environment before and now essay

How the Environment Has Changed Since the First Earth Day

When the first Earth Day was held in 1970, pesticides were killing bald eagles, and soot was darkening the sky. Now, habitat loss and climate change are imperiling the planet.

When Earth Day was first created in 1970, it rode the coattails of a decade filled with social activism. Voting rights were strengthened, civil rights were outlined, and women were demanding equal treatment.

But there was no Environmental Protection Agency, no Clean Air Act , or Clean Water Act .

Fast forward 48 years and what started as a grassroots movement has exploded into an international day of attention and activism dedicated to preserving the environment. Officially, the United Nations recognizes this upcoming April 22 as International Mother Earth Day .

Across the globe, millions of people take part in Earth Day. According to the Earth Day Network , one of the largest activist bodies organizing Earth Day events, people celebrate by holding marches, planting trees, meeting with local representatives, and cleaning up their local environments.

In the Beginning

A series of critical environmental issues helped birth the modern environmental movement. Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring published in 1962. It brought to light the dangerous use of a pesticide called DDT that was polluting rivers and destroying the eggs of birds of prey like bald eagles.

When the modern environmental movement was at its genesis, pollution was in plain sight. White birds turned black from soot . Smog was thick. Recycling was nascent.

Then, in 1969, a large oil spill struck the coast of Santa Barbara , California. It moved then-Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin to put Earth Day on the national stage. More than 20 million people turned out.

It spurred a movement that pushed then-President Nixon to create the Environmental Protection Agency. In the 48 years since the first Earth Day, there have been more than 48 major environmental wins . Protections have been put in place on everything from clean water to endangered species.

The EPA also works to protect human health. For example, lead and asbestos, once common in homes and offices, have been largely phased out of many common products.

The theme of 2018's Earth Day celebration is plastics —specifically how to decrease their unwanted impacts on our environment. What was perhaps set in place in the mid-20th century when plastic was manufactured on a large scale has come back to haunt us.

Plastic refuse is everywhere. It's bigger than Texas in the Pacific garbage patch , and it's as small as the micro plastics getting eaten by fish and churned out on our dinner plates .

Some environmental groups are leading grassroots movements to cut back on the use of common plastics like straws ; the U.K. even recently proposed passing a law to ban them . It's one incremental way to cut back on the whopping 91 percent of plastic that isn't recycled .

a red sunset reflecting on the water with stark white ice chunks floating

And it's not just plastic imperiling the Earth. Today's worst environmental issues are seemingly a culmination of all the groundwork laid over the past two hundred years.

“The two most pressing issues we face today are habitat loss and climate change, and these issues are interrelated,” says Jonathan Baillie , chief scientist of the National Geographic Society .

Climate change has been called a threat to biodiversity and national security. Studies have linked it to the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef and abnormal weather .

Unlike the first Earth Day, 2018's celebration exists in a world with a more robust regulatory framework to enact environmental policy and regulate our impact.

Whether that framework will stay intact is now a matter of debate. ( See a running list of how the Trump administration is changing the environment .)

Baillie noted that addressing these issues requires fundamental changes.

“First, we need to place greater value on the natural world,” he says.

Then, we need to commit to protecting regions like the Amazon and Congo that house critical environments. Lastly, he notes, we need to innovate more rapidly. Producing protein for consumption more efficiently and cultivating renewable energy resources will help reduce the impacts of what he sees as the Earth's greatest threats.

“One of our biggest obstacles is our mindset: we need people to emotionally connect to the natural world, understand how it works and our dependence on it,” Baillie says. “Fundamentally, if we care about the natural world, we will value and protect it and make decisions that ensure the future of species and ecosystems.”

FREE BONUS ISSUE

100 years of elephants: See how Nat Geo has photographed these iconic creatures

How global warming is disrupting life on Earth

This is the story of the first Earth Day—and why it mattered

50 years of progress—and setbacks—since the first Earth Day

Perpetual Planet
Environment
History & Culture
Paid Content

History & Culture

Mind, Body, Wonder
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Your US State Privacy Rights
Children's Online Privacy Policy
Interest-Based Ads
About Nielsen Measurement
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Nat Geo Home
Attend a Live Event
Book a Trip
Inspire Your Kids
Shop Nat Geo
Visit the D.C. Museum
Learn About Our Impact
Support Our Mission
Advertise With Us
Customer Service
Renew Subscription
Manage Your Subscription
Work at Nat Geo
Sign Up for Our Newsletters
Contribute to Protect the Planet

April 22, 2020

How the Environment Has Changed since the First Earth Day 50 Years Ago

These charts show that while progress has been made in some areas, humanity still has a major impact on the planet

By Andrea Thompson

Close-up of an Earth Day button.

Getty Images

On April 22, 1970, millions of Americans took part in demonstrations, cleanups and other activities to make the first Earth Day. The event was the brainchild of then Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, and it was a watershed moment for the growing U.S. environmental movement: Americans had become increasingly aware that the same industrialization that had made the country wealthy was having an impact on the environment and their own health. As famed anchorman Walter Cronkite put it in a special CBS News broadcast, Earth Day participants had a “common cause of saving life from the deadly by-products of that bounty: the fouled skies, the filthy waters, the littered earth.”

That same year would see the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the first in a series of important environmental laws. Since then efforts to tackle various environmental ills have waxed and waned: while enormous strides have been made in curbing air pollution, the threat of climate change has emerged and mushroomed. Here we take a look at a few environmental indicators to see what progress has—or has not—been made since that inaugural Earth Day 50 years ago.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing . By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

The clear, inexorable rises of the curves in the two graphs below are at the heart of the global warming problem. As humans have piled more cars onto roads and burned more coal and natural gas for electricity, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has steadily ticked upward. The average atmospheric CO2 concentration now stands above 410 parts per million (ppm), compared with about 325 ppm in 1970 (and 280 ppm before the industrial revolution in the 19th century). The excess heat trapped by that CO2 has already raised global temperatures by about one degree Celsius since preindustrial times. Under the 2015 Paris climate accord, nations have agreed to limit total warming to no more than 2 degrees C above preindustrial levels—with a preferred goal of staying below 1.5 degrees C. To date, emissions-curbing efforts have been unable to put the brakes on quickly enough to meet those targets.

Credit: Amanda Montañez; Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Air Pollution

Among the fundamental issues that drove Nelson and his colleagues to hold the first Earth Day was the rampant, deadly pollution clogging U.S. skies. One of the worst air pollution disasters in the nation’s history came in the fall of 1948, when weather conditions caused a stew of smog to build up in the industrial town of Donora, Pa., sickening thousands and killing 20 people. Congress passed various laws to limit air pollution in the ensuing years, but the Clean Air Act of 1970 was the landmark legislation that truly ushered in the stringent and comprehensive regulation of emissions from power plants, factories and cars.

The graphs below show how the law and its subsequent revisions have led to notable nationwide drops in three major pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and lead. Nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide can be harmful to human health when breathed in, and both react with other chemicals in the atmosphere to create the particles that contribute to smog. Lead is highly toxic and can cause neurological and cardiovascular problems. One of the key sources of airborne lead pollution in the mid-20th century was leaded gasoline; since it was phased out, beginning in the mid-1970s, lead levels have plummeted. Many environmentalists and scientists who study air pollution are concerned that the considerable progress over the past 50 years might be stalled—or even reversed—by actions the EPA has taken during the Trump administration to weaken air pollution rules and enforcement.

Credit: Amanda Montañez; Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Perhaps the most emblematic moment of the crisis that afflicted U.S. waterways was the fire that erupted on the Cuyahoga River on June 22, 1969. Effluent from industrial activity along the river, running from Akron, Ohio, to Cleveland, had provided fuel for more than a dozen fires since the mid-19th century and killed off the waterway’s fish. The 1969 event helped lead to the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Another landmark law, this act addressed pollution entering waterways from industry, sewage facilities and agriculture.

The graphs below highlights measurements from two major U.S. water bodies: Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. The first of them shows the change in levels of phosphorus—one of the key nutrients that fuel toxic algal blooms—carried into Lake Erie by the Maumee River, which flows into the lake in Toledo. Runoff from agricultural fields is the main contributor to the phosphorus load in the lake, which supplies drinking water to 11 million people. Researchers are actively working to figure out how farming practices might be changed to reduce the amount of phosphorus pouring in.

The graph for Lake Michigan shows a different type of pollutant: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which can cause cancer as well as other health effects. PCB production was banned in 1979. And although levels of the compounds in the air (from which these chemicals fall into the water) and in fish have declined, their presence is still high enough that some states warn people to limit consumption of fish from the lakes.

Credit: Amanda Montañez; Source: National Center for Water Quality Research, Heidelberg University ( phosphorus data ); Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program and Great Lakes Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network ( PCB data )

Americans are producing a lot more garbage than they did 50 years ago—and not just because the country’s population has risen: each person in the U.S. generates an average of 4.5 pounds of waste a day, compared with just 3.25 pounds in 1970. What they throw away has also changed, with plastic waste making up a larger percentage than in the past. That change reflects the explosion of plastic products over the past few decades, from less than 50 million tons of the material produced in 1970 to more than 320 million tons today. And though the recycling and composting of some materials have grown, a large chunk of trash still ends up in landfills: 139.6 million of the 267.8 million tons generated in 2017 (the last year for which data is available). That amount is, at least, a slight decline from the 145.3 million tons dumped in landfills in 1990.

It is clear that the U.S. and the world have made strides in realizing humanity’s impact and the need to safeguard the environment. But there is still a long way to go. As Nelson wrote in 1984, “The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

Then ... and now

AN EARLY ALARM

"While the conventional, political dangers - the threat of global annihilation, the fact of regional war - appear to be receding, we have all recently become aware of another insidious danger. It is as menacing in its way as those more accustomed perils with which international diplomacy has concerned itself for centuries. It is the prospect of irretrievable damage to the atmosphere, to the oceans, to earth itself.

What we are now doing to the world, by degrading the land surfaces, by polluting the waters and by adding greenhouse gases to the air at an unprecedented rate - all this is new in the experience of the earth. It is mankind and his activities that are changing the environment of our planet in damaging and dangerous ways.

The result is that change in future is likely to be more fundamental and more widespread than anything we have known hitherto. Change to the sea around us, change to the atmosphere above, leading in turn to change in the world's climate, which could alter the way we live in the most fundamental way of all. That prospect is a new factor in human affairs. It is comparable in its implications to the discovery of how to split the atom. Indeed, its results could be even more far-reaching.

The evidence is there. The damage is being done. What do we, the international community, do about it?

In some areas, the action required is primarily for individual nations or groups of nations to take. But the problem of global climate change is one that affects us all and action will only be effective if it is taken at the international level. It is no good squabbling over who is responsible or who should pay. We have to look forward not backward, and we shall only succeed in dealing with the problems through a vast international, co-operative effort.

The environmental challenge that confronts the whole world demands an equivalent response from the whole world. Every country will be affected and no one can opt out. Those countries who are industrialised must contribute more to help those who are not.

