Depending on where you live, pollution can be more or less damaging. Some countries tend to keep very clean with minimal litter around the streets, while other countries such as Bangladesh or Pakistan are littered top to bottom. That said, I want to specifically talk about pollution and its effects on you, the environment, and the areas’ wildlife, as well as ways you can help keep the pollution in your area manageable.
For starters, one of the most common repercussions that result from littering is wildfires. While wildfires could be unpredictable, some sprouting from extreme heat or lightning, we can at least try to reduce the number of occurrences just by taking care of our cities. As a matter of fact, almost 80% of all wildfires across the globe are caused by human involvement. In Texas specifically, fire departments have reported over 400 wildfires annually caused by cigarettes alone. At this point some countries such as The United States or Brazil are accustomed to such wildfires, as a result of laziness and uncleanliness of their communities. As of August 24th, 2023, there have been 37,706 fires globally with over 1.8 million acres of land turned to ash just since the year began. If we take our 80% from earlier, that means that roughly 30,000 of these fires were caused by humans. Meaning humans alone have burnt down 1.4 million acres of land in less than a full year.
Another thing that can cause massive damage if not tended to soon is our air quality, especially near highways and roads, but specifically highways. You see, we humans need an element known as oxygen to live our day to day lives. However, since the invention of motorized vehicles, our air quality is a little less than perfect. By no means does this mean you are required to stop using such vehicles, as there is something else causing this, that is much more easy to stop than giving up our main means of transportation. You guessed it once again, it all comes back to pollution. If our cars’ pumping harmful chemicals into our air wasn’t bad enough, the people driving said vehicles like to throw out their garbage onto our roadsides. What this means is that our vegetation near these roads has a harder time keeping the counter balance between good air and bad air. Said vegetation can be planted and could be used to capture these fine particles, which could lower health risks. Not only would not littering help our grass save our air, but will also reduce the risk of our previously mentioned wildfires.
Lastly, while sounding a bit corny, the slowing of pollution will simply make the people of your town, and the town itself look better. This place you live in that you call home provides you a job to work at, a place to live, food to eat, and places to see. When people visit this place, you wouldn’t want them to remember your home as that one place that always has trash everywhere, but maybe something more memorable. I haven’t moved around very much in my lifetime, but I always try to find something nice everywhere I go.
So now, to answer the question I set out to answer at the beginning of this article (how can you slow down/stop pollution in your area?), all I have to say is to pick up your trash! Whether or not it was you who littered it, pick it up. Bottles, cans, paper, clothes even, recycle or trash whatever you may find. Gather some friends or family together and go to a local beach, or maybe even a roadside like previously mentioned. Our world is very precious and unique, and must be protected at all cost. Billions of people depend on each other to keep our home clean, and stop the rise of garbage around the world.
In conclusion, our world is in serious danger if we continue to be as reckless as we have been. Your cigarette you threw out your car window could burn down a house, end an animal’s life, or even start a massive wildfire that could burn acres of land. Something as big as your finger can cause mass destruction of miles and miles of the Earth. Our world is completely in the hands of the people, and it is up to you whether or not you want to make a difference in it. So my last words to you are, please pick up your trash, for the greater good of our world. It is up to you!
