Many would scoff at my claim, saying there are far worse threats than the environment. What harm does driving a car and spraying pesticides really have on our safety? But in reality, our ever-worsening environment is hurting our livelihood. The way we treat our surroundings does not stop at the thinning of the ozone layer. Rather, it is a domino effect, something a military or the Pentagon cannot control. It is in our hands, which is a already threat.
What I mean by ‘threat’ is a scenario that is in our control that we ignore. Too many citizens hear and read about the harm we are causing but say, “Ehh, what harm could one more individual cause?” When millions say that, there is an obvious downfall. Too few citizens are willing to step up and take action, for it involves motivation. Millions opt for the car over their bikes and watch farmers spray chemicals into our water sources. Too many are too lazy to step up and make a difference. In reference to the domino effect, the trees, plants and animals are affected, which hinder their safety as well. More animals and plant species are threatened which in turn threaten the survival of the ecosystem. Common everyday products that we take for granted might be gone in years to come because their ingredients have disappeared.
When we allow the release of synthetic chemicals and gasses, it is our way of saying we have too little time to preserve our world. There isn’t enough time to treat the land and the animals fairly for we are too busy producing weapons for war. We have too little time to realize we are harming the health of the nation because millions are eating chemical-induced food. How is this not a threat to our well being?
To play devil’s advocate, one may question, “how does this affect our national security and is this really a threat?” Yes, it may not be as ‘primary’ as bombs or terrorism, but it slowly creeps up on us and when it attacks, it is hard to fight back. How can we fight thinning oxygen levels and a massive change in our environment when deforestation takes over? We won’t have any resources to take from and nothing to build a foundation. We are stuck. When this hits, those who think the environment is secondary will reconsider their prior assumptions.
I completely agree with you that our environment is a security threat to every nation and that we aren't helping it by driving cars and spraying pesticides but as of now those are the only options we've got. My dad works 20 miles away from my house there is no way he could ride a bike there, what he could do and what I tell him to do is try a carpool system. Same goes for farmers, for them to make sure they can make money they used pesticides, they don't want to risk losing their harvest. We should and need new innovations to take us away from oil and pesticides but for now, it's all we've got.
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