The work ahead will be long and exacting. We should embark on it hopeful of success, not fearful of failure. Darwin's voyages were among the high-points of scientific discovery. They were undertaken at a time when men and women felt growing confidence that we could not only understand the natural world but we could master it, too. Today, we have learned rather more humility and respect for the balance of nature. But another of the beliefs of Darwin's era should help to see us through - the belief in reason and the scientific method.

Reason is humanity's special gift. It allows us to understand the structure of the nucleus. It enables us to explore the heavens. It helps us to conquer disease. Now we must use our reason to find a way in which we can live with nature, and not dominate nature.

We need our reason to teach us today that we are not - that we must not try to be - the lords of all we survey.

We are not the lords, we are the Lord's creatures, the trustees of this planet, charged today with preserving life itself - preserving life with all its mystery and all its wonder.

May we all be equal to that task."

GOING NOWHERE

Three things jump off the page when you read Mrs Thatcher's speech, writes George Monbiot . The first is that she was surprisingly well-informed. For that, we had her adviser Sir Crispin Tickell to thank: he was the farsighted British ambassador to the UN, who had taken time off from the Foreign Office to study climate change.

The second is that it is a classic work of prime ministerial humbug. Two days before she delivered the speech, the UK blocked a proposal at a conference in the Netherlands for a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2005. On the day after the speech, the energy secretary, John Wakeham, told the House of Commons that he had been forced to abandon the government's insane plan to privatise nuclear power. It was Thatcher who insisted that "nothing can stop the great car economy" and her ministers who announced "the biggest roadbuilding programme since the Romans".

Thatcher's speech claims credit for measures that the UK either sought to block or accepted under protest. And the solution she proposes for business is, of course, business as usual.

But perhaps the most striking thing about the speech is that it could have been delivered today. At the G8 summit, we will hear the same tones of revelation and surprise. Now, as then, the political elite will give the impression of having discovered the importance of this issue for the first time. In 16 years, we've gone nowhere.

At the time, however, and for all the hypocrisy and ideological fixation it contained, it looked as if the speech would become a turning point for the environment. Five months before, the Greens had won 15% of the vote in the Euro elections. Two years before, the Montreal protocol on the protection of the ozone layer had been signed. It finally looked as if world leaders might be prepared to contemplate meaningful treaties on the protection of everything else. The media was crammed with stories about climate change, rainforest destruction, habitat loss and waste.

The momentum lasted until just after the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. Then the story was killed. John Birt, BBC director general, Michael Jackson, BBC2 controller, and Michael Grade, Channel 4 chief executive, purged environmental programmes from the television schedules. I suspect they saw them as counter-aspirational and, in Channel 4's case, bad for business.

From then on, they broadcast furious attacks on environmentalism, such as Channel 4's series Against Nature and BBC2's Scare Stories. Most of the newspapers, with an eye on the interests of their proprietors and advertisers, followed their example.

Environmental campaigns - especially the mobilisation against the roads programme launched by Thatcher - proliferated, but, shut out by the media, the issue soon fell off the political agenda.

Sixteen years later, we are back where we started, with a prime minister making grand statements he has no intention of acting upon, while presiding over a disastrous environmental record. It makes you feel quite nostalgic.

www.monbiot.com

Environment
Climate crisis

The Environment Before and After (Us)

There are a lot of places on the Internet to look for interesting before/after pictures giving evidence of climate change like the one above, but the best one these days is probably NASA’s Images of Change project , which provides side-by-side photos of the same place over time to document the environment changes that have happened through natural and man-made causes. Here are a few images and a video to get you going and want to explore more.

For our readers’ convenience, we provide Earthly Mission free of ads (except a few affiliate links) or a paywall. This means we rely on donations to run this site. So if you can, please keep the Mission going - every bit helps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cMLfPOQE3w

Via Aol , fastcoexist

We prioritize your experience and free access to information so we provide Earthly Mission free of ads (except a few affiliate links) or a paywall. This means we rely on your support to keep the site running. So if you can, please buy us a coffee or keep us going in the long run – every bit helps!

Written by Tamás Varga

Before and After: America’s Environmental History

Marina Koren

A difference of nearly four decades: at top, a ski area in Aspen, Colorado last year, captured by Ron Hoffman; at bottom, the same location in 1974, shot by Dustin Wesley. Credit: US EPA

In 1971, about 70 photographers, commissioned by the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency, set out to document the American landscape on just 40 rolls of film each. They trudged through coal mines and landfills, traversed deserts and farms and discovered big cities’ small corridors. The end result was DOCUMERICA , a collection of more than 15,000 shots capturing the country’s environmental problems—from water and air pollution to industrial health hazards—over six years.

Decades later, a new generation of photographers is collecting ”after” pictures. In the past two years, the EPA has collected more than 2,000 photos, all of which loosely depict the environment. The State of the Environment Photography Project, as the effort is called, asks photographers to take shots that match scenes from DOCUMERICA, to show how the landscape has changed since the 1970s. It also asks photographers to capture new or different environmental issues, with the idea that these modern scenes could in turn be re-photographed in the distant future; the EPA has released several of these shots for this year’s Earth Day. The project will accept submissions through the end of 2013.

The EPA explains that DOCUMERICA became a baseline for America’s environmental history, and that tracking change is key for public eco-consciousness.

Both images, taken by Michael Philip Manheim, show a section of East Boston in the 1970s and present day. Decades ago, rows of triple-deckers lined the streets of the neighborhood. Today, only one remains, the sole survivor of nearby airport expansion. Credit: Michael Philip Manheim/US EPA

There’s more to capturing environmental issues on camera than shooting smoke stacks and nuclear plants. The most effective way to convey them is to photograph people, says Michael Philip Manheim. Manheim, one of DOCUMERICA’s photographers, documented noise pollution in East Boston in the ’70s, portraying the deterioration of a close-knit community as nearby Logan Airport expanded its runways. That’s what made DOCUMERICA strike a chord with the public years ago, providing closeups of miners suffering from black lung and kids playing basketball in cramped housing developments.

“Meet the affected people, let them know how you care, find out what impacts them the most,” advises Manheim about matching his photos today. He still has the cameras he used for his assignment, which he treats as “sculptures” that stay hidden in closets. “After that, it’s time to energize a camera, and not by posing pictures but by reacting candidly to what is going on in the lives of your subjects.”

At left, DOCUMERICA photographer David Falconer’s shot of the Weyerhaeuser Paper Mills and Reynolds Metal Plant along the Columbia River in Washington State. At right, Craig Leaper’s re-creation. Credit: US EPA

Though some landscapes remain the same, Manheim says what’s changed since DOCUMERICA is the level of awareness of environmental issues. The photographer attributes this increase to the rapid spread of digital information, a visual online petition that he says Bostonians could have used to fight back in the 1970s.

At left, the Great Falls of Maine’s Androscoggin River, with the city of Lewiston in the background, captured by Charles Steinhacker in 1973. At right, a replication of the same scene by Munroe Graham. Credit: US EPA

The “now” and “then” photos show varying degrees of change when placed side-by-side , funky fashions and clunky cars aside. Clumps of unnatural foam continue to bob along polluted waters near industrial buildings, but considerably less smog hangs in the air of some urban cities. In an “after” shot of a section of John Day Dam between Oregon and Washington State, a set of wind turbines appear on the background terrain.

At left, the John Day Dam viewed from the Washington side of the Columbia River, photographed by David Falconer in 1973. At right, a similar view, including wind turbines along the ridge, taken by Scott Butner in 2012. Credit: US EPA

The ease of digital photography will help propel the current iteration of an environmental snapshot, Manheim says. When shooting on film, photographers can’t know right away whether they’ve taken “the shot.” Digital allows them to examine the first few shots of a scene, and then find better ways to convey its details.

“You don’t stand around, waiting for something to happen. You exert mental and physical energy,” Manheim says. For anyone wanting to participate in the State of the Environment project, the photographer has some advice: “Set the scene in your coverage, and then you go for the ‘good stuff.’ You get close, closer, closest. You move in to explore and find the epitomizing image, close and meaningful, that symbolizes the situation.”

In the 1970s, Manheim got to know the people who lived in the colorful triple-decker row houses lining Neptune Road in East Boston. Planes soared overhead nearly every three minutes, prompting the nearby residents to cover their ears from the deafening roar of the engines. He captured one of these low-flying planes in a photograph, shown above. In 2012, Manheim returned to the site to document it yet again. The “then” and “now” pairing tells a story that has played out over decades. Eventually, the adjacent airport built runways flush to the streets’ backyards and driveways, and today, only one home remains.

South Boston’s Moakley Park. At left, Ernst Halberstadt smog-heavy shot in 1973; at right, Roger Archibald’s 2012 take. Once a muralist for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Halberstadt documented city life in Boston for DOCUMERICA. Credit: US EPA

The EPA explains that DOCUMERICA became a baseline for America’s environmental history, and that tracking change is key for public eco-consciousness.

Great Falls of Maine’s Androscoggin River

Get the latest Science stories in your inbox.

Marina Koren | | READ MORE

Marina Koren is a staff writer at The Atlantic . Previously, she was a digital intern for Smithsonian.com.

Newsletters

Site search

Israel-Hamas war
2024 election
Solar eclipse
Supreme Court
All explainers
Future Perfect

Filed under:

15 before-and-after images that show how we're transforming the planet

Share this story.

Share this on Facebook
Share this on Twitter
Share this on Reddit
Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: 15 before-and-after images that show how we're transforming the planet

The Paraguay-Parana River before and after the construction of the Yacyreta Dam in 1985, which displaced 15,000 residents.

Human beings have replaced nature as the dominant force shaping Earth. We've cleared away forests, dammed up mighty rivers, paved vast roads, and transported thousands of species around the world. "To a large extent," two scientists wrote in 2015 , "the future of the only place where life is known to exist is being determined by the actions of humans."

So what does this look like? In recent decades, NASA has been tracking the major transformations we've wrought via satellite. In its "Images of Change" series, the agency has posted a number of before-and-after images showing the exact same rainforest or glacier or city years or decades apart. The differences are often breathtaking. Here are 14 of the most revealing changes:

1) Rainforests get swallowed by farms in Brazil

Satellite images of Rondônia in western Brazil, taken in 1975 (left) and 2009 (right). ( NASA, Images of Change )

Humans have been clearing forests to make way for farms and pastures for at least 7,000 years . And as the world's population soars past 7 billion, the pressure for cropland is only growing.

Rondônia has lost an area of forest the size of West Virginia

The image above shows the state of Rondônia in western Brazil, one of the most deforested parts of the Amazon. In 1978, 2 percent of the state's rainforest had been cleared. By 2008, that was up to 34 percent — an area the size of West Virginia. You can see a more detailed progression in these images : New roads protrude into the forests like fishbones, with nearby trees vanishing soon after. The newly cleared land can only sustain crops for a few years until heavy rains erode the soil, at which point it's turned over for cattle. Then repeat.

