Among the most urgent problems are the depletion of the ozone layer, acid rains and global warming that lead to unfavourable changes in the world’s climate.
Another serious ecological problem is the disappearance of forests. Some of them die from acid rains, others are cut down. Rain forests disappear at an alarming rate. If man continues to cut down rain forests, more than one million species of plants and animals will become extinct by the year of 2030.
Water is often looked upon as a dumping place where sewage and industrial waste can be washed away and hopefully disappear. As a result some rivers and lakes are so badly polluted that the water is unfit for bathing.
There are a lot of places on our planet that need immediate help. Our country is no exception. The nuclear accident at Chernobyl has seriously aggravated the ecological situation in Belarus. About 18 per cent of the country’s soil are unfit for farming and some districts in the south-east of the country are dangerous to live in.
Today people are aware that our life depends on the state of the environment. Pollution kills everything that is alive. It ruins nature creating serious dangers to the flora, fauna and man himself. So nature protection should become everybody’s concern.
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I believe that environmental disasters can be avoided if people broaden ecological education and every person understands that the beauty of nature is extremely fragile and people must obey the unwritten laws of nature. Governments must be prepared to take action against pollution. Air pollution could be reduced if plants and factories were made to fit effective filters on chimneys and car exhausts. Green zones around big cities must be protected and extended. Natural resources should be used more economically because their stocks are not unlimited.
Today more and more people are aware of the necessity to stop the damage done by man to nature. Different nongovernmental organizations work actively to protect nature. The international organization «Greenpeace» is one of them. It has brought the plight of the natural world to the attention of other people. The «Greenpeace» sent its boats to protect whales, and today commercial whaling is banned. In the North Sea Greenpeace swimmers turned back dump ships carrying chemical waste, and new laws to protect the North Sea have been considered.
It’s time we asked ourselves a question, «What can I do to protect nature?» When I look around I realize that not all people understand the importance of nature protection. On fine summer days a lot of people go out of town. They have picnics on the shores of lakes and the banks of rivers or on beautiful forest glades and they often leave behind a lot of rubbish — plastic bags and bottles, tins and paper. It makes me feel sad when I see people returning to town with huge bunches of forest or meadow flowers. Many of these plants are included into the Red Book which contains the names of rare plants and animals. Some of them have become extinct and others are on the verge of disappearing. If we don’t realize that we are all responsible for what’s happening around us we will never feel secure about the future of the world we live in.