2022 Essay Contest Winner

Entry by Aislynn Carroll

The Cost

Currently, 40,000 species are at risk of extinction because of humans. Not many people understand that the biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere are all connected, and everything we do impacts them; whether it is overhunting or just letting the sink run. Everything connects, and there is nothing we can do about that. However, there is something we can do about protecting life on land.

Earth is home to millions of creatures, plants and animals combined. Within the biosphere, everything is dependent on each other in some way. Interrelationships between animals are alive everywhere. Every animal needs some sort of water supply. It could be a pond, where otters and beavers make homes, or for larger animals to receive the water they need to survive. Many desert-dwelling animals, especially reptiles, use rocks to find shade and bury under the sand during daytime to escape the heat. Plants use photosynthesis to take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turn it into the oxygen that allows us to live on this planet.

Every time I go on a walk, I see the nature that we all ignore and assume is useless. Humans kill trillions of insects every year; accidentally or purposefully. However, it’s not just animals in backyards that suffer. Humans slaughter around 200 million turkeys, sheep, rabbits, cows, chickens, and goats daily for food. 26.2% of that meat is wasted because we don’t use it. 10 million hectares of forest are destroyed every year.

Understanding Earth’s systems and how they’re connected could help humanity achieve the 17 SDGs. Without it, the world would be a chaotic mess. If we are to save life on land, we need to realize our actions affect everything. Everything has a cost, and if we ignore that cost, everything could be destroyed.