text: My mom used to tell me this story about her home planet, Earth. She told me all about this once magnificent planet, but when I looked out of my spaceship window, all I saw was a scary ball of flames that used to hold beautiful, green trees, vast oceans, and oxygen that seemed to last forever. The humans needed to eat for fuel, drink water to live, and oxygen to breathe. Mom said that Earth was home to many families, children went to school, and everyone was happy at one point. But one day, Earth changed. It wasn’t all of a sudden, but certain events led up to this moment. The humans would cut down trees for their buildings like stores and houses. They learned how to make paper from trees and would cut down about 15 billion trees each year. My mom would show me a picture of a tree and it looked gorgeous. It looked so alive and green that I couldn’t believe it even existed on the toxic planet. She told me that birds of all colors and sizes would live on the trees and sing happy songs. Mom would smile at the picture and then become sad, saying that one day, there were no more trees the humans could cut down, and it caused many problems. The humans couldn’t breathe in carbon dioxide because it was toxic to them. But CO2 levels on Earth had gotten so high that not many of them could survive. A lot of the humans had a hard time breathing and it even got to the point where they had to always wear oxygen masks to live. You see, the trees that they cut down inhaled carbon dioxide and exhaled oxygen. If the humans hadn’t cut down all of their trees, there would still be air for them to breathe. Animals also lived in these trees, sheltering and protecting them. Mom said that the humans could have recycled their products, try to use cloths instead of paper items, and plant more trees to avoid what happened. Another problem that contributed to the humans’ air quality is their use of fossil fuels. They used it to heat their homes, produce electricity, and as gas for their cars. One tank of gasoline could take their car hundreds of miles. The humans used fossil fuels so much because it didn’t take much processing to make. What they didn’t know was that fossil fuels released a lot of harmful by-products, creating pollution and affecting their air quality. Fossil fuels are also a non-renewable resource, meaning once you use them, they’re gone. The humans were also using fossil fuels much faster than they could be made. What the humans could have used instead of fossil fuels are renewable energy sources, meaning resources that can be naturally made over a short period. Some examples are solar panels and wind turbines. If the humans used these resources, they could have had more time on their planet. Mom said that Earth used to have blue, massive oceans. She would show me a picture of her next to something called a “beach.” It had blue water and huge waves, like something from my dad’s old history books. The oceans provided water and had sea creatures like sharks, fish, and octopus’ that have 8 legs! I find that hard to believe but if they did, the creatures are long gone now. The oceans also produced oxygen for the humans to breathe. There are a few theories about how the oceans changed drastically, but here is one: carbon dioxide. With so much carbon dioxide on Earth, it could have turned into ice and covered the oceans. Eventually, as it gets warmer, the ice would melt and evaporate. If the humans had done as was suggested before to decrease their levels of CO2 on their planet, maybe they would still have one. Maybe I would also have experienced this “Great Earth.” Eventually, the human population decreased so much that there were not many left. They couldn’t live without the oxygen their trees provided and the water and air their oceans gave. The humans had only one planet and now it’s gone. My mom and dad were astronauts when the downfall of Earth happened and got on a rocket ship to live in space. My daily life is to wake up, make sure my space suit is intact, and check to see if I have enough oxygen for the day. Sometimes it’s annoying because the stuffy suit would get in the way of the things I need to do like schoolwork. Mom and Dad would switch off teaching me different subjects, but I loved learning about Earth. If Earth was my planet, I would have definitely taken good care of it for future generations to enjoy nature’s beauty. The humans only got one planet and it’s not easy getting another one once you have destroyed it. I don’t even think you could get another one! My parents told me that back then on Earth, humans didn’t have to go through the hassle of paying and caring for an oxygen tank. It’s second nature to me though. I’m jealous of those humans on Earth; they got free oxygen just from big, green trees and were able to swim in the vast, blue oceans. Dad tells me that one day I might be able to go to Earth and experience its beautiful nature, but I could tell he doubts that would happen because of the unlivable toxic atmosphere. I was born and raised in this rocket and never got to see rainforests or feel the wind of the beach, but I heard that it’s amazing. I could only hope and pray that I would have those luxuries. Breathe in fresh air from trees instead of the air of oxygen tanks. I want to feel the sun on my skin without getting burned because the ozone layer is basically gone on Earth. Earth didn’t wait for the humans to change their ways, so it showed them a life without it.