There are many factors that have aided in helping rectify the damage caused by us to the environment, and these factors include initiatives taken by countries to help prevent further damage to the climate and environment.

Every single one of us seems to have one common problem at this time: our environment. The environment is not the problem, but the condition of the environment certainly is. Disasters, epidemics, pandemics, pollution, wildfires, extinction of various species of life seem to be escalating. While we just sit back and watch, there is a lot of damage being done and such damage is slowly going to turn us into puppets and watch us instead.

What is the problem then? Pollution, or climate change or is it the uncountable amount of carbon products we release in the atmosphere everyday? Problems are many, but the solution is only one; start right now and stop right now. Start the good, like advocating, cleaning, checking up on the personal ecological footprints and so on. Stop all the detrimental aspects such as littering, using polythenes, chopping down trees as if they are never ending, mining, poaching and the list goes on.

This is nothing compared to the amount of activities that actually degrade our environment, and while the situation is gravely serious, we cannot disregard the positive things that have been done to protect our lifeline - our environment.

Very recently, on the 10th of January, according to a United Nations backed assessment, the ozone layer is on its way to recovery. The ozone layer is approximately on track to recover within the next few decades. By the end of 2040, the ozone layer is expected to be back in its form. Since the 1980s, scientists have been alarming the world about a hole in the ozone layer due to chlorofluorocarbons dubbed as CFCs which are often found in refrigerators and aerosols. However, on the bright side, the use of CFCs has decreased 99% since the Montreal Protocol was brought into action.

There are many factors that have aided in helping rectify the damage caused by us to the environment, and these factors include initiatives taken by countries to help prevent further damage to the climate and environment. One of them being India that banned any sort of mining in the Antarctic region. Just a few weeks back, the Chinese Academy of Sciences released a report showcasing that the air quality in China has improved significantly over the past decade.

Similarly, the water quality in Manila Bay has improved. Cities like Zurich have very strict recycling policies and every household is expected to be involved in recycling or pay fines. Washington has also started its carbon emission capping programs. The European Union is chasing its zero pollution action plan and it is Europe’s plan to become the world’s first carbon-neutral continent. Not only that, volunteer scuba divers in the Montreal Bay are helping restore the vital kelp forests or the ‘redwoods of the sea’.

If we keep digging up, we can find more positive actions toward the environment. The only upsetting thing is that we do not really have to dig much to find what wrong is being done to the environment. The only point is that even though there is just too much that has to be fixed, we cannot and should not unsee the good side. It is also true that just because some actions are being taken, we can finally relax. 

There is no time for anyone to relax. Our climate is dying, our environment is suffering, our surroundings are becoming toxic and we are losing important assets of nature that were provided to us for a cause. So, the positive should be appreciated, encouraged and carried on while the negative should be discouraged and mended to our capabilities because at the end of the day, this environment is as much of our responsibility as we are to it.

 
• climate
 
• environment
 
• countries