What is a prevailing issue that consistently rears its head around our seemingly perfect lives? Animals joining the endangered list, as well as many becoming extinct. This issue has been around for years, however, it doesn’t seem to be getting any better, despite efforts to make a change. Why is that?

Although trophy hunting, over hunting, and poaching are contributing factors, a recent, and probably more threatening issue, has become the growth of human population. According to "National Geographic" “current extinction rates are up to a thousand times higher than they would be if people weren’t in the picture.” We are pushing the limits of our world and causing detrimental change. Although it may seem like something humans shouldn’t focus their time on, the reality of the situation is that every species on this planet was put here for a reason. It may seem scary to protect, say a species of lions that roam around a small village in Africa, however, they are needed in order to protect the ecosystem (lion alert). This is what many people don’t understand, it’s not just something to be sad about, losing a species means an alteration of ecosystems around the world, which is something to worry about.

The human population in 2016 is well over 7 billion and growing at a rate of at least 1.1 percent per year. At this rate, we’ll be over 9 billion by 2050. That’s a lot of people! That many people means that we need to expand, in every aspect of human life. This means expanding, the amount of food we prepare, land we use for houses and commercial use, and electricity that we produce. Due to these increases, we continue to increase things like global warming, which then harm the ecosystem even more, changing climates and habitats of animals all over the world. It causes yet another chain reaction where more animals cannot sustain their lifestyle and adapt to these changes, thus becoming endangered or extinct. There are a variety of animals that are becoming endangered or extinct, however, it’s not limited to animals. Plants are also in danger. We need to take action and fast.

We are at a rate of about 30,000 species going extinct a year, compared to the natural background of about one species going extinct per million years. Although we cannot expect extinction rate to be that small with a rapidly growing population, we should expect less than what we are producing in recent years. In addition to the growing population, humans are extensive hunters. Many people hunt for the prize, that being the head of the animal that was hunted, or money. This inhumane act is not banned in all countries where species are endangered, thus enhancing the idea that humans are acting in an unjust way towards creatures of the wild.

As intelligent beings, we can make a change. We must educate ourselves, as well as educate those across the world, and the younger generations. We must show the majestic nature of the creatures that roam amongst us and in doing so, we might just be able to save not one, but several species of plants and animals. If we can be aware of the actions we are taking, create greener means of living, and reduce our footprint, we can continue to thrive as a worldly community.