8 Good Reasons to LOVE OUR EARTH.
1. Our planet is in the perfect position to support life on earth.
The earth spins around a tilted axis of 23 degrees – an imaginary line through the planet from the North Pole to the South Pole. If this angle was different, or if the Earth were to shift just a little closer to or further away from the sun, temperatures would shift drastically. This shift in temperature would make life on earth impossible.
According to scientific research global warming is changing the Earth’s tilt, as well as affecting the Earth’s spin. Increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the main cause of Global Warming; an aspect of climate change referring to the long-term rise of the planet’s temperatures. This has been proven to be from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation and farming. Therefore we must stop destroying forests and burning fossil fuels. We must move to more renewable resources, and develop more sustainable farming practices.
Earth: The Operators’ Manual
2. Earth is the only planet in our galaxy that can support life.
As far as we know earth is the only planet in our galaxy that can support life. Scientists estimate there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. Imagine how many more species there would be if we included those that have gone extinct. In June 2019, one million species of plants and animals were at risk of extinction.
Illustrations from the book ‘All the Wild Wonders: Poems of Our Earth‘, illustrated by Piet Grobler, edited by anthologist Wendy Cooling (1941-2020).
In June 2019, one million species of plants and animals were at risk of extinction. At least 571 species have been lost since 1750. The main cause of the extinctions is the destruction of natural habitats by human activities, such as cutting down forests and converting land into fields for farming.
– The Guardian, 10 June 2019
3. Earth could teach us a thing or two about recycling.
Did you know ,the ground you walk on is recycled. The earth has been recycling for its entire life span of 4.543 billion years. With the earth’s crust constantly changing.
This recycling process starts deep within the earth’s core as hot molten liquid Magma. Magma is a natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. This Magma pushes its way up to the surface, where it cools and becomes hard rock.
Over time wind erodes these rocks, taking with it tiny fragments that get buried back into the earth.
The cycle starts again as the rock gets reheated back into magma. A natural GREEN recycling system.
Image taken from article: William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team), “Rocks and the Rock Cycle,” in SchoolWorkHelper, 2019, https://schoolworkhelper.net/rocks-and-the-rock-cycle/.
The term ‘Rock Cycle’ refers to the constant recycling of material in the crust, summarised in the diagram above.
4. The Oceans provide us with oxygen
The world’s oceans produce 70% of the oxygen we breathe. It also absorbs about 50% of the carbon dioxide CO2 we emit. Oceans have created a perfect balance; one that to-date has allowed us clean air to breathe despite mitigating tons of the pollution we produce. The ocean produces oxygen through ocean plants – kelp, algal plankton, and phytoplankton.
Direct analysis and measurements of oxygen changes across the global oceans suggests there has been an average 2% oxygen decline since 1960. Ocean oxygen loss is now recognised as a major threat to marine ecosystems. It has also shifted habitat conditions in many parts of the global ocean.
Range Shifts, as these shifts in habitat conditions are called, are a natural response to climate change. Where plants and animals move in response to changes in climate, to find new habitat conditions. As temperatures increase ecosystems are particularly threatened, particularly when there is nowhere else to move to.
But what can we do about ocean deoxygenation?
For a start we can all lowering our carbon footprint. If you are unsure as to how to go about this, we suggest start where you are at right now, and improve from there. Find out what you current carbon footprint is.
In terms of over fishing of our oceans, we can all minimise the amount of fish in our diet, and where possible buy (or at least ask for) sustainably sourced fish. We can also avoid plastic whenever we can!
5. Trees also supply us with oxygen
Just like the oceans, trees provide us oxygen, produced via a process called Photosynthesis. Trees and land plants also absorb 25% the carbon dioxide we produce.
According to the UCAR Center for Science Education (UCAR SciEd), ‘each year, five and a half billion tons of carbon is released by burning fossil fuels. Of this massive amount, 3.3 billion tons stays in the atmosphere.’ (1) When we truly look at our human activity it becomes quite clear – we cannot maintain our current activities and production levels and expect there to be future generations to come.