Deforestation has all sorts of troubling side effects, from shrinking habitats for forest species to increased global warming via a reduction in carbon dioxide–absorbing trees. Brazil has tried to protect its rainforests in the past decade, but pressure to clear away trees has risen again since 2013 .

2) Cancún expands at a stunning rate

Cancún, Mexico, seen in 1979 and 2009. ( NASA, Images of Change )

Cities and towns have been around for thousands of years, but the growth of urbanization has been astonishing over the past century. More than 3.9 billion people and counting now live in urban areas.

The images above show the rapid growth of Cancún, Mexico. In the 1970s, this area was lightly inhabited, home to artisanal fishermen and empty beaches. But the government pushed to turn the area into a tourist hotspot, and today it's home to 722,000 people. That's been a huge economic boon, though it's also meant a loss of biodiversity and polluted water. The fact that more people now live on Mexico's coast also increases their vulnerability to hurricanes — one reason why the cost of natural disasters keeps rising worldwide.

3) Dubai builds a chain of artificial islands

(U.S. Department of the Interior / USGS and NASA)

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, seen in 2001 and 2011. ( USGS and NASA )

Some cities have gotten creative about urban growth, reclaiming land from the sea. These images show the rapid growth of Dubai , in the United Arab Emirates, between 2000 and 2011.

To promote beach tourism, the city built hundreds of artificial islands along the coast using sand dredged from the seashore. Rocky barriers were put in place to protect them from erosion. The two most famous islands are shaped like palm trees. As the images above show, the growth of Dubai on land has been no less dramatic, with barren desert replaced by irrigated land and roads.

4) The oil sands boom in Alberta, Canada

Open pit mines near Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, seen in 2000 and 2007. ( NASA, Images of Change )

In the 2000s, global demand for oil kept surging, but conventional wells weren't keeping up. So companies cast an eye on the vast oil sands buried beneath the boreal forests in Alberta, Canada. These sands contain bitumen, a gooey petroleum that can be extracted for fuel.

Companies are supposed to restore the land after mining

The images above show the growth of oil sands mining near the Athabasca River during the 2000s. Once the sand is mined, it's rinsed with hot water to separate out the bitumen. The sand and water are then dumped in tailings ponds , which can be seen as smooth tan squares in the images.

These mines have had a profound impact on the landscape around them. Forests have to be cleared to make way for the mines — more than 256 square miles as of 2011. The tailings ponds themselves can be toxic to birds . As such, Canada's regulators have required companies to restore the land after they finish mining. Another NASA satellite photo here shows a reclaimed area after a pond was drained and planted over, though the grasses have not yet grown.

Meanwhile, because it takes so much energy to extract oil from the sands, this type of fuel is worse for global warming than regular crude oil. That's a big reason the Keystone XL pipeline, which would help bring Alberta's oil to market, has been so controversial in the United States .

5) Ukraine's landscape recovers after Chernobyl

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, seen in 1986 and 2011. ( NASA, Images of Change )

Human activity doesn't always expand relentlessly. Occasionally, nature reclaims the land. The images above show the evolution of the area around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after a reactor explosion in 1986 .

On the left, you see the area in 1986, just before the accident. There are cultivated fields (in light colors), small towns (in blue and purple), and old forests (dark green). Then on April 26, radiation began leaking out of Chernobyl's reactor number four and people fled the area.

As of 2011, things look very different. The abandoned towns are decaying. The farms have now reverted to grasslands (bright green). The forests were bulldozed by the government and replanted (younger trees are seen as lighter green). Intriguingly, plant and animal populations have actually grown within the exclusion zone since the accident. Animals are still adversely affected by the radiation, but they are also thriving in the absence of humans.

6) A manmade fire rages in Namibia

Etosha National Park in Namibia. The white area is the Etosha Pan, a salt-encrusted lake bottom. The dark brown area shows where a fire burned in June 2012. ( NASA, World of Change )

For much of the 20th century, as human settlements expanded, we thought we knew how to deal with large-scale wildfires: Prevent them at all costs. The US Forest Service adopted this strategy in the forests of the American West. And Namibia's forest managers used this strategy in Etosha National Park , which opened in 1907 and serves as a key reserve for rhinos, elephants, and lions.

This turned out to be a bad idea. Wildfires were a crucial part of the ecosystem. Before humans came along, Namibia's savannas would burn about once per decade. When park managers suppressed these periodic wildfires, that only led to really massive fires later, as vegetation built up.

So now, in Namibia, the park managers periodically try to set smaller fires themselves. Occasionally, though, these fires can get out of hand, as happened in June 2012 , shown by the satellite image above. On June 9 and 10, winds picked up, and the fire rapidly spread west. Fortunately, no animals were harmed — in contrast to an out-of-control fire in 2011 that killed 30 rhinos.

7) Efforts to tame the Colorado River hit a snag

Lake Powell, seen on March 25, 1999, and May 13, 2014. ( NASA, Images of Change )

The Colorado River begins in the Rocky Mountains and courses through the American Southwest. During the 20th century, Americans built a complex system of dams and reservoirs to tame the river, providing a steady source of fresh water for farms and cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas. Water from the river is divvied up among states under an elaborate set of rules .

But we can't entirely control nature. The images above show Lake Powell, a reservoir on the border of Arizona and Utah that was created after the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. Back in 1999, the lake was filled high, with plenty of water for nearby counties. But in the early 2000s a brutal drought arrived, and water levels began dropping . As of May 2014, the lake was only at 42 percent capacity.

The communities around the region have tried to adapt through efficiency and conservation. Still, some experts have argued that the Southwest is unprepared for future droughts — which are expected to become more frequent with global warming. That will raise the risk of shortages in reservoirs like Lake Powell.

8) The Aral Sea, once massive, nearly vanishes

The Aral Sea, seen in 2000 and 2014. ( NASA, Images of Change )

The Aral Sea, tucked between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the fourth-largest lake in the world. Today, after decades of being drained for irrigation, it's nearly gone .

What happened? In the 1960s, the Soviet Union diverted the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers that fed the lake — via a network of dams and canals — for use in cotton fields and other agriculture. The surrounding desert bloomed for a period, but it eventually led to disaster.

Here's NASA : "As the lake dried up, fisheries and the communities that depended on them collapsed. The increasingly salty water became polluted with fertilizer and pesticides. Blowing, salty dust from the exposed lakebed became a public health hazard and degraded the soil. Croplands had to be flushed with larger and larger volumes of river water."

By the 2000s, the Aral Sea was roughly 10 percent of its original size. The area's once-vital fishing industry had been eradicated, leaving entire communities unemployed .

9) Alaska's Columbia Glacier recedes rapidly

Alaska's Columbia Glacier, seen on July 28, 1986, and July 2, 2014. ( NASA, Images of Change )

One of the most dramatic ways we're transforming the planet is through global warming . And a great place to see its effects is through the melting of glaciers and ice sheets around the world.

The images above show the Columbia Glacier in Alaska, which flows directly into the sea. The glacier had stayed more or less fixed in place between its discovery in 1794 and 1980, but then suddenly began shrinking. Between 1986 and 2014, its nose had retreated 12 miles north , making it one of the fastest-receding glaciers in the world.

NASA's Earth Observatory explains that the retreat of Columbia Glacier is only partly a result of warmer air and water temperatures: "Climate change may have given the Columbia an initial nudge off of the moraine, but what has accelerated its disintegration has more to do with mechanical processes than warming temperatures." Global warming is having a similar impact elsewhere: All told, the world's glaciers are now losing 226 gigatons of ice per year .

10) Antarctica's Larsen B ice shelf disintegrates

Larsen-B ice shelf in Antarctica, seen on January 31, 2002 and February 17, 2002. ( NASA, World of Change )

Receding glaciers are one thing. But the massive ice sheets atop Greenland and Antarctica are an even bigger deal. As the world keeps warming, these ice sheets are starting to melt into the ocean, a change that is expected to raise global sea levels significantly .

Scientists witnessed a dramatic example of this in 2002, when a huge chunk of the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica — an area of 1,250 square miles — simply disintegrated into the ocean in the span of a month. The collapse was precipitated by a series of unusually warm summers, which created melt ponds during the warmer months that acted as wedges, hastening the shelf's disintegration.

By itself, the collapse of an ice shelf won't raise global sea levels, since ice shelves are already floating in the sea. But those shelves do help contain the massive ice sheets on the land behind them, so when a shelf disintegrates, all that ice can flow to the sea more quickly. And that helps raise sea levels.

You can see that flow of land ice in these images after the collapse of Larsen B. And here's troubling news: Scientists have found that a number of Antarctica's other ice shelves are also rapidly thinning.

11) The US cleans up its air pollution

Images show concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in 2005 and 2011, from low (blue) to high (red). ( NASA, Images of Change )

Not all the ways we're transforming the planet are negative. Here's some good news: Satellite data from NASA, shown above, revealed a huge reduction in nitrogen dioxide pollution from cars, trucks, and power plants in the United States between 2005 and 2011.

Nitrogen dioxide is produced when gasoline gets burned in cars or coal gets burned in power plants. It's been linked to a variety of respiratory problems, and can combine with other pollutants to form smog . It's also a good proxy for pollution more generally.

The EPA first began cracking down on nitrogen dioxide in 1971, and concentrations have fallen sharply over time . Power plant operators have installed scrubbers to remove pollutants from their smokestacks, and car manufacturers have adopted catalytic converters to curtail nitrogen oxides and other emissions. More recently, since 2005, many electric utilities have been switching from coal to natural gas in order to generate electricity.

12) Iraq's marshes recover after Saddam Hussein

The wetlands of Mesopotamia in 2000 and 2006. The map shows standing irrigated crops (light green), standing water (dark blue), vegetation (dark green), and bare ground (brown). ( NASA, World of Change )

Here's a change that actually restored nature — at least temporarily. During the 20th century, Iraq's lush wetlands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers had mostly dried up because of a series of dams that had been constructed for electricity, as well as a deliberate strategy by Saddam Hussein to drain the wetlands and punish the region's Marsh Arabs for rebelling.

But as the images above show, things changed significantly after the second Gulf War. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraqis tore down many of the canals that had drained the marshes. The wetlands were once again fed by the rivers in the spring, and vegetation had returned by 2006 — shown in dark green on the right-hand side. The UN found that the marshes were back up to around 58 percent of their historic levels, and native birds and fish were rebounding.

But it's not clear if the wetlands will survive in the future. NASA explains that new dams were being built upstream as of 2010. The fate of nature is, once again, largely in our hands.

13) The ozone layer thins — but then starts healing

( NASA Earth Observatory )

Sometimes it's possible to stop an environmental catastrophe before it's too late. Back in the 1970s, scientists first realized that we were rapidly depleting Earth's stratospheric ozone layer, which protects us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. The culprit? Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — chemicals that were widely used in refrigerators and air conditioners.

