It’s obvious that people want to live in a healthy, happy world. Yet, we look around and see how quickly technological advancement is destroying the world. It’s a battle that we’ve been fighting for decades, but with the skyrocketing in artificial intelligence, the world needs our help more than ever.

There are many pressing environmental issues that we face today. While everything has become way more convenient, the Earth has been suffering challenges from climate change, deforestation, pollution and loss of biodiversity, all caused by humans. 

Clearly, in a perfect world, we could advance technology without killing our planet, but since this isn’t a perfect world, we must find ways to save the environment and become more conscious of how our actions affect Earth. 

No one can honestly say they don’t do anything that harms the environment. It is not realistic to ask people to uproot everything they have, because doing so would have negative effects on the world. What we can do is evaluate our lifestyles and find ways to adopt safer, more environmentally friendly options. 

One of the best ways to protect the environment is to stop the overuse of artificial intelligence. Not all uses of AI are inherently bad. There are many ways that AI has been helpful and beneficial for a variety of trades. Although AI can have positive effects and make work much more efficient, many people use it in ways that offer no benefit to the world. 

There are hundreds of videos and images generated by artificial intelligence, just to see what it looks like or to create social media content. Many use AI to write entirely or to do “busy work”. This is hindering creativity and seriously killing the environment. The proliferating data centres that house AI servers produce electronic waste and they are large consumers of water. They rely on critical minerals and rare elements and they use massive amounts of electricity, spurring the emission of planet-warming greenhouse gases. 

Seeing bunnies jumping on a trampoline is not worth the cost to the environment. Reducing the use of AI can truly start to stop the major damage it is causing the world. Let’s critically think about how we are using this technology and start using our minds again. 

It may be easier said than done, but considering how we get around every day can help reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Carpooling and public transportation are both great alternatives to everyday travel that are healthier for the planet. While the subway, train, and even bus may be more accessible in certain cities, biking and walking are perfect ways to travel green, as they don’t produce greenhouse gas emissions. These can also help keep us active, which, in turn, supports our physical health.

Some of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint are to reduce, reuse and recycle. Since elementary school, we have been taught to keep our environment clean using these three tactics. Electronics, clothes, plastics and other items we buy cause carbon emissions at each point in production. Everything we have affects the environment. 

To protect our world, buy fewer things, shop secondhand, and repair what we can. Plastics are a common material used for everyday goods, but once discarded, they can linger for hundreds of years. It’s important to be aware of what we are throwing away and what we can reuse or recycle instead. 

If we do so many things that harm the environment, why don’t we just stop? Well, it isn’t that easy and it certainly isn’t that convenient. Most people believe that economic opportunities grow with technological advancements and deforestation, but the truth is that nature offers even more benefits that greatly impact the economy. Farming, forestry, leisure and tourism are all ways nature has proven itself. Instead of making decisions based on short-term financial interests, we can look at the longer-term benefits for people, the economy and nature itself.

It is important that we value nature, as it underpins our economy, society and our very existence. The world provides us with everything we need to survive, and more, that we depend on for our health and happiness. Let’s stop taking it for granted and start looking at the value of nature.

Jocelynn Messersmith is a sophomore journalism and broadcast double major. You can reach her at jocelynnmessersmith@dailynebraskan.com.