Why we need to care more about endangered species and environmental news
Photo courtesy of Ron Lach/Pexels
Lately, headlines have been dominated by concerning and vile news stories. While this news is severely important and action needs to be taken, it often seems that environmental news is left neglected by major news channels.
Currently, “over 1,300 different species in the United States are listed as endangered or threatened,” as stated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many of these species are failing to recover, and a majority of the reason lies with human actions.
I believe that we owe it to these animals to care more—to talk about it more. I rarely see major news sites discussing endangered species or what actions can be taken, but I always see discussions of war, injustice, and violence. Why does one issue take precedence over the other when all of these issues are equally important?
I feel as though this is because animals are the ones being endangered; people place a lesser value on their lives than they do on the lives of humans. This is absolutely ridiculous and disgusting because humanity would not exist without the existence of most of these animals.
Animals are the backbone of the ecosystems that we thrive in, and by pushing some of these species to extinction, we are disrupting that ecosystem for selfish desires. For example, wetlands in Florida have been destroyed to make room for buildings and other purposes. This destruction to the wetlands has pushed out many native species and has driven other species to near-extinction.
It can be unclear what impact losing certain species will have on the ecosystem. This effect becomes even more dangerous when keystone species are the ones being threatened, as it can be nearly impossible to recover an ecosystem if keystone species go extinct. All humans are a part of an ecosystem and by continuing to drive species to extinction, we are destroying the planet and our chance at long-term survival.
As someone who is truly enamored by animals, it deeply saddens me to read about how many endangered species population sizes are dwindling. A species going extinct should incite more anger and sadness, but I often find that people do not seem to care, or even notice. Have news sources become so populated by other news that the survival of many species goes unreported and unrecognized by them?
A quick Google search on current events shows me plenty of global and national news stories, but I do not see any environmental news within the top results. Many of these species have existed before humans and it is bizarre to realize that their existence goes unnoticed. If news stations acknowledged animals and their existence more frequently, their chances of survival would increase.
People are not receiving enough information on endangered species and animal welfare to care enough. Many often get their news from social media or only look at the most recent/popular news articles—which often excludes environmental news. By pushing these articles to the top of news pages, more awareness would be spread.
Furthermore, it is very difficult to imagine a world without animals. Some of the most recognizable and iconic animals are listed as endangered or threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, such as tigers, zebras, orcas, lions, elephants, and so many more. This list will only continue to grow if more action is not taken to protect the world's animals.