The problem of human influence on the environment is one of the most pressing problems of our time. I wish to remind you that this is a long-standing problem, but it has only become particularly relevant in recent years. Planet Earth belongs equally to man and to all other living beings. We should not doubt the importance of preserving the Earth, because no earthling is going to leave for another planet. We forget that polluting rivers and lakes, the atmosphere, and the soil is what affects our lives, our future, and the health of our children and animals.

We breathe polluted air, drink unclean water, and eat unhealthy foods. This is the reason for the decline in life expectancy, as well as the development of dangerous genetic disorders. This human attitude to nature is responsible for the increased birth of children with various illnesses. Nevertheless, if we start to think more often about the problems of the environment, we can avoid many of the problems of our time, and we can make good conditions for the future inhabitants of this unique planet. Progress is a permanent process, and human beings are developing new technologies, thereby causing enormous damage to the biosphere. However, we can rejoice that so-called green technologies are beginning to evolve. These are the technologies of the future. It’s a sign that a man is beginning to care about his home planet.

We can find evidence of the importance of love and care for nature in both fiction and life. I want to remind you that Russian classical literature is intended to foster a love of nature in its readers. Even a hundred years ago, writers thought it was the most important quality of any human being. Let me give you a simple example. The novel by Ivan Turgenev under the name “Fathers and sons” has the main hero by name Evgeniy Bazarov, who said that nature is not a temple, but a workshop, and the human in this temple is an employee. This character died because of this phrase.

We can conclude that the issue of human influence on the environment is becoming invisible. Yet millions of years will be needed for the complete restoration of our planet Earth. This number equals the number of years that the history of evolution has taken. Human has caused irreparable damage to nature, but we can stop destroying all life. This will be a good basis for us to start to have a chance for a happy future.