TOEFL essay: Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed(damaged) by human activity. Others that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

The quality of human life has improved greatly over the past few centuries, but Earth is being harmed more and more by human activity. As we develop our technology, we demand more from our planet. Eventually, this will harm people as well.

Our planet gives us everything we need, but natural resources are not endless. Strip mining devastates whole regions, leaving bare and useless ground. Deforestation removes old growth trees that can't be replaced. Too much fishing may harm fish populations to the point where they can't recover. We are too careless in taking what we want without giving anything back.

There are more people than ever, living longer that ever. So is it any surprise that many areas suffer from too much development? Anyone living in or near a city has experienced "urban sprawl". There is a new shopping area on every corner and new houses, townhouses and apartments everywhere. Traffic gets worse and worse because planners can't keep up with growth. Keeping up with human demand is hard enough. Environmental concerns come in last.

With growth comes pollution. Companies and communities dump waste into water. Landfills are full of trash. Emissions from factories pollute the air. Barrels of industrial waste and worse, radioactive waste, have no safe place to go. If we're not careful, we can harm
our planet beyond repair.

People need to respect the Earth and try to preserve it. If we don't, what kind of future will we have?