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Environment – Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials in the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants and are often man-made products that are not disposed of correctly.

We can see pieces of plastic/rubbish floating around in our oceans and waterways. We can also observe rubbish just lying around especially schools, and tourist destinations. All this rubbish is blown into drains and waterways by winds, and as a result of this animal’s mistake rubbish for food and will kill themselves trying to eat the rubbish. Other forms of pollution include factory gases such as smoke. This can be seen in major cities where many factories are based, and many cars and trucks are driven. The release of these gases causes dense pollution and limits the clean oxygen supply in the city.

The victims of pollution are all species of life. Humans, animals and plants are all affected by the dense pollution that is clogging up our world. The constant release of smoke into the atmosphere is affecting our air supply, and is restricting the clean air that us humans take in. Also, the enormous amount of rubbish that is being thrown in to our water ways/systems, is also affecting the quality of water that we are consuming daily. These problems also kill our flora and fauna. Animals both on the land and in the sea are mistaking our rubbish for prey. They try to eat the rubbish, and ultimately end up killing themselves because of it. 100,000 marine creatures a year die from plastic entanglement and these are just the ones found, and approximately 1 million sea birds die from plastic per year. The plants are also heavily affected by the limited light that is a cause of the thick smoke cloud that lies above major cities. These plants are unable to grow normally because they are not receiving the light that is needed for them. Many aquatic plants are also affected by the lack of nutrients created by the pollution, and the added acidity.

The bystanders of global pollution are humans. Humans are bystanders, because they stand by and let companies and factories release their toxic fumes into our atmosphere. We don’t stand up and stop these companies, and it is resulting in our natural resources to deplete.

The persecutors are the governments of the world, and the companies who are spreading their deadly fumes into our atmosphere. The government take no action to put a stop to this because if they were to shut these companies down, the economy would drop, and this would create many problems.

I already know that pollution is bad for our environment, as well as us. There are many different types of pollution ranging from the pollution of rubbish such as plastic bags, and the release of toxic gases into our atmosphere.

I feel that this issue is very dangerous, and it is bad for the future generations. If pollution is not stopped then the

environment will perish, and we will be left with no natural resources.

I still need to find out about the cause of pollution, and why these companies and factories choose to spread these

toxic fumes into our precious world.

Pollution is a result of the many toxic gases, pieces of rubbish, and acidic chemicals that are released in to our environment. There is

no one person who controls how much rubbish is spread throughout our world. Everyone is a perpetrator of this issue, and it is animals and plant life that suffer initially, ultimately resulting in us suffering from a lack of natural resources. The flora and fauna in our world are the victims and are most affected, this is because they are not able to protect themselves from the unfamiliar environment that they now live in, consisting of rubbish, and toxic waste. The fumes that are released into the environment, then mix with oxygen and water resulting acid rain. This rain, then falls on to plants, and other vegetation, sinking into the soil, and killing the plants. This is also very harmful to animals, as the acid rain that falls in lakes and ponds, intertwines with the natural water, and animals and will eventually kill if not seriously harm the animals. Other forms of pollution such as plastic are blown into aquatic areas, and animals mistake the plastic for prey, then tying to eat them and results in the animals dying.

All decisions about what chemicals, and pollutants these companies and factories are allowed to deposit in our natural environment

and left up to governments, and it is the average person who is more so affected that is left out of the decision making. It is without a doubt unfair that only a handful of people can make the decisions that affect us all. One of the Catholic Social Teachings that is not being up held, is Subsidiary and participation, this teaching tells people that everyone has the right to decisions that will affect their lives. The government, and business man that are keeping the power all to themselves are not thinking about the implication’s pollution has on everyday people, and the natural environment around them.

As stated above, only politicians and world leaders are able to control what boundaries are out on the companies and factories that

release these deadly fumes, and it is the average person who is left out. However, there are people around the world who are taking matters into their own hands, Stimulus E is an example of two men who are sailing from the Gold Coast to Sydney protesting about pollution. This is just one example of how people can change the way our world evolves.

