By Jemimah Chungu
What is earth?
Earth is a planet among other planets known to accommodate humanity. The single most outstanding feature of earth is that it’s near- surface environments are the only places in the universe known to harbor life (Britannia). Life in this context relates to people, fauna, flora, air, and every biotic and abiotic factors in their existence.
Earth is able to sustain life due to its right position from the sun, hence the right temperature, the atmosphere and the ozone layer setup that maintain temperature and protects harmful solar radiation as well as the right chemical ingredients and composition including H2o (water), O2 (oxygen), Co2 (carbon dioxide), nitrogen and others matters.
Earth is the solid matter in the globe’s surface referred to as soil. Earth is composed of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and all sorts of organisms. It is on Earth that life starts, ends and is restores from natal, fruition, reproduction, Decomposition and other processes in the process without which life cannot exist. These sustain life by natural cycles; water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle among others as well as the flow of energy; solar energy in processes like photosynthesis, food chains (calorific flow), natural chemical flows and others.
In the process, natural process lead to mineral and energy formation that “back bones” life naturally and forms all goods and services that human beings depend on as well as the technology created by humans for easy lifestyle.
Earth is sometimes referred to by the term ‘Eco’, a Latin term that means home or habitant. According to Your Dictionary, the term eco is also used to refer to the environment. Hence, Earth/ Eco is our environment, our home.
HOW DOES EARTH SUSTAIN ITSELF?
Earth sustains itself because all the aforementioned characteristics and mechanisms of earth are able to sustain and the balance of planet naturally. Hereafter, earth and the eco-system without human disturbances is able to subsist naturally. The Ecosystem is the co-existence of the planetary (earth) biotic and abiotic components through natural processes; cycles and energy flows for illustration; the numbers of predators and prey in an ecosystem rises and falls in a predator-prey cycle. As the number of prey increases, so does the number of predators shortly afterwards. This is because there is more food. This reduces the number of prey because they are hunted. Which reduces the number of predators because there is less food. This increases the number of prey and the cycle repeats (BBC).
However, the natural well-being of earth has been drastically demolished by human/anthropogenic activities who are only occupants of Earth to the extent to degrading the natural set-up that threatens its capability to support life and its habitable phenomenal For instance; earth’s largest hypoxic-anoxic zone along the west coast of India, Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia, also called “The Dead Zone”, earth’s second largest zone of coastal hypoxia found on the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Hypoxia in the East China Sea. These water bodies contain oxygen hence cannot support life (Hypoxia means oxygen-depleted waters).
DO WE NEED EARTH?
Human beings can only be accommodated by earth unlike any other known planet. In addition human beings cannot survive without eco- goods and services for any basic needs as well as wants. Manitoba https://www.gov.mb.ca/ describe Eco- goods and services (EG&S) as the environmental benefits resulting from physical, chemical and biological functions of healthy ecosystems and include market goods produced from ecosystems (ex: food, fiber, fuel, fresh water, genetic resources, etc.), the benefits from ecosystem processes, (ex: nutrient cycling, climate regulation, water purification, waste treatment, pollination, etc.) and non-material benefits (ex: aesthetic values, recreation, etc.).
In actuality, there are some earthly habitats that can survive on their own or with minimal dependency from Eco goods and services such as only that of the immediate geographic environment for example the aquatic species such as fish in the aquatic ecosystem. On the hand, human beings needs and wants extend to all earthly-goods and services. It is this extreme dependency that earth has been drastically interfered and degraded.
Moreover, the fast advancement of technology created by human beings is demonically degrading earth every minute. Making it less habitable for us human beings ourselves and other earthly habitats and biotic components.
DOES EARTH NEED US?
Earth need for people is a two way status quo (yes and no). Earth does not people simply because it sustains and restores itself as aforesaid. Earth does not benefit from people and other planetary occupants.
Yet, earth needs people. This is because the responsibility and knowledge of eco/earth degradation is dependent on humanity. People should rebuild the home (planet earth) they have destroyed. Additionally people are the most intelligent species on earth and are the only species that can restore the environment/ eco nature from degradation.
With or without humanity’s interference, the past, present, and future of the earth stability and well-being is considered better or worse in human terms. The solutions to people need for earth and vice versa is anthropocentric (centered on people).
Moreover, people would cease to exist in less or non-habitable environment (like other planets) that are creating or without the existence earth itself. Conversely, earth and life on earth would still continue without people and eco-nature would restore itself naturally.
As much as it is anthropocentric, Humanity should be gratified to earth and be etiquette occupants to the origin and reoccurrence of life, earth and re-consider its wellbeing and every other thing it accommodates by adopt eco-friendly lifestyles in order to make it sustainable and habitable.