As the NASA images above show, between 1979 and 2013 these chemicals had chewed a massive "hole" in the ozone layer above Antarctica, and the damage was poised to spread further north. Without the ozone layer's protection, more and more people would be exposed to UV rays, and skin cancer rates in many places might have soared.

Happily, this apocalyptic scenario never came to pass. Scientists uncovered the problem in time. Under the 1987 Montreal Protocol , world leaders agreed to phase out CFCs, and eventually the hole in the ozone layer stopped expanding. In 2014, a UN assessment found that the ozone layer is just now starting to heal — and should be back to its 1980 levels by 2050 or so.

14) Solar farms sprout up in California

The Topaz Solar Farm in California, seen in 2011 and 2015. ( NASA, World of Change)

The next big environmental challenge is global warming, which will likely prove much harder to stop than the hole in the ozone layer. It will entail revamping our entire energy system ; switching away from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas; and seeking out cleaner sources.

Some places are already taking steps along those lines. The image above shows the growth of the Topaz Solar Farm in central California, a 550-megawatt plant consisting of 9 million panels across 9.5 square miles. It's a modest step in shifting the state toward cleaner energy.

Even so, some environmentalists have opposed the project , arguing that solar farms need a lot of land and fences, hindering the movement of the federally protected San Joaquin kit fox. It's a reminder that even efforts to reduce our environmental footprint in one area can lead to unexpected impacts elsewhere.

Next Up In Climate

Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day.

Thanks for signing up!

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

A man wearing a black suit jacket and bowtie, smiling slightly, speaks into a microphone while standing behind a podium. An American flag stands behind him.

Will AI mean the end of liberal democracy?

Israel and Iran’s conflict enters a new, dangerous phase

Trump sitting at a table in a courtroom.

Trump’s jury doesn’t have to like him to be fair to him

Mike Johnson, in a navy suit and glasses, walks with a leather folder of papers under his arm beside a woman in a burgundy dress.

What’s behind the latest right-wing revolt against Mike Johnson

Taylor Swift sits at the center of a dark stage with her legs crossed, gazing out toward the camera.

Taylor Swift seems sick of being everyone’s best friend

An orange metal platform stands in front of a plastic-covered hole in the side of a plane.

Are there really more things going wrong on airplanes?

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

Essay on Environment: Examples & Tips

Updated on
May 30, 2022

In the 21st century, the Environmental crisis is one of the biggest issues. The world has been potentially impacted by the resulting hindrance in the environmental balance, due to the rising in industrialization and urbanization. This led to several natural calamities which creates an everlasting severe impact on the environment for years. To familiarize students with the importance environment, the subject ‘Environmental Studies’ is part of the curriculum in primary, secondary as well as higher school education. To test the knowledge of the students related to Environment, a question related to the topic in the form of essay or article writing is included in the exam. This blog aims to focus on providing details to students on the way, they can draft a well-written essay on Environment.

This Blog Includes:

Overview on environment, tips on writing an effective essay, format (150 words), sample essay on environment, environment essay (100 words), essay on environment (200-250 words), environment essay (300 words), world environment day.

To begin the essay on Environment, students must know what it is all about. Biotic (plants, animals, and microorganisms) and abiotic (non-living physical factors) components in our surroundings fall under the terminology of the environment. Everything that surrounds us is a part of the environment and facilitates our existence on the planet.

Before writing an effective essay on Environment, another thing students need to ensure is to get familiarised with the structure of essay writing. The major tips which students need to keep in mind, while drafting the essay are:

Research on the given topic thoroughly : The students must research the topic given in the essay, for example: while drafting an essay on the environment, students must mention the recent events, so to provide the reader with a view into their understanding of this concept.
Jot down the important points: When the students research the topic, students must note down the points which need to be included in the essay.
Quote down the important examples: Students must quote the important examples in the introductory paragraphs and the subsequent paragraphs as well.
Revise the Essay: The student after finishing writing students must revise the content to locate any grammatical errors as well as other mistakes.

Essay on Environment: Format & Samples

Now that you are aware of the key elements of drafting an essay on Environment, take a look at the format of essay writing first:

Introduction

The student must begin the essay by, detailing an overview of the topic in a very simple way in around 30-40 words. In the introduction of the essay on Environment, the student can make it interesting by recent instances or adding questions.

Body of Content

The content after the introduction can be explained in around 80 words, on a given topic in detail. This part must contain maximum detail in this part of the Essay. For the Environment essay, students can describe ways the environment is hampered and different ways to prevent and protect it.

In the essay on Environment, students can focus on summing the essay in 30-40 words, by writing its aim, types, and purposes briefly. This section must swaddle up all the details which are explained in the body of the content.

Below is a sample of an Essay on Environment to give you an idea of the way to write one:

The natural surroundings that enable life to thrive, nurture, and destroy on our planet called earth are referred to as an environment. The natural environment is vital to the survival of life on Earth, allowing humans, animals, and other living things to thrive and evolve naturally. However, our ecosystem is being harmed as a result of certain wicked and selfish human actions. It is the most essential issue, and everyone should understand how to safeguard our environment and maintain the natural balance on this planet for life to continue to exist.

Nature provides an environment that nourishes life on the planet. The environment encompasses everything humans need to live, including water, air, sunshine, land, plants, animals, forests, and other natural resources. Our surroundings play a critical role in enabling the existence of healthy life on the planet. However, due to man-made technical advancements in the current period, our environment is deteriorating day by day. As a result, environmental contamination has risen to the top of our priority list.

Environmental pollution has a detrimental impact on our everyday lives in a variety of ways, including socially, physically, economically, emotionally, and cognitively. Contamination of the environment causes a variety of ailments that can last a person’s entire life. It is not a problem of a neighborhood or a city; it is a global issue that cannot be handled by a single person’s efforts. It has the potential to end life in a day if it is not appropriately handled. Every ordinary citizen should participate in the government’s environmental protection effort.

Between June 5 and June 16, World Environment Day is commemorated to raise awareness about the environment and to educate people about its importance. On this day, awareness initiatives are held in a variety of locations.

The environment is made up of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, water bodies, fish, humans, trees, microbes, and many other things. Furthermore, they all contribute to the ecosystem.

The physical, social, and cultural environments are the three categories of environments. Besides, various scientists have defined different types and numbers of environments.

1. Do not leave rubbish in public areas. 2. Minimize the use of plastic 3. Items should be reduced, reused, and recycled. 4. Prevent water and soil contamination

Hope the blog has given you an idea of how to write an essay on the Environment. If you are planning to study abroad and want help in writing your essays, then let Leverage Edu be your helping hand. Our experts will assist you in writing an excellent SOP for your study abroad consultant application.

Sonal is a creative, enthusiastic writer and editor who has worked extensively for the Study Abroad domain. She splits her time between shooting fun insta reels and learning new tools for content marketing. If she is missing from her desk, you can find her with a group of people cracking silly jokes or petting neighbourhood dogs.

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Grab this one-time opportunity to download this ebook

Connect With Us

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

September 2024

January 2025

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Essay on Environment Then And Now

Students are often asked to write an essay on Environment Then And Now in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Environment Then And Now

Environment long ago.

Long ago, the environment was cleaner and more natural. There were many trees, animals, and clean rivers. Air was fresh because there were fewer cars and factories. People lived simply and did not use much plastic or chemicals. Animals roamed free without much fear.

Changes Over Time

As time passed, more people meant more houses, roads, and shops. Forests were cut down for space and wood. Cars and factories started to fill the air with smoke. Oceans got dirty because of the waste we threw in them. Many animals lost their homes.

Environment Today

Today, our environment faces big problems. Air in cities can be dirty, and it’s hard to find places without trash. Some animals are in danger because their homes are gone. But people are starting to act by cleaning up and protecting nature. We are learning to live better with the earth.

250 Words Essay on Environment Then And Now

Changes in the environment.

Long ago, the environment was cleaner and more natural. Forests were thick, and air and water were pure. Animals roamed freely without much fear. People lived simpler lives, farming and hunting without using many chemicals or machines that harm nature.

Impact of Humans

As time passed, more people meant more houses, factories, and cars. These changes started to hurt the environment. Trees were cut down for space and wood. Factories released smoke and waste, making the air dirty and the water unsafe. Cars added to the air problem by giving off gases.

Animals and Plants

With their homes disappearing and the planet getting warmer, many animals and plants find it hard to survive. Some have even disappeared forever. Now, there are fewer wild places and more city areas without much greenery.

Positive Actions

Today, many people are working to fix these problems. They plant trees, clean rivers, and protect animals. Laws have been made to reduce pollution and save natural areas. Schools teach children to care for the environment.

We all can help. Using less plastic, recycling, and turning off lights when not needed are small steps that make a big difference. If everyone does a bit, we can make our environment healthier, like it was before, for all living things.

500 Words Essay on Environment Then And Now

Our changing environment.

Long ago, our planet was a very different place. The air was cleaner, the forests were larger, and many animals roamed freely. This was the environment of the past. Today, things have changed a lot. Our environment now faces challenges like pollution, deforestation, and global warming. Let’s explore how the environment has changed from then to now.

Clean Air to Pollution

In the past, the air was much purer. There were fewer cars and factories, so there were fewer harmful gases in the air. Now, with more vehicles on the road and more industries, the air has become polluted. This pollution can make it hard to breathe and can harm plants, animals, and humans.

Forests Then and Now

Forests used to cover large parts of the Earth. They were home to many creatures and provided fresh air and resources for people. But now, many forests have been cut down to make room for cities and farms. This is called deforestation. It means there are fewer trees to clean the air and fewer homes for animals.

Animals in Danger

Years ago, animals had plenty of space to live. But as humans have built more and taken more land for themselves, many animals have lost their homes. Some animals are now in danger of disappearing forever. This is called extinction. Protecting these animals has become very important.

Water: Then and Now

Water is another part of the environment that has changed. In the past, rivers, lakes, and oceans were cleaner. Now, water pollution from trash, chemicals, and other waste has made many water sources unsafe for drinking or swimming. Animals that live in water are also affected by this pollution.

Climate Change

One of the biggest changes to our environment is the climate. The Earth is getting warmer because of human activities, like burning fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas). This warming is causing the ice at the North and South Poles to melt and the weather to change in many places. This can lead to problems like sea levels rising and more extreme weather events.

What Can We Do?

Even though the environment has changed a lot, there’s still hope. Everyone can help take care of the planet. Simple actions like recycling, saving water, and using less electricity can make a big difference. People can also plant trees and clean up litter to help the environment.

The environment has changed from then to now in many ways. While we face new challenges, we also have new ways to solve them. By learning about these changes and how to take care of the Earth, we can help make sure the environment is a healthy place for all living things, now and in the future.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on Environment Issues
Essay on Bucket List
Essay on Environment Conservation

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Essay on Understanding and Nurturing Our Environment

The environment is everything that surrounds us – the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil beneath our feet, and the diverse flora and fauna that inhabit our planet. It's not just a backdrop to our lives; it's the very essence of our existence. In this essay, we'll explore the importance of our environment, the challenges it faces, and what we can do to ensure a sustainable and thriving world for generations to come.

