Save Our Planet Earth! (or not…)

My environmental awareness first started when I saw a slogan “Save Our Planet Earth” on cloth grocery bags. I think I was 9 years old at that time. And at that age, it was really cool to think that I could help save the planet earth. I felt like I was a superhero. However, there were not much a 9 years old could do. And there are not much for a 27 years old can do now.

I don’t litter. I use public transportation. I try to use less plastic. I try not to waste electricity and water. Not much, I know.

Even our world leaders can’t do much. It is really hard for them to reach an agreement on how to ‘save our planet earth’. It has been a long on-going debate, since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol until the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference which is currently being held in Paris. That’s a wasted 18 years for an unfinished plan. How long before we can actually do the saving part?

What is the problem? Too many interests? But, don’t we only have one objective? We still want to save our lovely planet earth that we all live in, right?

Then I realize, we should stop saying “save our planet earth” when the one who needs saving is the human race.

Planet earth has been through lots of things, e.g. 5 mass extinction events, yet still exists for around 4.5 billion years. It has its own self-healing system going on. Planet earth will survive the climate change, but we, human race won’t.

Planet earth doesn’t need our help. Therefore, why don’t we start to advocating for the human race? So that the world leaders (and climate change deniers too) will finally understand the urgency.

After all, humans are known for their self-importance nature, to save their own selves.

We ain’t superheroes.

D