Sustainability

Sustainability can be defined as the ability of Earth's various systems, including human cultural systems and economies, to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.
Sustainability is an important issue that many people are concerned with. They want future generations to be able to utilize the earth's resources, without depleting them.

One of the major problems threatening sustainability today is water pollution. Water pollution not only affects much of the population today, but it will have a lasting effect on future generations to come. Bodies of water can be polluted not only through materials entering the water, but through erosion, and thermal pollution as well. With many of America's rivers and lakes so polluted that fishing is not even made possible, something must be done. Water is one of the most vital resources on Earth, and while it is renewable, the damage of pollution may not always be irreversible. In order to correct some of the damage that has already been done, the government employed the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. These acts were passed to help ensure that the quality of water is safe enough to consume and utilize. Others can make a difference simply by not throwing or dumping anything into bodies of water, and helping to clean up.

Deforestation is an other issue that affects sustainability greatly. Trees all over the world serve many purposes. They are often habitats for different wildlife, but they take in carbon dioxide in order to grow. With an average of 3 billion to 6 billion trees being cut down each year, we are losing trees at a startlingly rapid pace. One of the major problems associated with deforestation, is the immense amount of carbon being released back into the atmosphere. This release contributes largely to depleting the ozone layer, and altering the climate. In order to fix this problem, the protection of forests, re-forestation, and sustainable logging are necessary. Organizations like the International Tree Foundation and The Arbor Day Foundation are dedicated to replanting trees all over the world, and ensuring that there will still be trees for the future.

I believe that sustainability is something that most of us strive for, and it is something that is achievable as well. If everyone took little steps to improve the quality of our world, that would still make a large difference. We should try to make our world a sustainable place to live in, not only for ourselves, but for future generations to come.

http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/pollute.htm

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/science/deforestation/

Raghda A.