Our environment is a complex and interconnected web of life. Every living organism, from the tiniest microbe to the largest mammal, plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems. This delicate balance ensures the survival of species, including humans. For instance, bees pollinate plants, which produce the oxygen we breathe. Nature is a masterpiece that has evolved over millions of years, and we are just one small part of this intricate tapestry.

Importance of Environment

The environment is crucial for keeping living things healthy.

It helps balance ecosystems.

The environment provides everything necessary for humans, like food, shelter, and air.

It's also a source of natural beauty that is essential for our physical and mental health.

The Threats to Our Environment:

Unfortunately, our actions have disrupted this delicate balance. The rapid industrialization, deforestation, pollution, and over-exploitation of natural resources have led to severe environmental degradation. Climate change, driven by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, is altering weather patterns, causing extreme events like floods, droughts, and storms. The loss of biodiversity is another alarming concern – species are disappearing at an unprecedented rate due to habitat destruction and pollution.

Impact of Human Activities on the Environment

Human activities like pollution, deforestation, and waste disposal are causing environmental problems like acid rain, climate change, and global warming. The environment has living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components. Biotic components include plants, animals, and microorganisms, while abiotic components include things like temperature, light, and soil.

In the living environment, there are producers (like plants), consumers (like animals), and decomposers (like bacteria). Producers use sunlight to make energy, forming the base of the food web. Consumers get their energy by eating other organisms, creating a chain of energy transfer. Decomposers break down waste and dead organisms, recycling nutrients in the soil.

The non-living environment includes climatic factors (like rain and temperature) and edaphic factors (like soil and minerals). Climatic factors affect the water cycle, while edaphic factors provide nutrients and a place for organisms to grow.

The environment includes everything from the air we breathe to the ecosystems we live in. It's crucial to keep it clean for a healthy life. All components of the environment are affected by its condition, so a clean environment is essential for a healthy ecosystem.

Sustainable Practices:

Adopting sustainable practices is a key step towards mitigating environmental degradation. This includes reducing our carbon footprint by using renewable energy, practicing responsible consumption, and minimizing waste. Conservation of natural resources, such as water and forests, is essential. Supporting local and global initiatives that aim to protect the environment, like reforestation projects and wildlife conservation efforts, can make a significant impact.

Education and Awareness:

Creating a sustainable future requires a collective effort, and education is a powerful tool in this regard. Raising awareness about environmental issues, the consequences of our actions, and the importance of conservation is crucial. Education empowers individuals to make informed choices and encourages sustainable practices at both personal and community levels.

Why is a Clean Environment Necessary?

To have a happy and thriving community and country, we really need a clean and safe environment. It's like the basic necessity for life on Earth. Let me break down why having a clean environment is so crucial.

First off, any living thing—whether it's plants, animals, or people—can't survive in a dirty environment. We all need a good and healthy place to live. When things get polluted, it messes up the balance of nature and can even cause diseases. If we keep using up our natural resources too quickly, life on Earth becomes a real struggle.

So, what's causing all this environmental trouble? Well, one big reason is that there are just so many people around, and we're using up a lot of stuff like land, food, water, air, and even fossil fuels and minerals. Cutting down a bunch of trees (we call it deforestation) is also a big problem because it messes up the whole ecosystem.

Then there's pollution—air, water, and soil pollution. It's like throwing a wrench into the gears of nature, making everything go wonky. And you've probably heard about things like the ozone layer getting thinner, global warming, weird weather, and glaciers melting. These are all signs that our environment is in trouble.

But don't worry, we can do things to make it better:

Plant more trees—they're like nature's superheroes, helping balance everything out.

Follow the 3 R's: Reuse stuff, reduce waste, and recycle. It's like giving our planet a high-five.

Ditch the plastic bags—they're not great for our landscapes.

Think about how many people there are and try to slow down the population growth.

By doing these things, we're basically giving our planet a little TLC (tender loving care), and that's how we can keep our environment clean and healthy for everyone.

Policy and Regulation:

Governments and institutions play a vital role in shaping environmental policies and regulations. Strong and enforceable laws are essential to curb activities that harm the environment. This includes regulations on emissions, waste disposal, and protection of natural habitats. International cooperation is also crucial to address global environmental challenges, as issues like climate change know no borders.

The Role of Technology:

Technology can be a double-edged sword in environmental conservation. While some technological advancements contribute to environmental degradation, others offer solutions. Innovative technologies in renewable energy, waste management, and sustainable agriculture can significantly reduce our impact on the environment. Embracing and investing in eco-friendly technologies is a step towards a greener and more sustainable future.

Conclusion:

Our environment is not just a collection of trees, rivers, and animals; it's the foundation of our existence. Understanding the interconnectedness of all living things and recognizing our responsibility as stewards of the Earth is essential. By adopting sustainable practices, fostering education and awareness, implementing effective policies, and embracing eco-friendly technologies, we can work towards healing our planet. The choices we make today will determine the world we leave for future generations – a world that can either flourish in its natural beauty or struggle under the weight of environmental degradation. It's our collective responsibility to ensure that it's the former.

FAQs on Environment Essay

1. What is the Environment?

The environment constitutes the entire ecosystem that includes plants, animals and microorganisms, sunlight, air, rain, temperature, humidity, and other climatic factors. It is basically the surroundings where we live. The environment regulates the life of all living beings on Earth.

2. What are the Three Kinds of Environments?

Biotic Environment: It includes all biotic factors or living forms like plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Abiotic Environment: It includes non-living factors like temperature, light, rainfall, soil, minerals, etc. It comprises the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.

Built Environment: It includes buildings, streets, houses, industries, etc.

3. What are the Major Factors that Lead to the Degradation of the Environment?

The factors that lead to the degradation of the environment are:

The rapid increase in the population.

Growth of industrialization and urbanization.

Deforestation is making the soil infertile (soil that provides nutrients and home to millions of organisms).

Over-consumption of natural resources.

Ozone depletion, global warming, and the greenhouse effect.

4. How do we Save Our Environment?

We must save our environment by maintaining a balanced and healthy ecosystem. We should plant more trees. We should reduce our consumption and reuse and recycle stuff. We should check on the increase in population. We should scarcely use our natural and precious resources. Industries and factories should take precautionary measures before dumping their wastes into the water bodies.

5. How can we protect Mother Earth?

Ways to save Mother Earth include planting more and more trees, using renewable sources of energy, reducing the wastage of water, saving electricity, reducing the use of plastic, conservation of non-renewable resources, conserving the different flora and faunas, taking steps to reduce pollution, etc.

6. What are some ways that humans impact their environment?

Humans have influenced the physical environment in many ways like overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have generated climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water.

7. Why is the environment of social importance?

Human beings are social animals by nature. They spend a good amount of time in social environments. Their responsibility towards the environment is certainly important because these social environments might support human beings in both personal development goals as well as career development goals.

The Past, Present, and Future Of Planet Earth

The future of our planet is a big mystery but according to some theories, the Earth might be destroyed by the Sun.

Our planet Earth formed around 4.6 billion years ago. However, the planet started supporting life only after 2.2 billion years of its formation. Since then, many species of microbes, plants and animals have evolved on our planet, and many became extinct over the years. Currently, Earth supports close to 8 billion human beings, 8.7 million species of other animals and close to 1.3 million plant species.

Formation Of The Earth And The Moon

The solar nebula hypothesis is the most widely accepted model related to the formation of the Solar System. It claims that the solar nebula formed as a result of the Big Bang, and gave rise to the Solar System. Shock waves emitted by a nearby supernova could have triggered the contraction of the solar nebula, and caused it to rotate. Soon, various protoplanets began to take shape from this rotating mass of interstellar gas and dust. Our planet also was formed by accretion from the solar nebula.

The moon, our Earth's only natural satellite, was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, suggesting that it formed after the formation of the Solar System. The most widely accepted theory regarding the creation of the Moon states that the satellite formed when a celestial body of the size of Mars struck the Earth, and matter was ejected from both the Earth and the colliding body into the Earth's orbit which condensed to form the Moon.

Late, Heavy Bombardment

In the early days of the Earth and other newly formed planets of the Solar System, about 3.8 billion years ago, a large number of asteroids would collide with these planets. These collisions left gaping craters on the surface of the planets. During such bombardments, the comets, being bearers of water could have contributed much of the water in the oceans of the Earth.

Early Life Begins

Early life flourished with the release of oxygen to the Earth's atmosphere about 3.5 billion years ago as a result of cyanobacterial metabolism in the Earth's oceans. When and how these cyanobacteria, the earliest forms of life emerged on Earth, is still a mystery. The cyanobacteria performed photosynthesis which released oxygen that was absorbed by the ocean water. This oxygen got fixed in the form of iron oxide that built up in the form of sedimentary rock deposits on the ocean floor. As the iron was used up at later stages, the oxygen was released and started building up in the Earth's atmosphere. Soon, life dependent on oxygen began to evolve.

"Snowball Earth"

For some time, about 650 million years ago, the Earth was completely covered in ice from the tropics to the poles. This "snowball earth" period coincides with the pre-Cambrian period. Life underwent a growth decline during this period, and only life forms in the rare ice-free pockets of the Earth's surface survived.

Life Explodes

During the Cambrian period, life forms on Earth underwent major evolutionary changes and species evolved at a rapid pace. Soft-bodied creatures evolved in early Cambrian and those with hard shells evolved later.

Mass Extinction Events

Though life continued to evolve and diversify on Earth, such periods of growth and evolution were interrupted by mass extinction events where many major forms of life on Earth got completely or partially wiped out, and many were newly formed. Asteroids impacts, climate change, volcanic eruptions, etc., are being held responsible for such events of mass extinction. Dinosaurs also got eliminated during one such event.

Pangaea Lost

About 200 million years ago, the Earth witnessed the breakdown of the Pangaea, a supercontinent that had formed about 270 million years back. Tectonic movements of the Earth's tectonic plates triggered this separation. Now, life evolved separately on the isolated landmasses, leading to the independent evolution of life forms.

We Live In An Interglacial Period

Starting 2.5 million years ago, the Earth underwent a series of glacial and interglacial periods, which marked the advance and retreat of glaciers respectively. Today, we are living in the Holocene epoch, an interglacial period that began about 11,500 years back.

Future Earth

Climate change induced by man is the biggest challenge facing Earth currently. However, though this activity of man might wipe out species from the face of the Earth, the planet will definitely revive and restore its balance like it has done for millions of years. However, it is the sun, as the scientists predict, that will ultimately destroy the Earth. As this aging star of the Solar System will run out of hydrogen, the fuel that sustains it, the Sun will lose its integrity and expand in volume, burning all that comes in its path, including life on Earth. Ultimately, the Sun would die, immersing the Solar System in darkness forever.

