If not now, when?

It's another day at home, at school, or at work. You open your social media feed and see another inspirational post from that fitness page you follow. There's a picture of a thin woman with popping abs who tells you that if you don't start working towards your goals today, when will you ever? You want to be healthy, right? You want to look great, right? Then get on the treadmill now! Put that donut down right this instant! Don't tell yourself you'll start tomorrow or in a week or in a month!

If you allow yourself to indulge in unhealthy habits today, you'll never break them. If you don't start making change, nothing will ever happen, and you won't have popping abs like Tiffany on Instagram.

The same can be said about our planet.

Our planet is extremely unhealthy, and humans are the reason for it. No, the scientists are not conflicted. They all agree that we are polluting the air, running out of water, and raising the sea levels. For years now, we've had all the data we need to prove that global temperatures are increasing, and that this increase in temperature is affecting climates all over the world, for the worse.

We are producing plastic that cannot be decomposed. We are tearing down forests and destroying the habitats and ecosystems of other species. We are spewing carbon emissions into the atmosphere faster than can be taken out. We are melting glaciers and sea ice and causing ocean water to rise. We are degrading our soil with unsustainable agricultural practices. We are killing ourselves and everything else on this planet, and it needs to stop.

Just like we tell ourselves we will go to the gym next week, we stall action against climate change. Just like we indulge in more junk food (it's just one cookie!), we continue to consume plastic at unsustainable rates. Just like we ignore salads for pizzas, we ignore renewable sources of energy for non-renewable ones. Just like we continue to pollute our bodies, we continue to pollute the only world we have access to.

The worst part about this, is that there are people profiting off of it. Fast food companies don't want you to go to the gym; they want you to continue to eat their deliciously unhealthy products. They take advantage of our addiction to junk food, and our lack of motivation to break away from it.

Guess who profits off of climate change and environmental destruction? The lawn industry. Oil companies. The plastic water bottle industry. They make more money by convincing the public that the scientists are divides as to the real cause of climate change, all the while exploiting our resources and accelerating the warming of our planet. But as I said earlier, the scientists agree. The very humans that are the cause of climate change lead these corporations and industries.

What is the point of delaying getting that summer body? Every day that passes is one closer to the summer of disappointment because you didn't put down your milkshake and start making proactive decisions about your health. And every day that passes is one closer to the end of humanity, one that won't be swift either. In fact, it's happening right as we sit on our butts deciding wether or not to put a cap on carbon emissions. We just don't hear about it because it's happening to people in impoverished, third world countries. All over, people are dying of starvation, natural disasters, and lack of water. And amidst this death and destruction, people are wondering: why didn't we act sooner?

We have the resources. We have the information. All we need is the action of our leaders to set in stone the changes that need to happen to secure a sustainable future for the generations to come.

Now go hit the solar-powered gym, and don't forget to bring your refillable water bottle!

Original photo credited to @anushgorak on Instagram.