As we all know, trees have existed way before humans have ever set foot on this planet Earth. If we compare our existence in this planet within a single calendar year, plants have already existed for many months while humans have just been here in a single second. Nevertheless, this does not make plants safe from our encroaching destructiveness. As of now, more than 80% of the fauna that existed before have been lost or even damaged to the point where their chances of survival are close to zero. The main reason for this unfortunate event is the massive deforestation that humans have done for decades now. On one hand, deforestation has been seen by many humans as an important means for survival and growth. This is because trees, the byproducts that we could get from them, and even the spaces of land that they occupy is considered by us as too important for our advances in globalization, industrialization, and also urbanization. On the other hand, trees are also important for the continuing of our own civilization as well as all the life that exist in this world. We all know that trees provide balance for many cycles that keep planet Earth working, such as the Water and Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide cycles among others. As of today, these effects on these daily processes have been emphasized and given much attention by people and societies alike, as it contributes to the worsening of the condition that we call Climate Change. We’ve known how our continued cutting of these trees in the search of luxury and comfort has now given us the possibility of extinction if we continue to do it. This knowledge – about the value of trees – that we’ve learned through experience has now forced us to drive innovations and solutions that could potentially help us prevent a more disastrous future.
As of today, one of the biggest ideology/principles that have guided our continuous development is a concept that we call as ‘sustainable development’. This idea has recognized that us humans would inevitably need the resources to grow, but that this growth might also be detrimental to our health and that of the planet. Therefore, sustainable development has pushed for (1) innovations that would reduce our usage of non-renewable products such as coal and fossil fuels, (2) infrastructure developments that would promote nature than degrade it, and also (3) consumption practices that emphasize recycling, among others. In other words, sustainable development is a type of growth that is different with the traditional ones as promoted by individuals and the state alike, a type of growth which undermined the importance of trees in our daily lives.
In line with all of the negative and severe consequences that humanity has experienced because of its failure to give importance for trees and other natural resources, most may think that we have learned our lessons and have not undergone a complete change. This argument might be easy to believe in especially due to the fact that we have now seen the considerable amount of effort from most people and organizations trying to revert our environment back to what it was before. However, this might not always be the case everywhere since massive deforestations and disposal of wastes in improper disposal sites is still prevalent. This simply shows that humans are still in its early stages of completely changing. Nevertheless, I believe that it is safe to say that, today humans have given considerably to change itself, little-by-little, but all for the sake of humanity and our continued existence.