Environment

More in Environment

Importance Of Wetlands

Meet 12 Incredible Conservation Heroes Saving Our Wildlife From Extinction

A Warli artist painting the Waghoba on the wall of a home in Mumbai's Aarey Milk Colony.

India's Leopard God, Waghoba, Aids Wildlife Conservation In The Country

Bishnois caring for an injured wild chinkara antelope in Rajasthan.

India's Bishnoi Community Has Fearlessly Protected Nature For Over 500 Years

Wildfires And Habitat Loss Are Killing Jaguars In The Amazon Rainforest

The Sundarbans tiger. Image credit: Samik Dutta

In India's Sundarbans: Where People Live Face-To-Face With Wild Tigers

Educational program by Mabula Ground Hornbill Project to raise awareness about the conservation of Southern ground hornbills in Africa. Image by: ©NthabisengMonama

Africa's "Thunderbird" Is At Risk Of Extinction

Why Is Biodiversity Critical To Life On Earth?

Storm tracker

How our planet has changed over time

By Judson Jones and Brandon Miller , CNN Imagery from NASA Earth Observatory

Published September 2, 2019

It can be challenging to visualize the effects of climate change when it happens over time and on such a large scale.

However, NASA has been snapping images of the Earth from space for decades now. With these images compared over time, you can see the toll the warming of the Earth is taking on the planet.

Below are some examples from NASA’s Images of Change project, which shows areas that have been directly affected by the climate crisis.

Neumayer Glacier, South Georgia Island

The Neumayer Glacier, on the east coast of this small island in the southern Atlantic, has shrunk more than 2.5 miles this century, according to NASA. The glacier flows into the ocean, so even a tiny change in the ocean’s temperature can have a significant effect on it.

Warmer sea-surface temperatures can expedite the retreat of tidewater glaciers by melting and calving icebergs. As this fresh water enters the ocean, it contributes to sea-level rise.

Lake Powell, Arizona and Utah

Prolonged drought coupled with water withdrawals have caused a dramatic drop in Lake Powell's water level, NASA says. These images show the northern part of the lake, which is actually a manmade reservoir extending from Arizona into southern Utah. In 1999, water levels were almost at full capacity. By May 2014, it had dropped to 42% of capacity.

Although records show droughts are a part of this region’s climate variability, the droughts are becoming more severe.

Even in “low-emission” climate scenarios (forecasts that are based on the assumption that humans’ ever-growing dependence on fossil fuels will begin to slow down and even decrease in the future), models predict precipitation may decline by 20-25% over most of California, southern Nevada and Arizona by the end of this century.

Camp Fire, California

The Camp Fire, in California’s Butte County, became the state’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire last year. It left 85 people dead and destroyed almost 14,000 homes.

Climate change caused an increase in the amount of land burned by wildfires across California in the last 50 years, according to a new study published earlier this year in the journal Earth's Future.

The cause of the increase is simple. Hotter temperatures cause drier land, which creates a parched atmosphere.

"The clearest link between California wildfire and anthropogenic climate change thus far has been via warming-driven increases in atmospheric aridity, which works to dry fuels and promote summer forest fire," the study said.

Northern Europe

These images show how a persistent heat wave in 2018 turned typically green areas brown. According to the European Space Agency, much of this region turned brown in just a month as several countries experienced record-high temperatures and low precipitation.

Heat waves like this one are just going to increase. Parts of Europe and North America could experience an extra 10 to 15 heat-wave days per degree of global warming, according to a study published in Nature .

Tigris River, Iraq

The 2019 image shows the Tigris River swollen and filled with suspended sediment, the result of an unusually wet winter and spring, NASA says. The surrounding land is also much greener than it was in 2015.

Climate change doesn’t just make everything hotter and drier. Extreme rainfall events will become more frequent and severe as the planet warms. This can lead to cases of “weather whiplash,” where extreme dry years are followed by extremely wet ones, according to scientists . That was the case in Iraq in 2019, which had far above average rainfall after years of extreme drought, causing rivers to swell well beyond their banks.

Columbia Glacier, Alaska

These images show how much the glacier has retreated over nearly three decades. The Columbia Glacier descends through the Chugach Mountains into Prince William Sound.

The retreat of the Columbia Glacier contributes to global sea-level rise, as the glacier melts and creates icebergs. This one glacier accounts for nearly half of the ice loss in the Chugach Mountains, says NASA.

Theewaterskloof reservoir, South Africa

Theewaterskloof, the largest reservoir in South Africa’s Western Cape province, was at full capacity in October 2014. But because of a drought, it plummeted to 27% of capacity in October 2017.

Speaking to CNN in 2017, Cape Town Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille explained her concerns about the water crisis: “Climate change is a reality and we cannot depend on rainwater alone to fill our dams, but must look at alternative sources like desalination and underground aquifers."

Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica

Iceberg B-46 started breaking off of the Pine Island Glacier in October 2018. It may look small here in the second photo, but it’s actually 115 square miles. The glacier has been calving more and more icebergs in recent years, NASA says.

Scientists are watching Pine Island Glacier closely because of its thinning, retreat and contribution to sea-level rise.

Lake Aculeo, Chile

This lake in central Chile dried up last year. By March 2019, it consisted of dried mud and green vegetation. Scientists attribute it to a decade-long drought coupled with increased water consumption from a growing population.

This megadrought had many contributing factors, but scientists say that about a quarter of its severity and intensity can be attributed to global warming.

Hurricane Harvey aftermath, Houston

The second image here shows the extensive flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Both images were made with a combination of visible and infrared light that highlights the presence of water on the ground.

Human-caused climate change made the rainfall from Harvey, which dumped more than 19 trillion gallons of water and brought devastating floods to the Houston area, roughly three times more likely to occur and 15% more intense, according to World Weather Attribution, an international coalition of scientists led by nonprofit scientific research group Climate Central.

Sudirman Range, New Guinea

The tallest peaks of this mountain range have been cold enough to support glaciers, NASA says, but the ice has diminished dramatically over the years.

Tropical glaciers like this one are shrinking across the world. Scientists estimate these glaciers could be gone within about a decade.

Okjökull glacier, Iceland

This once-iconic glacier, seen on the far left, was declared dead in 2014, NASA says. Only small patches of thin ice remain.

Scientists bid farewell to Okjökull , the first Icelandic glacier lost to climate change, in a funeral of sorts earlier this year.

The inscription on the monument, "A letter to the future," paints a bleak picture.

"Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years, all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and know what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it," the plaque reads in English and Icelandic.

Photo editors: Kyle Almond, Brett Roegiers, Bernadette Tuazon

Design and development: Curt Merrill, Sean O'Key

Icelanders can't remember a hotter summer

Florida struggling to defend against rising sea levels

Explore CNN's climate coverage

Description

Mimio Educator

My classroom: then and now.

It’s hard to believe that I am celebrating my twentieth “Teacher Appreciation Week” this year. It seems like just yesterday I began my teaching career fresh out of college. Although my intention was to only teach for a few years and then pursue a more lucrative career in law, my first years in the classroom revealed the zeal I had inside for teaching social studies. Within a few years, I had found my calling as a classroom teacher—and have never looked back. Now, twenty years later, I still retain that passion and enthusiasm for teaching. However, I am astonished to see how much my classroom has changed since I began my career, and what a much better teacher I have become.

My Introduction to Teaching

As a twenty-one-year-old first-year teacher, I worked harder than I had ever worked before. I arrived at school early in the morning, sometimes before the custodian had even turned off the alarm system. Who could forget that cold February morning when the police came into the building looking for an intruder, but instead found me grading and sorting papers at my desk? Throughout the day, I taught my lessons, tutored my students, and stayed long after most of the veteran teachers had gone home. Each night, I would take piles of papers home to grade, and spent hours planning the next day’s lesson.

My first few years of teaching included many amazing lesson plans. I say that in jest, because a typical day in my classroom mostly involved notes on the chalkboard (yes, the chalkboard!), which went along with a twenty- to thirty-minute lecture. At some point, I graduated to the more sophisticated transparency on the over-head projector. Typically, a blurry worksheet from the textbook teacher’s guide would follow to reinforce the lesson objectives. Occasionally, I would even use the one teacher computer in the workroom to create my own materials. Few teachers even attempted to use it at the time, so it was frequently available. For homework, students would then be assigned to write a paragraph summarizing the lesson’s objective. Their compositions basically spit back the notes I had scribbled in chalk dust. My units concluded every two weeks or so with an old-fashioned recall test, which I spent hours grading and analyzing by hand.

Getting a Taste of Classroom Technology

At the start of my third year of teaching, my school finally began to purchase some instructional technology. A few times a year, I was able to check out a digital projector and a “state-of-the-art” interactive whiteboard from the media specialist. I can still remember wheeling the rusty cart with the one staff desktop computer down to my classroom. From there, I had to push the giant, cumbersome interactive whiteboard with the tiniest wheels down to my room as well. Everything was connected by a web of wires that I feared students would accidentally trip on coming into the classroom. Once I had set everything up, I was ready to teach what I thought was my most amazing lesson ever taught! It included a PowerPoint presentation I had created, which had pictures and animations. Even if I was able to work out the technical glitches—like the flashing light on the serial port that would not stop blinking—I was basically using it as a screen with a fancy mouse to advance the slides. My principal at the time observed my lesson and had nothing but praise for how well it went. In the weeks that followed, I began to create more of these lessons. I was even inspired to build a simple website, where I began posting notes and a list of assignments for students and parents, even though most of them did not yet have Internet access.

In those early years, I felt like I was doing a great job in the classroom—perhaps I was for the time. I was working very hard in my students’ best interest and using all of the resources, including technology, that were available to me. I often received praise from my administrators and parents for my efforts. I even won several awards! However, looking back and reflecting on those early years, I realize my lessons lacked the use of “effective instructional technology.” My lessons were also typically low-level, one-size-fits-all, drill-and-kill endeavors that failed to challenge my students to discover new knowledge, collaborate with one another, interact with content, or create their own work products.

Today’s Classroom Looks Very Different

Today, all of that has changed. Over the years, I have become a much different and—dare I say—much better teacher! My classroom has evolved into a “paperless” student-centered, technology-based learning experience. Students are able to work on technology-based differentiated lessons at their own pace. Each of these lessons challenges students to discover new information for themselves, interact with the content, and create their own multimedia work to showcase what they have learned. Learning thrives in my classroom by providing students with opportunities to collaborate, create, and share what they have learned with others. Today’s students have grown up with technology and are able to use it more successfully than many traditional classroom resources.

A typical lesson in my classroom today begins with students logging onto my website. My classroom website has grown over the years from a way to post information into an interactive learning community. From my website, students can access every lesson and activity online, both inside and outside of my classroom. This provides many opportunities to flip my classroom instruction with ease. Students enjoy working at their own pace on activities and quickly become comfortable with our classroom procedures. When students arrive in my classroom, they typically begin working even before I go over the daily directions. I recently had to attend to an altercation in the hallway and was worried about the students who were in my classroom. When I returned, I found my students working diligently and engaged in the daily lesson!

