Jonathan Morris

Prof. Gerald Spence

Engl 101

Our World, Our Responsibility

As the news is filling up with stories of how our earth is being destroyed due to our activity, it
is hard to wonder if there really is something to it.
In an article by Irene Quaile, she explains how the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are
melting into the sea three times the speed they were twenty years ago. This melting has
contributed one fifth of the total sea level rise since 1992; the sea has risen an eleven millimeters
(Quaile). On top of this we have another problem, according Scientific America most experts
agree that we are losing upwards of 80,000 acres of tropical rainforest daily, and significantly
degrading another 80,000 acres every day on top of that. These are just two examples of the
problems humans are credited with being largely responsible for. Even though charities and
organizations raise knowledge on these subjects, the problems do not seem to be going anywhere
(Scientific). As Christians, it is our commission to protect the earth so that we can keep safe all
the things living on it.
All the life we see around us is dependent on something else; nothing can survive without its
counterpart. The world is full of life that survives off other life, it can be seen through predators,
respiration, and even symbiotic relationships. In order to better understand this process, it is
necessary to examine how these relationships work. It was previously noted that tropical
rainforests are being destroyed at a high rate, but why are these forests so important? On a global
scale tropical rain forests store a huge amount of carbon dioxide and then releasing oxygen

(Rainforest). These forests are extremely dense, allowing for a vast amount of wild vegetation to
partake in this essential process. This replenishing of oxygen to need by all the breathing animals
in the area, and not only do they need the oxygen, but they need the forest as a home. Tropical
forests also provide a huge amount of food, whether it is plants for small animals, or small
animals for larger animals, these huge forests house them all. Having forests like these clearly
makes an impact on how the cycle of life continues, yet were destroying them. Along with
tropical rain forests there are so many more examples of the essential things in our world that we
are abusing, shouldnt we realize the damage we are doing and take responsibility.
The many industries of the world have a demand for certain resources or a have a particular
process in which they must complete to keep business going, logging needs trees, fracking needs
gas, and coal plants of course need coal. Now, none of these things are necessarily bad, but the
process in which we perform them can be hazardous. Fracking for example can be accomplished
without contaminating underground water, but do to faults in equipment or mishaps, errors
happen, as a result of that contamination spreads. Some people who live near fracking sites
have become seriously ill from polluted air and contaminated water. (Food). The effects of
fracking have been documented well, and there are numerous problems that can arise when it is
not completed safely.
Everyone has heard of the problem of power plants and it is no myth that coal plants emit the
most CO2 of any energy providing plants. Coal burning plants give off an unrivaled 1,562
Million Metric Tons, this supplies about one-third of the total CO2 output (EIA). This is one of
the largest contributors of global warming. Coal burning plants can be made more
environmentally friendly, the technology is there, but the majority of these companies has not
made the move to install them. On top of CO2, these plants emit so many other harmful toxins.

SO2 is a very harmful chemical, if it is just inhaled it will penetrate the lungs and infect the
bloodstream. It also causes acid rain, the process of which rain takes on an acidic PH level, this
can ruin crops and contaminate water masses along with any life living inside it (Union). The list
of harmful things released by coal plants goes on, it is pretty clear that this is not one of our best
innovations when it comes to helping the environment. Beside coal power plants there are so
many other things hurting the earth. Humans are the only living thing that can determine whether
or not we keep the earth healthy, we hold the power to make it better and to make it worse. So
how do we decide what should be allowed and what is too harmful?
Genisis 2:15 says The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it
and take care of it. (NIV). It is clear that God put us on this earth to preserve his creation, so as
Christians we have an obligation to learn about and fight issues that contribute to the harming of
the environment. It is essential that we do not simply take up the major opinion on a matter but
truly ask God if it is something that we should support. Determining what is right in wrong in the
matter of environment is not a simple task, both sides of the arguments have compelling points.
Finding the facts is important, knowing the truth about an argument and being able to defend it is
necessary. To ensure we have a bright future on this earth, it is crucial that we start working to
save it now.

Works Cited

Fracking. Food and Water Watch. Food & Water Watch. n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

Irene Quaile. Melting ice a hot topic at Arctic conference DW. Deutsche Welle. 22 Jan. 2014.
Web. 13 Nov. 2015.

Measuring the Daily Destruction of the World's Rainforests. Scientific America. Nature
America, Inc. 19 Nov. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

The Bible. New International Version. Bible Gateway. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.

Tropical Forests in Our Daily Lives. Rainforest Alliance. Rainforest Alliance. n.d. Web. 12 Nov.
2015.

United States. Energy Information Administration. How much of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions
are associated with electricity generation? 31 March. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.