Since the Industrial Revolution, human beings have been making materials and machines that are releasing toxic fumes, and the

factories that were set up did not dispose of their plastics and disposal materials properly. Throughout this time, people have only damaged our environment more and more. Sweat shops in developing countries are constantly burning their rubbish, and leaving it in the middle of cities, and this rubbish eventually gets washed into our waterways and swept out into the ocean.

The governments an business man display no cultural values, and because of this they are killing animals and wildlife, and people living

near the factories are constantly trapped in a thick smog of toxic fumes and gases, depriving them of quality of life. One of the Catholic Social teachings that these people are violating, is the Stewardship of creation. This refers to the respect we must have for the natural environment, and all living creature, it is our responsibility to take care of these, and is vital for the common good of people.

Subsidiary and Participation, The common Good, Stewardship of Creation. The common good refers to people’s rights to resources in

society. So, they can easily live fulfilling lives, it is reached when we work together, to improve the wellbeing of people in our society and the wider world (Caritas, 2019).

Genesis 9 – “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.” This means that you cannot eat or deprive animals of them

lives if they are still alive. Noah takes responsibility for protecting the animals, against God’s flood. We must replicate these actions and take care of all fauna and flora.

Other questions that must be asked, are what major companies are not abiding by the catholic social teachings of the common good,

subsidiary and participation, and stewardship of creation. We must also find out what governments are not taking action to stop the companies that are destroying our world.

People must start doing their bit in the world to help save it from destruction. If every person in the world picked up a piece of rubbish

every day, then the world would be rid of 7.53 billion pieces of rubbish. If everyone does this for one year, then that would result in 274,845,000,000,000 pieces of rubbish removed from natural resources around the world in just one year. This is one simple solution, however, if governments do not put an end to the major factories around the world, then the pollution of gases and other form of rubbish will still be released and different species of both animals and plants will become extinct.

To change prevent the Earth from becoming overly polluted, governments need to start changing their ways, and do something about

this very real issue. They could start by providing money and resources to non-for-profit organisations, to start cleaning up our waterways, and oceans. They could also start shutting down major companies who are taking our environment/natural resources for granted. For example, the Australian Government could put an end to the Adan Coal mines throughout Australia and start investing in clean energy for all citizens. The governments must also end their relationships with these wealthy business man who depleting the Earth of its natural resources. By putting a stop to these business men, the country’s economy could drop, which does not make the governments look good, however these actions must be taken to prevent further damage.

The best way to help the most disadvantaged people if this issue, is to inform them about the politician’s real intentions if they become

president, or prime minister. By doing this people will know who they should be voting for, so they can make an informed decision about who they want to lead their country/nation.

In this situation a rescuer would do things such as picking up rubbish around school or his/her workplace. They can also donate to non-

for-profit organisations. By doing this these companies can use the money to buy machines to help clean up our environment. A rescuer may also try and get their way into parliament, becoming prime minister or a minister for the environment. This would give them the power to make informed decisions about what should be done to the environment, so that plants and animals do not go extinct, and to also make sure that our natural resources are not being depleted.

A realistic action to fix this horrible issue, could be to pick up rubbish whenever you see a piece lying around. If this is done than 365

pieces of rubbish can be removed from the Earth, and if everyone in the world was to do this, then 274,845,000,000,000 pieces of rubbish would be removed from our natural resources each year. Another course of action that can be taken is to donate to non-for-profit organisation, so they can use your money to help animals and plants in need. An example of an organisation that you can donate to is 4oean, every bracelet that is bought through their company results in a pound of trash being removed from the ocean and waterways. This is a great organisation to get behind, as they are non-for-profit. Finally, the most cost-effective way to look out for our environment is to make informed decisions about what governments to vote into power. By doing this the right people will be voted into power, making decisions that will help better the natural environment around us.