Engaging Students With Technology

Each one of my web-based lessons is based on a carefully composed learning target written to challenge students to use high-level skills and technology to increase their depth of knowledge. For example, a learning target might say something like: “I can predict the challenges George Washington faced as the first President of the United States.” The learning target requires students to go beyond simple recall in order to complete the assignment. Students then go through the lesson directions found on my website—they are able to utilize links to additional materials and explore embedded multimedia to gather the information needed to reach the learning target. Each student is assigned a differentiated lesson based on his or her aptitude and previous performance.

As students complete the assignment, they create their own multimedia digital notebook. Being able to create their own digital binder to showcase their work forces students to retain a greater depth of knowledge. It also frees students to work within their own strengths, rather than predetermined pathways. Students are then able to share their work with other students in the class. Throughout the process, teachers and parents can monitor student progress at any time. They can also add scaffolding and support to assignments for students with special needs.

Looking Ahead

My current classroom also includes collaboration spaces in which students work together to complete additional material. Students engage in interactive lessons using my interactive whiteboard and touch table. I am also able to push out engaging collaborative activities to students’ mobile devices from my classroom computer. Assignments such as these give me the opportunity to get every student involved in content reinforcement and constant assessment. My classroom setup also allows me to place my students in the center of a dynamic learning environment created to meet each of their specific needs. While in the past I would have spent hours grading such assignments, my software allows me to gather real-time data on student performance during activities and assessments. Rather than spending time “grading” papers, I can now use that time to analyze items of difficulty, create follow-up activities for at-risk students, and contact parents.

Over the past twenty years, many things in my classroom have changed. The infusion of instructional technology has made my teaching more engaging, effective, and dynamic. As the years pass, educators must continue to evolve in order the meet the changing academic needs of our students and our society. I look forward to seeing what the next twenty years will bring to education—and how I will adapt to become an even better teacher!

Love this blog? Get inspired by other amazing educators each week with articles delivered directly to your inbox when you subscribe to our Educator blog.>>

Topics: tips for teachers

Investor Relations

Press Releases
Financial Information
Corporate Governance
Investor Resources
Our Locations

Forgotten password

Please enter the email address that you use to login to TeenInk.com, and we'll email you instructions to reset your password.

Poetry All Poetry Free Verse Song Lyrics Sonnet Haiku Limerick Ballad
Fiction All Fiction Action-Adventure Fan Fiction Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Romance Sci-fi/Fantasy Scripts & Plays Thriller/Mystery All Novels Action-Adventure Fan Fiction Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Romance Sci-fi/Fantasy Thriller/Mystery Other
Nonfiction All Nonfiction Bullying Books Academic Author Interviews Celebrity interviews College Articles College Essays Educator of the Year Heroes Interviews Memoir Personal Experience Sports Travel & Culture All Opinions Bullying Current Events / Politics Discrimination Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking Entertainment / Celebrities Environment Love / Relationships Movies / Music / TV Pop Culture / Trends School / College Social Issues / Civics Spirituality / Religion Sports / Hobbies All Hot Topics Bullying Community Service Environment Health Letters to the Editor Pride & Prejudice What Matters
Reviews All Reviews Hot New Books Book Reviews Music Reviews Movie Reviews TV Show Reviews Video Game Reviews Summer Program Reviews College Reviews
Art/Photo Art Photo Videos
Summer Guide Program Links Program Reviews
College Guide College Links College Reviews College Essays College Articles

Summer Guide

College guide.

Song Lyrics

All Fiction

Action-Adventure
Fan Fiction
Historical Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Sci-fi/Fantasy
Scripts & Plays
Thriller/Mystery

All Nonfiction

Author Interviews
Celebrity interviews
College Articles
College Essays
Educator of the Year
Personal Experience
Travel & Culture

All Opinions

Current Events / Politics
Discrimination
Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
Entertainment / Celebrities
Environment
Love / Relationships
Movies / Music / TV
Pop Culture / Trends
School / College
Social Issues / Civics
Spirituality / Religion
Sports / Hobbies

All Hot Topics

Community Service
Letters to the Editor
Pride & Prejudice
What Matters

All Reviews

Hot New Books
Book Reviews
Music Reviews
Movie Reviews
TV Show Reviews
Video Game Reviews

Summer Program Reviews

College Reviews
Writers Workshop
Regular Forums
Program Links
Program Reviews
College Links

Our Environment Today

Our environment is getting worse day by day, and we are suffering for other peoples and our mistakes. It’s getting harder and harder for our families to stay healthy with all the bad things we are around every day. We are affected by our environment, and more people are getting sicker and sicker. This could affect our families and our future one day. We might not be able to see all of the bad things in our environment, but they are for sure there. “Although certain groups are most vulnerable, toxic substances in the environment affect very person, every day and are the responsibility of all of us.” (Environment). This supports my opinion about the cause because it is saying there are deadly substances in our environment that we are responsible for. We are getting sick and dying because of the bad things we as people are doing to our world. “These health problems killed around 15.000 more victims in the year that followed. Approximately 100.000 people still suffer from chronic diseases consequences to gas exposure, today.” (Environmental). This is also stating the things in our air are killing us. All of this dangerous toxic is causing people to get diseases and killing our people we love. If this keeps going on, our families will struggle to have families and this will cause our world and environment to be catastrophic in the future. All of the bad things are preventable if you just take the time to think about it. “Most cleaners use a chemical called perchloroethylene” (PERC), which can pollute the air in your home. Use water instead. Most clothes labeled as “dry clean only” can be washed with water.” (Environment). There are many things our teens and families can do to help prevent diseases. We could hand wash our clothes, ride a bike to school or work instead of a car to prevent pollution and could hurt the environment. Teens need to do this because they are the worst about it. All they want to do is hurt the environment and don't second guess themselves. We need to change that so our home and economy make the world a better place. There can be a solution to helping our environment. If we reach out to people who don't care about our environment, we could change their point of view of things. We could tell them how bad things are in our world and that could change what their prospective on things. What could you do to help our world? And how could we join together as one country to help our world and make it a better place for all of us to live?

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 4 comments.

Favorite Quote: The Machine, Ted Hughes And you will never know what a battle I fought to keep the meaning of my words Solid with the world we were making

Subscribe to Teen Ink magazine
Submit to Teen Ink
Find A College
Find a Summer Program

Share this on

Send to a friend.

Thank you for sharing this page with a friend!

Tell my friends

Choose what to email.

Which of your works would you like to tell your friends about? (These links will automatically appear in your email.)

Send your email

Delete my account, we hate to see you go please note as per our terms and conditions, you agreed that all materials submitted become the property of teen ink. going forward, your work will remain on teenink.com submitted “by anonymous.”, delete this, change anonymous status, send us site feedback.

If you have a suggestion about this website or are experiencing a problem with it, or if you need to report abuse on the site, please let us know. We try to make TeenInk.com the best site it can be, and we take your feedback very seriously. Please note that while we value your input, we cannot respond to every message. Also, if you have a comment about a particular piece of work on this website, please go to the page where that work is displayed and post a comment on it. Thank you!

Pardon Our Dust

Teen Ink is currently undergoing repairs to our image server. In addition to being unable to display images, we cannot currently accept image submissions. All other parts of the website are functioning normally. Please check back to submit your art and photography and to enjoy work from teen artists around the world!

Customer Reviews

Margurite J. Perez

Please, Write My Essay for Me!

Congratulations, now you are the wittiest student in your classroom, the one who knows the trick of successful and effortless studying. The magical spell sounds like this: "Write my essay for me!" To make that spell work, you just need to contact us and place your order.

If you are not sure that ordering an essay writing service is a good idea, then have no doubts - this is an absolutely natural desire of every aspiring student. Troubles with homework are something all learners have to experience. Do you think that the best high-achievers of your class pick the essays from some essay tree? - They have to struggle with tasks as well as you do. By the way, the chances are that they are already our customers - this is one of the most obvious reasons for them to look that happy.

Some students are also worried that hiring professional writers and editors is something like an academic crime. In reality, it is not. Just make sure that you use the received papers smartly and never write your name on them. Use them in the same manner that you use books, journals, and encyclopedias for your papers. They can serve as samples, sources of ideas, and guidelines.

So, you have a writing assignment and a request, "Please, write my essay for me." We have a team of authors and editors with profound skills and knowledge in all fields of study, who know how to conduct research, collect data, analyze information, and express it in a clear way. Let's do it!

Free essays categories

Connect with the writers.

Once paid, the initial draft will be made. For any query r to ask for revision, you can get in touch with the online chat support available 24X7 for you.

Customer Reviews

Margurite J. Perez

Environmental Issues Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on environmental issues.

The environment plays a significant role to support life on earth. But there are some issues that are causing damages to life and the ecosystem of the earth. It is related to the not only environment but with everyone that lives on the planet. Besides, its main source is pollution , global warming, greenhouse gas , and many others. The everyday activities of human are constantly degrading the quality of the environment which ultimately results in the loss of survival condition from the earth.

Source of Environment Issue

There are hundreds of issue that causing damage to the environment. But in this, we are going to discuss the main causes of environmental issues because they are very dangerous to life and the ecosystem.

Pollution – It is one of the main causes of an environmental issue because it poisons the air , water , soil , and noise. As we know that in the past few decades the numbers of industries have rapidly increased. Moreover, these industries discharge their untreated waste into the water bodies, on soil, and in air. Most of these wastes contain harmful and poisonous materials that spread very easily because of the movement of water bodies and wind.

Greenhouse Gases – These are the gases which are responsible for the increase in the temperature of the earth surface. This gases directly relates to air pollution because of the pollution produced by the vehicle and factories which contains a toxic chemical that harms the life and environment of earth.

Climate Changes – Due to environmental issue the climate is changing rapidly and things like smog, acid rains are getting common. Also, the number of natural calamities is also increasing and almost every year there is flood, famine, drought , landslides, earthquakes, and many more calamities are increasing.

Above all, human being and their greed for more is the ultimate cause of all the environmental issue.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How to Minimize Environment Issue?

Now we know the major issues which are causing damage to the environment. So, now we can discuss the ways by which we can save our environment. For doing so we have to take some measures that will help us in fighting environmental issues .

Moreover, these issues will not only save the environment but also save the life and ecosystem of the planet. Some of the ways of minimizing environmental threat are discussed below:

Reforestation – It will not only help in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem but also help in restoring the natural cycles that work with it. Also, it will help in recharge of groundwater, maintaining the monsoon cycle , decreasing the number of carbons from the air, and many more.

The 3 R’s principle – For contributing to the environment one should have to use the 3 R’s principle that is Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Moreover, it helps the environment in a lot of ways.

