17. Reading. How rubbish is destroying our world

Have you ever seen paper, cans, food wrappers or other litter in the street? What do you feel at such a moment? It’s good if you feel angry or upset. It’s great if you don’t drop litter yourself and do something to protect nature from rubbish.

 

People throw away tons of rubbish every day and don’t realise how harmful it is to the environment, their own health and life. First of all, rubbish is one of the causes of climate change. If we don’t recycle our waste, it goes to landfills. As the rubbish breaks down, these landfills emit greenhouse gases such as methane gas.

 

Greenhouse gases are like a blanket around the Earth. They keep our planet warm. This is a good thing because it helps us live comfortably. However, when there are too many greenhouse gases in the air, they make the Earth too warm. These extra gases from rubbish make the blanket thicker, trapping even more heat. This extra heat can cause the Earth's temperature to rise, leading to climate change.

 

As a result, glaciers start melting, which makes sea levels rise. This can destroy cities and buildings near the coast. Climate change affects animals and plants. Some animals lose their natural habitat, and they may not find enough food or a good place to live because of the changing climate.

 

Moreover, a lot of rubbish goes to rivers, seas, and oceans. As we know, half of the Earth’s oxygen comes from the ocean, from plankton, to be more exact. These small organisms absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. But they can’t do it properly because of the rubbish.

 

As we see, rubbish causes a lot of damage to nature. It's important to start making changes right now by recycling waste and reducing the number of things we use.