Look closely at the picture, observe that brown band to the right. The bluish-white speck you see is the EARTH you and I live on. The picture is named the PALE BLUE DOT; a photograph of Earth taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 Space Probe. from about 6 billion kilometres away.
In the photograph, Earth's apparent size is less than a pixel; the planet appears as a tiny dot against the vastness of space, among bands of sunlight scattered by the camera's optics.
To think this is our world, our history, our inheritance and our legacy. A place where we dream to be and become. A place where we plan to conquer and dominate. A place where we want to be known, crave significance and win the approval of the people therein.
We love the earth so much that we are constantly on the search for that elixir that will keep us forever in it. Yet what are we doing with the opportunity afforded us on this green platform?
We have plundered mother nature; cutting the trees without replanting. We have littered the land surfaces and oceans, depositing toxic chemicals and contaminants through our selfish activities. We keep flaring gases, contributing to the greenhouse gases emission through our vehicles and other utilities we can do without.
We treat the Earth carelessly to preserve our lives forgetting that it is the only platform we have to live. If the Earth dies, we die with it! So, why not choose to be the one to care for the environment.
We think the earth is so big and our little activity at one corner won't hurt anyone...try placing a finger on that Pale blue dot and check if you can see it anymore. Of course, you can't! The Earth is so small that what you do affects every part of it. And guess what, it's a boomerang!
What you do to Earth it gives back to you. You give it excess Carbon gases, it gives you acid rain and global warming. You give it trees and less dirt, it gives you oxygen and freshness.
Take a stand to care for Earth, pledge to live simply and moderately. Reduce your waste, dispose of your waste properly, recycle materials that you can, do not buy what you don't need, engage in various activities that will reduce pollution, plant trees and become an ambassador for a clean Earth.
Let us care for our Pale Blue Dot else it might just be lost in the vastness of space -- along with us, and everything we have and will ever hold dear.
It's #EARTHDAY2016 reaffirm your stance for the environmental protection.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Owoeye Josiah Abolade is an environmental biologist and public health expert in the Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. He is an advocate for green Nigeria as a volunteer for Green Campus Initiative.