To conclude, we can say that humans are a major source of environmental issues. Likewise, our activities are the major reason that the level of harmful gases and pollutants have increased in the environment. But now the humans have taken this problem seriously and now working to eradicate it. Above all, if all humans contribute equally to the environment then this issue can be fight backed. The natural balance can once again be restored.

FAQs about Environmental Issue

Q.1 Name the major environmental issues. A.1 The major environmental issues are pollution, environmental degradation, resource depletion, and climate change. Besides, there are several other environmental issues that also need attention.

Q.2 What is the cause of environmental change? A.2 Human activities are the main cause of environmental change. Moreover, due to our activities, the amount of greenhouse gases has rapidly increased over the past few decades.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Travelling Essay
Picnic Essay
Our Country Essay
My Parents Essay
Essay on Favourite Personality
Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
Essay on Knowledge is Power
Essay on Gurpurab
Essay on My Favourite Season
Essay on Types of Sports

Download the App

Getting an essay writing help in less than 60 seconds

Still not convinced check out the best features of our service:.

For expository writing, our writers investigate a given idea, evaluate its various evidence, set forth interesting arguments by expounding on the idea, and that too concisely and clearly. Our online essay writing service has the eligibility to write marvelous expository essays for you.

Finished Papers

Read what our clients have to say about our writing essay services!

On-schedule delivery
Compliance with the provided brief
Chat with your helper
Ongoing 24/7 support
Real-time alerts
Free revisions
Free quality check
Free title page
Free bibliography
Any citation style

Customer Reviews

Finished Papers

Customer Reviews

Write essay for me and soar high!

We always had the trust of our customers, and this is due to the superior quality of our writing. No sign of plagiarism is to be found within any content of the entire draft that we write. The writings are thoroughly checked through anti-plagiarism software. Also, you can check some of the feedback stated by our customers and then ask us to write essay for me.

Finished Papers

Total Price

To describe something in great detail to the readers, the writers will do my essay to appeal to the senses of the readers and try their best to give them a live experience of the given subject.

IMAGES

Environment Essay: Example, Sample, Writing Help ️ BookWormLab
Essay on Save Environment
Writing and Scoring on a Save Environment Essay
Environment Change Free Essay Example
Save Environment essay in English Latest 2021-22
Green House Effect and Global Warming Essay

VIDEO

ESSAY WRITING- ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION
10 lines on Environment in English/essay on Environment
10 Lines on Environment in English/ Essay on Environment Day/Environment Day #environment
Essay on importance of environment in our life || Importance of environment in our life Essay
10 lines about World environment day in english
Essay on Environmental Pollution

COMMENTS

How the Environment Has Changed Since the First Earth Day
When the first Earth Day was held in 1970, pesticides were killing bald eagles, and soot was darkening the sky. Now, habitat loss and climate change are imperiling the planet. When Earth Day was ...
How the Environment Has Changed since the First Earth Day 50 Years Ago
The average atmospheric CO2 concentration now stands above 410 parts per million (ppm), compared with about 325 ppm in 1970 (and 280 ppm before the industrial revolution in the 19th century).
Then ... and now
Environmental campaigns - especially the mobilisation against the roads programme launched by Thatcher - proliferated, but, shut out by the media, the issue soon fell off the political agenda.
The Environment Before and After (Us)
The Environment Before and After (Us) March 25, 2015 by Tamás Varga. On the left, Muir Glacier in Alaska in the 1890s. On the right, in 2005, the glacier's gone. There are a lot of places on the Internet to look for interesting before/after pictures giving evidence of climate change like the one above, but the best one these days is probably ...
Essay on Environment for Students and Children
500+ Words Essay on Environment. Essay on Environment - All living things that live on this earth comes under the environment. Whether they live on land or water they are part of the environment. The environment also includes air, water, sunlight, plants, animals, etc. Moreover, the earth is considered the only planet in the universe that ...
Before and After: America's Environmental History
A difference of nearly four decades: at top, a ski area in Aspen, Colorado last year, captured by Ron Hoffman; at bottom, the same location in 1974, shot by Dustin Wesley. Credit: US EPA. In 1971 ...
15 before-and-after images that show how we're transforming the ...
15 before-and-after images that show how we're transforming the planet. By Brad Plumer @bradplumer [email protected] Updated Jan 2, 2017, 11:27am EST. The Paraguay-Parana River before and after the ...
Essay on Environment: Examples & Tips
Essay on Environment (200-250 words) Environment means all the natural things around us such as land, air, water, plants, animals, solid materials, garbage, sun, forest, and other things. These maintain a balance of healthy nature and make the survival of all living things on earth possible.
Essay on Environment Then And Now
If everyone does a bit, we can make our environment healthier, like it was before, for all living things. 500 Words Essay on Environment Then And Now Our Changing Environment. Long ago, our planet was a very different place. The air was cleaner, the forests were larger, and many animals roamed freely. This was the environment of the past.
Environment Essay for Students in English
The environment is everything that surrounds us - the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil beneath our feet, and the diverse flora and fauna that inhabit our planet. It's not just a backdrop to our lives; it's the very essence of our existence. In this essay, we'll explore the importance of our environment, the challenges it faces ...
The Past, Present, and Future Of Planet Earth
The future of our planet is a big mystery but according to some theories, the Earth might be destroyed by the Sun. Our planet Earth formed around 4.6 billion years ago. However, the planet started supporting life only after 2.2 billion years of its formation. Since then, many species of microbes, plants and animals have evolved on our planet ...
Photos: How our planet has changed over time
It left 85 people dead and destroyed almost 14,000 homes. Climate change caused an increase in the amount of land burned by wildfires across California in the last 50 years, according to a new ...
My Classroom: Then and Now
Over the past twenty years, many things in my classroom have changed. The infusion of instructional technology has made my teaching more engaging, effective, and dynamic. As the years pass, educators must continue to evolve in order the meet the changing academic needs of our students and our society. I look forward to seeing what the next ...
Our Environment Today
Approximately 100.000 people still suffer from chronic diseases consequences to gas exposure, today." (Environmental). This is also stating the things in our air are killing us. All of this ...
Environment Before And Now Essay
Environment Before And Now Essay. In the order page to write an essay for me, once you have filled up the form and submitted it, you will be automatically redirected to the payment gateway page. There you will be required to pay the entire amount for taking up the service and writing from my experts. We will ask you to pay the entire amount ...
Environment Before And Now Essay
296. Customer Reviews. 10Customer reviews. 5Customer reviews. Environment Before And Now Essay, Thesis Statement For Computer Viruses, Against Marijuana Essay Examples, Essay Gang Meaning, Professional Movie Review Proofreading Site Au, Cheap Expository Essay Editing Websites For University, How Do You Write A Claim For An Essay.
Environmental Issues Essay for Students and Children
Q.1 Name the major environmental issues. A.1 The major environmental issues are pollution, environmental degradation, resource depletion, and climate change. Besides, there are several other environmental issues that also need attention. Q.2 What is the cause of environmental change? A.2 Human activities are the main cause of environmental change.
Environment Before And Now Essay
Environment Before And Now Essay - We approach your needs with one clear vision: ensuring your 100% satisfaction. ... 1 Customer reviews. Curie Ju. Show Less. Order your 1st paper and . receive 15% off. with code: myservice15. Essay, Discussion Board Post, Coursework, Research paper, Questions-Answers, Case Study, Term paper, Research proposal ...
Environment Before And Now Essay
Some low-skilled writers will still send you an essay file, but the text will not meet the required parameters. is the best essay writing service because we provide guarantees at all stages of cooperation. Our polite managers will answer all your questions and help you determine the details. We will sign a contract with you so that you can be ...
Environment Before And Now Essay
Environment Before And Now Essay. Great company to work... If you can't write your essay, then the best solution is to hire an essay helper. Since you need a 100% original paper to hand in without a hitch, then a copy-pasted stuff from the internet won't cut it. To get a top score and avoid trouble, it's necessary to submit a fully ...
Environment Before And Now Essay
Some low-skilled writers will still send you an essay file, but the text will not meet the required parameters. is the best essay writing service because we provide guarantees at all stages of cooperation. Our polite managers will answer all your questions and help you determine the details. We will sign a contract with you so that you can be ...
Environment Before And Now Essay
With our service, you will save a lot of time and get recognition for the academic assignments you are given to write. This will give you ample time to relax as well. Let our experts write for you. With their years of experience in this domain and the knowledge from higher levels of education, the experts can do brilliant essay writing even ...

How the Environment Has Changed Since the First Earth Day

In the Beginning

FREE BONUS ISSUE

You May Also Like

100 years of elephants: See how Nat Geo has photographed these iconic creatures

How global warming is disrupting life on Earth

This is the story of the first Earth Day—and why it mattered

50 years of progress—and setbacks—since the first Earth Day

History & Culture

How the Environment Has Changed since the First Earth Day 50 Years Ago

On supporting science journalism

Air Pollution

Then ... and now

Most viewed

The Environment Before and After (Us)

Written by Tamás Varga

Related Posts

Before and After: America’s Environmental History

Site search

15 before-and-after images that show how we're transforming the planet

Share All sharing options for: 15 before-and-after images that show how we're transforming the planet

1) Rainforests get swallowed by farms in Brazil

2) Cancún expands at a stunning rate

3) Dubai builds a chain of artificial islands

4) The oil sands boom in Alberta, Canada

5) Ukraine's landscape recovers after Chernobyl

6) A manmade fire rages in Namibia

7) Efforts to tame the Colorado River hit a snag

8) The Aral Sea, once massive, nearly vanishes

9) Alaska's Columbia Glacier recedes rapidly

10) Antarctica's Larsen B ice shelf disintegrates

11) The US cleans up its air pollution

12) Iraq's marshes recover after Saddam Hussein

13) The ozone layer thins — but then starts healing

14) Solar farms sprout up in California

Further reading:

Next Up In Climate

Thanks for signing up!

Will AI mean the end of liberal democracy?

Israel and Iran’s conflict enters a new, dangerous phase

Trump’s jury doesn’t have to like him to be fair to him

What’s behind the latest right-wing revolt against Mike Johnson

Taylor Swift seems sick of being everyone’s best friend

Are there really more things going wrong on airplanes?

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Essay on Environment: Examples & Tips

This Blog Includes:

Essay on Environment: Format & Samples

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Connect With Us

Need help with?

Country Preference

Which English test are you planning to take?

When are you planning to take the exam?

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

What is your budget to study abroad?

Essay on Environment Then And Now

100 Words Essay on Environment Then And Now

Changes Over Time

Environment Today

250 Words Essay on Environment Then And Now

Impact of Humans

Animals and Plants

Positive Actions

500 Words Essay on Environment Then And Now

Clean Air to Pollution

Forests Then and Now

Animals in Danger

Water: Then and Now

Climate Change

What Can We Do?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Essay on Understanding and Nurturing Our Environment

Importance of Environment

The Threats to Our Environment:

Impact of Human Activities on the Environment

Sustainable Practices:

Education and Awareness:

Why is a Clean Environment Necessary?

Policy and Regulation: