The study of Earth science is important for all people because people have a vital relationship with their biosphere or ecosphere. The biosphere is the part of Earth where people live and work and raise their families. The biosphere is also home to all other living organisms.
Biosphere consists of the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the soil that grows the foods you eat. Without the vital health of the these important components to life – air, water, and soil – humans will also not sustain their vital health; and this complex interrelation of the biosphere to human interaction holds the key to sustainable life on Earth.
Earth in order to sustain its biosphere is a continually renewable system, recyling itself over and over again in order to maintain its balance as an ecosystem, but if humans continue the degradation of Earth and continually deplete Earth’s resources, Earth will not be able to continue this natural evolutionary cycle of rebirth, since it is a closed system depending on its own resources; whereas humans and all living organisms depend on Earth’s balance for survival.
Earth science consists of the study of all the components of Earth. It is important to know how Earth works for people to understand their relationship to Earth and why they need to know about Earth in order to protect the Earth.
How can humans protect the Earth and why should they protect the Earth? Human beings above all other animals on Earth have the ability to think and to create. They can think and create in positive ways or in negative ways. If humans do not know how Earth works, they will continue to degradate the Earth’s biosphere until there is nothing good left in the biosphere to sustain life.
Protecting the Earth consists of knowing how Earth works and doing all the things necessary to keep the Earth and its biosphere in good health in order to keep humans in good health and to sustain life on earth.
Sustaining life on Earth
In order to sustain life on Earth, all human beings need to be actively involved in sustainable living. Without sustainable living, life on Earth will not continue. With soil and water systems rapidly being depleted, how would it be possible to sustain life?
Human beings and all organisms within the biosphere of living Earth need unpolluted air to breathe. With the depletion of trees and rainforests, the oxygen needed to sustain life is depleted. With vast desertification and soil erosion comes tainted water supplies causing disease and pestilence; and land that will not grow the foods needed to sustain life. With disease and pestilence comes humans who are so sick and weak that they cannot even sustain the three basic needs of life – food, clothing, and shelter. In order to live active and productive lives, people must be able to have their three basic needs met before they can go on to bigger things in life such as realizing their full potentials as human beings.
Conclusion
Therefore, it is essential that Earth science be taught in the earliest grades possible and continued throughout school giving students more and more advanced insight into how Earth works; and giving them the responsibility for caring for and protecting Earth for all future generations of people to come.
Additionally all people should continue their education in Earth science as adults; and if they haven’t received their Earth science education in school they should be actively seeking to educate themselves through many organizations that provide information on protecting and sustaining planet Earth and its biosphere.
Outreach by environmental organizations would also be a solution to bringing all people into the loop of caring and protecting planet Earth.
Additional references:
Miller, G. Tyler, Jr., Living in the Environment, Tenth edition, Wadsworth Publishing Company, US, 1998.
Scott, Foresman, Earth Science, Teacher’s edition, Scott, Foresman and Company, Glenview, Illinois, 1983.
