For centuries, the earth has tormented mankind. It has murdered countless victims with earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and many other natural disasters. In the summer, it allows the temperature to become too high, causing heatstroke. In the winter, it has allowed the temperature to fall too low, causing many people to die of hypothermia.
However, we have the ability to punish the earth and correct its poor behavior. As Rachel Carson says in her book Silent Spring, "Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species, man, acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world." We can alter earth's nature by emitting copious amounts of pollution. Only then, after punishment, will the earth learn to respect us.