A Threat to the Natural Habitat of Opossums Due to Pollution

Table of Contents

Stating the Problem
Opossums Standpoint
The Harm Inflicted by Pollution
The Conversation
References

Stating the Problem

Pollution is one of the biggest problem humanity face, affecting the majority of Earths territory, which affects the climate change and has a direct influence on the wildlife.
Pollution affects air, water, soil, and livestock, which worsens the condition of human health as well as the health of thousands of opossums.
Annually, there are trillion gallons of trash is dumped in waters, poisonous production gas corrupts the air, and plastic trash contaminates the earth (Gardner, 2018). Pollution destroys animal habitats, reducing their natural food and water supplies.
For the reason that this phenomenon is so widespread, people can hear about new mutations more often, which directly affects the wildlife.
Because the natural habitat of opossums is gradually decreased due to the human actions, these animals can become a major problem in the cities, where trash is poorly managed and they are often consuming the waste. Nevertheless, they are useful by helping clean up spilled garbage and managing garden pests.

Opossums Standpoint

Pollution directly affects the quality of the needed products such as food and water. Moreover, micro plastic found in the water can cause opossums to die slowly and horribly.
Due to the lack of the clear water, opossums try to drink water from any possible source such as the sea, which is the reason they die at an alarming rate.
Plastic waste can look and smell like food, which is why some young animals consume them and die.
Some opossums can get stuck in trash humans so carelessly throw out on the streets and die of air deprivation.

The Harm Inflicted by Pollution

Air corruption makes the issue of global warming more severe, which can affect the wildlife and make some species extinct. Although opossums are perfectly able to survive, they are expanding North to avoid the hotter climate.
The gases emitted by some industries create a severe issue, that kills thousands of animals acid rains (Andersen, 2020). Not only it kills the animals directly, it also affects the soil and rodents, which is the food of opossums.
Pollution aggravates the smog issue in grand cities. While smog is active, opossums cannot move freely and they are often get hit by cars, which results in their death (Andersen, 2020).
As some of the animals are going extinct, there are considerably less food for the opossums, which makes it more difficult for them to survive.
(Concession) While it is true that there are clear evidence of the climate change and pollution, there are people, who do not share the same beliefs. They think that it is a part of conspiracy theory, and it could not be the reality, which is why they continue polluting air, soil, and water, making the opossums life more difficult.

The Conversation

Opossum: Why people feel the need to pollute everything they touch? You could hunt for food, walk, and generally live like in the past to save the environment.

Respondent: Well, in my opinion, the pollution is not real and humanity would surely not deny the modern amenities just to accommodate your needs.

Opossum: Pollution is real, if you truly open your eyes. Thousands of my brothers and sisters were forced to drink sea water and die just because there was not enough clear water around. The amount of food that is safe for eating is shortened by the day, since almost everything is affected by your weird plastic thingies and other waste. The air we breathe is more poisonous, there are acid rains that affect us, smog, that makes it hard to see and lots of other things.

Respondent: I had no idea that the problem is that grave. I think people would not refuse the comfort of the modern life because of the environmental concerns. However, I do think there is something humans are capable of. We could create more waste processing plants, that would transform trash into useful things and we would shorten the amount of pollution. As for the air, I think government should forbid releasing toxic chemicals into the air.

Opossum: I think we would appreciate that effort. It is a step in the right direction.