Biodiversity

The definition of diversity of life is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. Our Earth is a biosphere, where a variety of different ecosystems. There are tropical, subterranean, arctic, etc. Let us explore the diversity and complexity of our sphere.

In Biology, there is taxonomy where animals are classified into a system. The order is: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. From the top to bottom, the classification gets more detailed and specific. For example: Squirrels have different species like the Fox Squirrel, Flying Squirrel, etc. It is the same with any other animals. On land alone, there are up to millions of species. In the marine ecosystem, we have explored only 20% of the sea, and it is up to the hundred thousands. Imagine the other 80% that we have not discovered. Our Earth has many enigmas that we have not yet to answered. The species that live in the ocean have not yet surfaced. There are so many different species on Earth, but us human are so ignorant that we think that we are the center of the universe. We create our own destruction by destroying the environment around us. We cut down trees to create profit and utility, but we destroy the habitat of other animals. 

For example the BP oil spill that wreaked havoc upon the Gulf of Mexico, killing various animals. We rely on animals and even plants to survive. There is a chain, a circle of life. We eat animals, animals eat other animals, animals eat plants, plants use materials from soil, microorganisms has its own ecosystem! We are all connected, and without one, we would break the chain and catastrophic events could happen in the world. I cannot stress how important other species are, not just humans. Protect the habitats of other species, for they will bring us boon in life, maintaining our existence. 

G7

Group of Seven (or G7) is a group of countries which are economically advanced and are considered leaders of the world. The group includes the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy.

The G7 was known as the G6 in the beginning, consisting of Japan, West Germany, France, Italy, UK, and the US. The group was found in the 1975, and the annual meeting is primarily to discuss the economical issues of the world. In 1998. In 1976, Canada became the 7th member. In 1998, Russia joined the group, creating the Group of Eight (G8). Until recently, Russia was kicked out of the group because of the intense political issues surrounding Ukraine. The Western countries want to punish Russia and separate it from the rest of the Western countries. The group is currently known as G7 again.

The main purpose of G7 is to maintain the world's economy and helping countries that are in debt and developing. In 1996, the G7 launched an initiative for the 42 heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC).

In 1999, the G7 decided to get more directly involved in "managing the international monetary system" through the Financial Stability Forum, formed earlier in 1999 and the G-20, established following the summit, to "promote dialogue between major industrial and emerging market countries". In 1999 the G7 announced their plan to cancel 90% of bilateral, and multilateral debt for the HIPC, totaling $100 billion. In 2005 the G7 announced, debt reductions of "up to 100%" to be negotiated on a "case by case" basis. In 2008 the G7 met twice in Washington, D.C. to discuss the global financial crisis of 2007-2010 and in February 2009 in Rome.The group of finance ministers pledged to take "all necessary steps" to stem the crisis. 

Many have raised the question whether or not China, India should be allowed to join the Group. They are rapidly growing countries with very robust economies. The G7 consists of countries with highly advanced economies, so why shouldn't China and India be allowed? Evidently, their economies have proven to be one of the best, and China and India's presences in the group would greatly augment the strength of the world economically.

Then again, should they truly be allowed in the Group? More members means more ideas, which, consequently, would lead to more debates and arguments, leading to extenuating time needed to come to a consensus.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy has surfaced since World War II, when the Allies developed the nuclear bombs that destroyed the 2 cities of Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki). Since then, after the world have witnessed the level of destruction that these bombs could cause, everyone agreed to use nuclear power peacefully, to generate electricity and other utilities.

There are good and bad things about nuclear power, but first, let us explore the good side of it.
Nuclear energy saves lives. The reason is that nuclear energy emits less pollution into the air. Also, it is much more efficient than using coal. 200 tonnes of uranium equals to 1,000,000 tonnes of coal. The toxic gases from coal creates various problems to our world, such as the green house effect, various respiratory diseases. We have found a new element that is so much more efficient than uranium: Thorium, which requires only half the amount comparing to uranium to produce the same efficiency. There will be new technologies that would develop from nuclear power. We could have infinite energy, flying cars, etc. We have seen the good side of nuclear power so now let us look at the bad side.

On the contrary, there is always a bad side to everything. Nuclear power was first used for military purposes. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed hundreds of thousands of people in just a blink of the eye. Even now, there are a plethora of nuclear warheads around the world. It is said that Russia alone has the nuclear power destructive enough to flatten the Earth 100 times. There is also unknown, catastrophic disasters that could potentially happen. For example the latest nuclear disaster was in Fukushima, Japan, where after a tsunami and earthquake hit the area, a nuclear meltdown happened. It rendered the area uninhabitable for many years to come. These events could potentially happen in the near future. War is said to be the science of destruction, and human beings will eventually be extincted by their own creations.

The world have created treaties to prevent the use of nuclear weapons, but them alone will not be able to stop nuclear wars when they happen. Others solution could be reduction of production of nuclear weapons. We do not want mistakes that could wipe out the existence of humanity. 

Clean Water

Water covers 70% of the Earth, but only 3% of it is fresh, usable water. The other 67% is salt water. All these years, we have been living on that 3%, and, eventually,  it will run out. Water is one of the most basic and fundamental component for life. Without it, the majority of the organisms would be extincted. Humans can live without food for a few weeks, but we cannot go on without water for more than 2-3 days. We are using up our 3% of water, and we could be facing extinction very soon.

Clean water is water that is usable for hygiene, drinking, and other activities. Clean water, before arriving to our homes, is treated to remove chemicals, particles, bacteria, etc. We go on and use water, sometimes wasting them without thinking of the future. What if one day, water stops running in your pipelines? When you stop receiving freshwater, what would you do? Water pollution and drought are major impacts on the clean water supply. Water pollution happens every year. Untreated sewer leakages cost more than $50 billion dollars a year to get rid of. Also, factories dumping unsanitized waste into rivers (i.e dye, chemicals, radioactive waste.) This polluted water get pumped to homes and cause even more problems. Diseases, illness are spread into the systems of the people who drink this water. For example: The people that live in Africa has trouble getting clean water because of the weather and remote geography. The water they get are not sanitized through a system and, as a result, they get many waterborne diseases. In the U.S, the state of California is facing the worst drought they have ever seen in 1200 years. The state have issued a water restriction law to preserve water. The drought has been going on for 4 years. They could be facing total water cut very, very soon. California needs 11 trillion gallons of water to recover from this drought. That means they have to fill up the Dallas Cowboys Stadium 14 thousand times.

So what can we do? Water is running out, and we are just sitting here waiting for rain? Scientists have found a way to desalinate salt water, turning it into fresh water. The process is very complex and costly. You can turn 2 gallons of sea water into 1 gallon of fresh water. Preserving of water is crucial too. We should not waste water and be as efficient as possible when using water. Always remember that there are people out there, needing fresh water. Help save the world by preserving water!