Where Did the Earth Go?
Authored by Dana Marie LaRose
The year was 2030. Naomi, a young creature from a distant galaxy decided to go exploring to see an old place she had visited once before.
“Wow! What happened here? I came to this place a few years ago with my family on vacation and it was well, it was really different. I need to find someone to clear things up. Maybe I’m lost.”
“Hey you! Can you help me out?” shouted Naomi at what looked like a pile of rusty scrap metal.
“Surely! I am Meep, one of the last remaining robots here on Earth. What questions do you have for me?”
“Well, hi first. My name is Naomi. I am trying to figure out what exactly happened here”
“Very nice to make your acquaintance, young one. Let me tell you a story of the Earth and its inhabitants . You might want to sit down for this one. Maybe get some popcorn or some other sustenance of the like,” said Meep as his cogs and gears turned trying to speak the story of the lost Earth.
“Humans are a relatively new species as far as the Earth is concerned. The Earth has been around for about 4.6 billion years but humans did not call it home until 2 million years ago.”
Naomi stared at the wall of rocks as Meep projected images of the first humans and their lives on Earth.
“Ok, so the humans are like guests in this place. I got that. But everything used to be so green and lush. That still does not explain what happened.”
“In due time my dear,” Meep answered Naomi. “The Earth was as you said but humans changed it. The human population began to exponentially expand and humans began to use resources at an alarming rate. As their need for food and space increased, they became rather bad house guests,” sighed Meep as his wheels turned and he gestured to the empty land.
“But I don’t understand. The Earth seems plenty big enough to me and it was so beautiful!” Naomi cried.
“Humans where selfish creatures, young one. I will start by explaining the process of deforestation to you…
“With the human population growing, there was a need for more habitats. Humans made their way toward the forests, lush and full of tree and animals. The humans needed to build homes so their primitive robots, those of us who did not understand the consequences, cut down the trees and drove the animals from the forest. This caused many consequences.” Cogs and gears moved furiously as Meep explained his story.
“Besides the obvious fact that this process decreased the amount of homes for the animas that were there first, it also caused other problems. What do you know of photosynthesis , young one?” Meep asked Naomi.
“I know it has something to do with plants. Um, isn’t how they make their food? I think I remember them using carbon dioxide for that kind of like we use oxygen to breathe, right?”
“Yes, young one,” Meep replied. “When humans cut down the trees, much of the carbon dioxide the trees used just hung in the air.”
“But Meep, why was that a bad thing?”
“A bit impatient are we? Well, when carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere, it creates something almost like a layer of gas. Normally when the sun’s rays hit the Earth, some are absorbed and some bounce back to space. This layer of carbon dioxide gas blocks the sun’s rays from returning to space. If they cannot return, they bounce back to the Earth, thus increasing the Earth’s temperature.”
“So again, why is that bad? I like the warm weather! That means I could sit on the beach everyday and always be tan. I do not understand.”
“You are so very similar to the humans, young one. This warmer temperature causes the polar ice caps to melt. When they melted many animals lost their homes. In addition, the sea levels began to rise and many islands went underwater creating again, fewer homes for the Earth’s inhabitants.”
“Oh, I am beginning to understand…”
“So what happened next?” asked Naomi.
“The Earth’s temperature was beginning to rise without the humans doing much about it. Many things began to happen at the same time. There was pollution, depletion of the ozone layer and eutrophication . The Earth was becoming more and more unstable as each day went on. As creatures started dying,biodiversity was decreasing drastically and soon enough, disease whipped out the living creatures and left the Earth how you now see it.”
Naomi looked up at the robot made of steel shinning in the hot sun. She was scared and nervous. “Meep…please explain these things to me. I do not want any of this to happen to my planet, please”
“Pollution was the main cause of many of these things. Humans used many products containing cholorflurocarbons , or CFC’s. These molecules slowly ate away at the Earth’s ozone layer. With no ozone layer to protect Earth’s inhabitant from harmful rays from the sun, they began to die from UV and Gamma radiation .”
Naomi took out her writing device and began scribbling away taking as many notes as she could. She had to make sure this did not happen to her home.
Meep continued. “When the human’s pollution reached the ocean, their wastes sat on top of the water. The garbage blocked the sunlight so that the plants in the water could not perform photosynthesis. When the plants could not let out oxygen, the fish in the water began to die along with the plants. This is the process called eutrophication.”
Naomi imagined her planet without fish and plants and other beautiful creatures. The thought was almost too much for her to bear but she knew she had to continue listening to Meep’s story.
“In addition to the pollution in the water, humans stopped recycling as well. Their plastics ended up on the beaches and sea animals and birds began to consume the plastic. I remember seeing a news article one day. They had cut open a pelican, a sea bird, and its stomach was full of plastic waste. Such a shame.”
“That is truly awful,” Naomi replied. “Why wasn’t anything done?”
“Like I said earlier, young one, humans were selfish creatures. They were not the ones dying so they did not care. As humans began to become ill, they noticed that many of the plant species that they had used for medicine where no longer alive. Animals that they would use for food also began to dwindle in numbers. This drastic decrease in the variety of the population, or biodiversity, was the ultimate mistake of mankind. Without the delicate balance of nature to keep the world going, humans began to die off as well, until we are left with what you see before you.”
“I have to get back and share this with my planet. I cannot let what happened here happen to my friends and family. I will make sure everyone is aware so that this can be avoided and that we do not make the mistakes that the humans did. Thank you for sharing your story Meep.”
“You are indeed wise beyond your years,” Meep replied. If the humans had been aware of their destruction, if they had come together as one as you plan to do with your planet they would have avoided this travesty . Your future is bright young Naomi. Take your message with you and you will do well.”
With that last sentence, the gears that had allowed Meep to tell his story began to stop turning. The clicking of the projecting pictures slowed and the robots arms feel to its sides. Naomi ran as fast as she could to her ship and made her way back to her planet as fast as she could, never looking back at the barren land behind her that was once such an amazing place.
References:
All glossary definitions from dictionary.com
Pictures sources are cited individually after each picture
THE END