An Earth where trees are planted very often, where animals and birds that were in danger of extinction have regained their habitat and the people are aware of what is happening around them and participate wholeheartedly in making their planet a green and clean one – these are my dreams and this is how I would want my mother Earth to be when I grow up.
Deforestation is a major problem today and I dream of seeing an Earth where trees grow everywhere and are not in the danger of being cut. Even if trees were cut they should be replaced by other saplings.
We must also deal with pollution as it has an impact on our health too. The Earth in my dreams will be pollution free. There will be no cause of pollution. Various kinds of pollution such as radioactive pollution, soil pollution, noise pollution, water pollution etc. will not exist and we will be able to breathe freely.
Another milestone is that the habitats, flora and fauna of various places should not be destroyed because the destruction of these habitats will lead to the extinction of species. I can’t imagine a day when we will show our children the photos of animals that were common during our time and tell them that due to the selfish attitude of man they are now extinct. For example, the lions and tigers that are present today may not exist tomorrow.
We will also keep our surroundings clean and follow the 5 R’s – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle. This will minimize the presence of mosquitoes, flies, rats etc. and will thus, prevent diseases.
Another huge difference between the realities and my dreams will be that the people will be aware. They would know about what has happened, what is happening, what could happen and what they should do about it because if they are not aware and alert then nothing can be achieved.
Finally, I would like to describe the Earth I want to see when I grow up: the blue sky will look crystal clear. Beautiful butterflies will be flying around me and a cool breeze will be blowing. Streams of sparkly clean water will be flowing here and there. I will rest in the shade of a canopy of trees. There will be dustbins kept everywhere to make sure that the garbage is thrown at the right place and most of the people will be aware about all this and will know that the Earth is their only home and that there is no other planet B. I hope that this will not only remain as a dream but will become the reality very soon.
This can only be a reality if everyone comes together and works hard otherwise it will be a dream only so, for this all of us have to do our part even if no one else does. We have to keep in mind our goal and remember that Earth is the only planet which sustains life, if we destroy it, then we will be destroyed too. So, even if you save one small drop of water or plant another tree, it means that there will be one drop of water still left on the day when water becomes very scarce or there will still a tree left on the day when trees too become rare because of you. You have to do it even if no one else is watching. We must instill in ourselves the habit of helping our mother nature in our own small ways.
We have to step out of our comfort zone, unite together and work hard for this goal.
Remember that, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”.
Author: Sneha Vinoy Thomas (Grade 7 Student) – St. Francis de Sales School, New Delhi
Source: Extracted from Nature’s Jamboore “PEN THE CHANGE”