The Cost we are paying for Luxurious life

Earth is the only known planet in which life form is present. Humans, the most advanced species in the earth in terms of senses is the cause of its destruction too. We studied about earth, but we always fail to understand its nature. We know at least something about global warming, melting of ice caps, decline in the forest cover and other environmental degradation. But we mostly choose to ignore it as we do not want to compromise on our luxury. Nature is the one that provides suitable conditions for our life. But we are destroying it for sake of our luxury.

Luxury has become our addiction. We are depleting our natural resources at enormous rate. Population has increased by many folds during the past century. As the population increases the demand for luxury also increases. We can see that only human population is in increase but other species are all decreasing. We are snatching their home from them literally. Nature is a force that always proves the Newton's third law "Every action has an equal and an opposite reaction". A survey states that within next thirty years one fifth of the species alive today will be extinct and the day in which the humans will become extinct is also fast increasing.
For our luxury, we invented air conditioners and fridges, which emits harmful CFC gas. This gas started to destroy our ozone layer. If the ozone layer gets depleted, ultra violet light from sun would penetrate into Earth's atmosphere causing damage to all living beings. That's the cost we pay for our luxury.

Some of us may argue that they use air conditioners and fridges that do not emit Chloro Fluoro Carbon gases but the electricity it consumes is generated from consumption of natural resources. By using renewable sources like wind and solar energy, we can generate power without any problem for hundreds of years. But conventionally, we are still burning coal and other fossil fuels for power generation.

Every luxury we enjoy, a stylish home, delicious food, colorful dress, own vehicle etc. contributes to our environmental change in a way more than you can imagine.

Some day to day marvels of environmental destruction contributed by us:
• Forest areas are being destroyed every year.
• Tons of coal is burned to produce electricity.
• Hectares of farming land is used for construction.
• More plastic wastes are produced.
• Nuclear emissions, explosions, tests.
• Over exploitation of natural resources.
• Pollution air and water in various ways.
• Hunting and poaching of endangered species.
• Man-made disasters.
• Poor waste disposal.
• Excessive greenhouse gases emission.

Nature has always replied for the questions asked by the humans with recent Uttrakhand floods being a fine example. Nature has always tried to protect our ecological balance. As long as we unbalance the equation, the nature does anything to balance it.

If we have to ensure that our future generation has clean water, air and food we have to give up some of our luxuries. We can use alternatives for example, instead of using bike or car, we can use our bicycle or take public transport.

We have to draw a line between luxury and needs. The solution to this problem is today's young people. They must understand that the nature is very delicate and they should tread towards a bright future by preserving things which are more precious. Only one man cannot change the world, we have to work together towards it. So each time when we turn on our air conditioner or start our bike, we must think of the destruction in the making. Of course, I am not asking every one of us to abandon our luxuries, instead to minimize it as much as we can.

Let us preserve this precious nature and pass it on to our future generation. If at least anyone of you feel regret after reading this article, start preserving the environment by sowing a seed.