts of loss of biodiversity and deterioration of nature. The two types of resources we use are non-renewable and renewable. 

Non-renewable resources are built up over millions of years and either won’t be able to replenish themselves, or it will take millions of years. These include fossil fuels such as coal and oil as well as things that need to be mined like metals, diamonds, and other raw materials.  It is risky to rely on only non-renewable resources as if they run out there is no getting them back. Around 80% of the worlds energy comes from non-renewable resources and we know that they also are the leading cause of global warming. For the sake of the planet and the economy we should be quickly transitioning to renewable energy sources. 

Renewable resources can replenish themselves in a short amount of time. Renewable energy sources include solar and wind, and other renewable resources include fish, animals, and lumber. Wind and solar will almost certainly never diminish, but animals and wood are more likely to run low if we don’t keep track of use and replenishment. Logging requires cutting down trees from forests that provide habitats to many different species as well as suck up large amounts of CO₂. Trees take an average of about 10 years to mature and being taking in CO₂, so just planting trees to make up for carbon emissions or cutting down trees, doesn’t have the effect large companies act like it does. Another example of overconsumption is fish populations. Around 90% of global fish stocks are overfished. This can be catastrophic to the fish population and the ocean ecosystem as a whole and will affect the supply that humans consume. 

When I think of pollution, I think of fossil fuels and the tons of carbon being emitted into the atmosphere, I think of plastic floating in the ocean, lakes, and rivers, I think of the trash on the side of roads. These are all common types of pollution we know and think about as pollution. We know they’re bad and generally know the effects that come from these types of pollutions. What I don’t usually think of is light pollution. This is the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor light. It has an effect on human health, wildlife behavior, and our ability to observe stars and other things in space. Areas of North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East are lit up in satellite photos and only the most secluded regions such as the Amazon are in complete darkness. There is a sky glow ,that brightens the night sky, from car lights, street lamps, industry lights, etc. that affects the natural body rhythms of both humans and animals. Nocturnal light interrupts sleep and confuses one circadian rhythm which is the 24-hour internal clock and guides physiological processes in almost all living organisms. Animals guided by moonlight get very confused and lost and end up dying because of the amount of light in the night sky. Because many insects are drawn to light, and die instantly when they touch the light source, birds are affected due to their primary food source dying. 

Nature is an incredibly beautiful and important part of our wonderful planet. We must do the best we can to protect it by preserving wildlife and their habitats, conserving out natural and non-renewable resources, and limiting or eliminating pollution. If there is no natural world, then our society will surely diminish due to the loss of so many vital pieces of our current world.