We can no longer continue to burn fossil fuels to power factories, power plants, and our transportation systems. Nor keep cutting down forest after forest, until there are no trees left at all. Simply put, the earth can no longer sustain our human-centric behaviour. We really do need to understand our trees, their wisdom, value, and support for so many life forms. We can show our love for earth by protecting and planting trees for future generations.
by FUSION
TedTalks
6. We can take deep, cleansing breaths
As mentioned in reason #2 our earth is potentially the only planet in our galaxy that supports life. The air we breath gives us a life-giving gas called oxygen. All the cells in our body need oxygen to create energy efficiently. When our cells create energy they make carbon dioxide, which we remove from the body by breathing out stale air. The cells in our body would die in minutes if we no longer has access to fresh area.
We are able to breathe because the earth atmosphere is made up of a mixture of gases. The thickest gases nearest the earth’s surface, giving us vital oxygen we need to breathe.
In space, there is very little breathable oxygen. Let’s take Mars for example – a planet we have potentially ear-marked as humanities new home. Yet if we were to move to Mars it would require some major adjustments for us to be able to live there. With no oxygen in the air humans would have to inhale carbon dioxide, a toxic gas we typically exhale as a waste product. Providing essential life support, the spacesuit will become the height of fashion.
Photo by Gelatin/Pexels 
Jenny Cheng/Business Insider
Breathing in fresh air, going for a walk, or simply feeling a gentle spring breeze upon your skin would no longer be part of life. No swimming in the sea or holidays to the beach. While Mars has lots of sand there is not a single pool, lake or ocean in sight.
The average temperature on Mars is around minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 63 degrees Celsius). The atmosphere is 100 times thinner than Earth. No to mention the lack of a global magnetic field, which would leave us vulnerable to harmful radiation that damages cells and DNA. Apparently the low gravity (38% of Earth’s) would also weaken our bones.
Fresh air is a human necessity. Yet despite this, air pollution caused 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland in 2019, according to the EPA’s annual air quality report – up from 1,180 in 2018. This 2019 figure is almost ten times the death toll of 141 on Irish roads last year.
Don’t know about you but instead of burning fossil fuels, and promoting air pollution, we would rather saver the air we have here on earth. We love fresh air. It is something we cherish and hold dear.
7. Earth provides us a solid ground to stand on
The wonders of life on earth – with a rich global landscape. Lush green field. Woodlands and tropical rainforests. Rolling hills and tall rugged mountains. Icy glaciers. Sandy beaches. The list goes on.
Compared to other planet we are blessed with the ground we walk upon. If we really do love our planet then we must start caring for the rich Diversity of Life on Earth. Remember we are interconnected.
8. Our Planet holds so much mystery and enchantment.
The Earth is our home, yet how much do we really know about her?
How did the Earth get its name, for example? What is in the middle of the Earth core? Why are enormous craters violently appearing in the middle of the Siberian Arctic?
There are many things we still don’t know about the deep blue sea. According to scientific estimates a million undiscovered species could be living in the sea. 95% of the Earths oceans is still uncharted – which make up more than 70 percent of the planet.
There are also a small number of places still unexplored on land, like parts of the rain forests of New Guinea. Which quite frankly is a good thing considering how we have been treating the earth as a whole!
@SciShow
To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.
– Wendell Berry
This stunning piece sums it up perfectly – The Earth is a Living Being. Is this not a good enough reason to Love Our Earth?
Living Being, is create by Dream Metaphor, an artistic multimedia collective. With roots in Portugal they combine music, voice, dance and images together in a world of metaphors. , Dream Metaphor believe dreams will always be the fountain of life – that a time may come where everything may change, a new path may be found. Perhaps the time for change is now!
Living Being was part of an online exhibition, called Earth 2020 : A global response to our current climate.
To view the exhibition, & find out more about this global call out, see here.
Feature Photo: Our precious Earth, by Entrer dans le rêve / @yourtinabee
Ref 1: The Carbon Cycle (2021), published by The UCAR Center for Science Education (UCAR SciEd).
To view all contributors: TAKEOVER Full List
