Recycling much more effective than theorizing
Tropical storm Beryl, Hurricane Sandy, the Guatemalan earthquake. Over the past year, our planet has taken a beating. Natural disasters have devastated families, cities and even countries throughout history, but 2012 has had an extraordinarily high frequency of these high-profile disasters. In the U.S. alone, we have experienced about 14 earthquakes, nine hurricanes and have lost over 9 million acres of soil due to wildfires.
On a global scale, there have been numerous and devastating mudslides, forest fires and floods, among other events in 2012. As panic and unpreparedness run rampant when word of a disaster spreads, people seek out absurd rationales: the second coming of Christ, government corruption, spiritual punishment and of course, the end of the world. National Geographic’s “Doomsday Preppers” follows the people whose very worlds are run by these ridiculous theories. Their lives revolve around stockpiling, arming themselves and preparing for the apocalypse.
We have abused our planet and this recent influx of natural disasters is a consequence of the neglect the planet has suffered. While global cooling and warming are natural processes that occur, the polluting factories in our cities, toxic car fumes and our inability to reuse anything has only sped up this process.
However, I find it calming that we are the controllers. I educate myself on ways to reduce the negative effects humans have on the planet. While others gather water for the ending of the world, I recycle. It’s a lot easier then building an underground fortress and, frankly, much more effective.