There's no denying that we humans are hard on our environment. Sometimes I wonder why so many of us treat the earth with such disdain. You can see morons pitch cigarette butts from their car windows on a daily basis, and some folks even toss fast food garbage to the ground like it's no concern of theirs. Where did these people come from? And more importantly, why don't they care about our phenomenal planet? There really aren't any others we can realistically inhabit. Unless you want to spend your days and nights completely indoors like on "Total Recall." No thanks! My point is that we have numerous environmental issues that require more attention than we're giving. It's time the world woke up, before there is no world at all.

Granted there are countless environmental issues such as global warming, deforestation, the ozone layer, water pollution and animal extinction, but the one I want to discuss is plain old pollution. This is probably due to the fact that it's what I generally encounter. Day after day I spot litter bugs. And while I would like to have them deported, that's not a realistic option. I suppose the real dilemma at-hand is apathy. Far too many people just don't care. If you haven't already noticed, most individuals are only concerned with what is theirs. If it is not in their possession and it doesn't affect them directly, they don't care. They have no reason to. Clearly this is very selfish, but it is the way people have become. The question is; how do we change this?

Well, as far as the pollution epidemic goes, I say this is one of the most common environmental issues that can be solved with stricter punishment. When all else fails, stronger negative reinforcement should do the trick. If a fine for littering is currently 250 dollars, make it 2500 dollars. Once a few people have to pay it, many people will be less likely to commit this crime. Yes I did say crime, because it's a crime on the planet. A victim who can't fight back. It's also likely that other environmental issues would be reduced through stronger punishment as well. Let's stand up for the world we live in. We only have one!