HiveComb

Our environment has been plagued by actions and conditions that tend to deplete and destroy it, day in and day out. Over time, this has developed into a great concern; for both humans and animals, and the environment as well. We experience these effects, one way or another. For some reason, living amidst these effects on the environment has been very effective. Maybe that's why these things aren't seen for what they are. Besides, we can breathe, eat, move and do our daily activities.

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This state of environmental degradation we see and know has been harnessed by the actions of humans. The things we do daily, weekly, monthly and yearly; some of these have major impacts on the environment. Sadly, there's still yet to be a realisation about some of these things and actions, affecting the environment in a negative way. In other cases, it isn't ignorance about these things, but nonchalance or lack of concern for the environment. Somehow, this is fueled by the failure of authorities and related agencies to place value on our environment.

Everyone has a responsibility to protect our environment. And this starts from our abodes and communities to the world at large. This involves realising the effects of some of our personal actions and those of others, then considering ways we can curtail them. To protect the environment, it's necessary to understand the attacks on it and the ways these are propagated in order to be able to profer solution or rather the efforts we can make to protect and keep the environment safe.

Waste management is a good way to start. When I look at my immediate environment, I see a lot of poor waste management, sometimes in the worst sense you can imagine; beside major roads, shops or even markets. My first effort is to do my part to ensure every little waste from me is properly disposed of. Beyond the personal sense, a refuse dump site should be provided, well situated in an appropriate location. Laws should be set and enforced against improper waste disposal. Not just refuse, but sewage should be considered and addressed as well.

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Plastic recycling has been a major topic now, which I find necessary for the protection of our environment. Rather than dumping these materials; especially in water bodies and harming aquatic life, gathering and sending them for recycling is helpful to safeguard the environment and its inhabitants. Deforestation has been a silent menace too. While trees are constantly cut down, they are hardly replaced. Gradually, we're losing our forests. A tree fell should be replaced by planting three or more.

The high level of burning of fossil fuels is a necessary concern. As industries increase, more of these actions happen, leading to high emissions of gases into the atmosphere that deplete the ozone layer, causing the greenhouse effect. Our cars release these gases, as well as other engine-powered machines, and so on. Sustainability answers this issue and more. I've been a supporter of sustainability, and sustainable practices are very much the way to go about most of the current and major factors posing as threats to the environment.

This is my response to the IndiaUnited Contest.

Thank you for reading through!