mother earth

John Carlo B. Valeroso 9-Matulungin

Nowadays, people struggle a lot to return back what I lost. They do fun runs to raise fund for tree planting, make placards to disseminate campaigns and fine hard headed people for loitering around. I can now hardly breathe. Greenhouses gasses inside my body gradually increases as they are being trapped due to human activities that added more and more of these gases into my atmosphere. For example, levels of carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas, have risen by 35 percent since 1750, largely from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. With more greenhouse gases in the mix, my atmosphere acts like a thickening blanket and traps more heat. My insides are becoming thinner, well of course due to human doings. Erosion is supposed to be a natural phenomenon but being accelerated by human activities, like urbanizations and poor agricultural practices. Without human activities, losses of soil through erosion would in most areas probably be balanced by the formation of new soil. In my virgin land a mantle of vegetation protects the soil. When rain falls on a surface of grass or on the leaves of my trees, some of the moisture evaporates before it can reach the ground. Trees and grass serve as windbreaks, and a network of roots helps to hold the soil in place against the action of both rain and wind. Agriculture and lumbering, as well as housing, industrial development, and highway construction, however, partially or wholly destroy the protective canopy of my vegetation and greatly speed up erosion of certain kinds of soils. Erosion is less severe with crops such as wheat, which cover the ground evenly, than with crops such as corn and tobacco, grown in rows. I manifest my emotions to people through rain. It is enough to wash out humanity. Its extreme fall causes flood that destroys infrastructures built by human kind. Floods not only damage property and endanger the lives of humans and animals, but have other effects as well. Rapid runoff causes soil erosion as well as sediment deposition problems downstream. Spawning grounds for fish and other wildlife habitat are often destroyed. High-velocity currents increase flood damage; prolonged high floods delay traffic and interfere with drainage and economic use of lands. Bridge abutments, bank lines, sewer outfalls, and other structures within floodways are damaged, and navigation and hydroelectric power are often impaired. Financial losses due to floods are commonly millions of pesos each year. There is still hope for me. All they need to do is to restore what they have taken from me. Reverse all the things that cause my trouble. From deforestation to reforestation. Forests are an important part of the global carbon cycle because trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. By removing this greenhouse gas from the air, forests function as terrestrial carbon sinks, meaning they store large amounts of carbon. At any time, forests account for as much as double the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Even as more anthropogenic carbon is produced, my forests remove around three billion tons of anthropogenic carbon every year. This amounts to about 30% of all carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Therefore, an increase in the overall forest cover around the world would tend to mitigate global warming. As students, they can do small things that can contribute to help me in my current state. You can avoid throwing candy wrappers, plastics of junk foods and anything that can cause flood when accumulated. You can join tree planting activities done by your schools. One tree equals one life when it grows. That’s a big thing for the future. People please stop what you are doing that destroys my environment especially mountains that when I cry out heavy rain it can cause floods that can destruct your shelters, works, and can also kill some of your loved ones. I would like you to care for me and help me to become stronger for you, your children and the next generations from your family. I will take care of them as long as you care for me.