Earth Day 2021
The Earth is the one thing that we all have in common. It is our home and connects us to one another. Without it we would simply cease to exist. However from the 1900s as technologies began to develop and manufacturing started to advance, the world has suffered immense changes at our hands. From destroying forests and expanding human settlement, to plastic pollution and exploitation of resources, we have gradually been depleting the Earth of its’ beauty that we all rely on every single day, whether we recognise it or not. Earth Day reminds us to admire the planet we have the honour of living on and encourages us to develop more sustainable practices to help restore some of the vital resources we have needlessly destroyed. In this blog I shall outline how Earth Day was established and discuss why it is so important in shaping an environmentally rich future.
The History of Earth Day:
Earth Day was originally only held in America and the concept was first voiced in 1969 after an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. The senator at the time, Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin and founder of Earth Day, witnessed the impact of this spill on both sea and land and wanted to use this case to raise public awareness about the increasing issue of air and water pollution. Students at the time were already protesting for the environment, so he brought young activist Denis Hayes on board to try and maximise student participation. Additionally, Hayes was aware that holding protests would need to occur at a time that best suited the students, hence April 22nd was chosen as it fell between the spring break and the final year examination periods.
Therefore the first Earth Day was held in 1970. The name gradually grabbed the attention of the media which in turn encouraged a further 20 million Americans to get involved in the movement. Protests were organised to raise awareness of the deterioration of the environment resulting from 150 years worth of impact from industrial development, which inevitably was also beginning to have implications on human health. Environmental organisations that had already been fighting against events such as oil spills, pollution of waterways, dumping of toxic waste, and increased use of pesticides, all united as Earth Day provided a platform for them to share their common values with the general public.
The first Earth Day was a large success and even led to the creation of many environmental policies and acts. The United States Environmental Protection Agency was formed as a result of the movement and the first ever environmental laws were introduced including; the National Environmental Education Act, The Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Clean Air Act. In the years after more and more policies came into force including: The Clean Water Act, The Endangered Species Act and The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. These acts have protected millions of people from disease whist also saving many species from extinction.
It was only in 1990 that Earth Day became a global concept. Denis Hayes and many environmental leaders collaborated to campaign for a brighter future for the planet. This led to Earth Day being held in 141 countries across the globe and helped to boost recycling efforts worldwide, as well as initiating the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro. This revolutionary summit brought political leaders, scientists, non-governmental organisations and many others from 179 countries together, to discuss the impact of humans’ socio-economic activities on the environment and what could be done to offset this impact in the future. This event highlighted the importance of sustainability and how it should be attained across the globe, whilst also identifying why it is crucial for the continuation of human life on Earth. There was recognition that perceptions needed to be altered around the way humans consume natural resources, and the way we collectively live, work and make decisions. The main result of this conference was Agenda 21; a document containing 40 chapters outlining strategies for countries to consider following in order to achieve sustainable development within the 21st Century. It covers various social issues and how they should be approached, guidance for economic development, and ways in which natural resources should be preserved.
By the year 2000, 5000 environmental groups from 184 countries were involved in Earth Day and it’s activities, encouraging millions of people to look into their way of living and sending a message to world leaders that the treatment of the natural world plays a critical role in our livelihoods. Nevertheless, whilst Earth Day has led to many positive actions being implemented, it has not been without setbacks. 2010 in particular was a difficult year as those striving for a better environmental future had to fight against those denying climate change exists, stand against lobbyists for oil drilling who had plenty of money to back their opinions, and try to get their voices heard by reserved politicians who looked the other way due to fear of public judgement.
This is when it was decided that Earth Day should not just be a day, but an organisation and so Earthday.org was created. Earth Day was re-established as a global movement for the environment and began providing new opportunities for community engagement and volunteering across 193 countries. Every year more and more people get involved and we now have a new generation of young people who refuse to let world leaders ignore the apparent signs of climate change on the planet. Today we are even more equipped to engage and inspire as social media platforms allow us to connect with people from all over the world at our fingertips. Our digital lifestyle allows us to educate in new ways and provide resources to people of all ages so that they have the tools, information and materials required to make a difference and drive change.
Why is Earth Day so important?
Humans have quickly dominated the world, drastically decimating wildlife populations and replacing natural space with our own settlements. However as the last year has proved, we are still a very vulnerable species. Without the creation of Earth Day and the subsequent documents that have arisen as a result, such as the Paris Agreement and the implementation of environmental laws and policies, the planet would be even more depleted. It is likely that if these laws had not come into force as a result of the Earth Day movement then oil spills, pollution, smog and toxic waste would still be damaging the environment to a great extent; more so than it is today. As a result many species would no longer be here and ecosystems would potentially already be in collapse. However, global carbon dioxide emissions still need to drop by 7.6% every year to ensure the global temperature doesn’t rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally if we wish to live a future without further global pandemics restricting our daily activities and interaction with friends and family, a lot more needs to be done.
The Paris Agreement is the first legally binding international treaty on climate change which was signed by 195 parties in 2015, before coming into force in 2016. For the first time ever it brought all nations together to collectively work on developing goals and strategies that will work towards combatting the increasing impact of global warming on the planet. This agreement puts pressure on each nation to contribute towards global sustainability. Without it, some countries may be more successful than others due to differences in economies, however with the help of each other, they can collectively ensure that even developing countries are able to achieve some of these goals.
How will the continuation of Earth Day impact our future and our relationship with nature?
Many nations have struggled to make headway with both the Paris Agreement and The Sustainable Development Goals. However, the timescales implemented by the Paris Agreement will continue to push countries to adapt to a greener future. Last year all countries had to have submitted their plans for climate action and how it will be achieved. Additionally from 2024, countries that have agreed to the Enhanced Transparency Framework will have to provide transparent reports on what actions they have taken towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, and the progress they have made towards climate change mitigation measures as a result.
There have also been many positive steps taken already, in particular when it comes to creating zero-waste and low-carbon alternatives. For example in the last few years we have seen an increase in the amount of hybrid and fully electric cars available, and as more are being designed and manufactured the cost of buying and running these alternatives for us will continue to reduce. Likewise we have seen a large increase in renewable energy. Just the other week, on Easter Monday, the UK reported it’s greenest day yet with an incredible 60% of electricity provided to all households coming from either wind or solar farms. These are really positive steps and show that change is possible and does work. As more and more people work to develop new and innovative ways of living sustainably, I am excited to see what other changes could occur in the near future.
So what can we do as individuals?
The pandemic actually provides a perfect time for us to work towards a greener and cleaner future in an attempt to restore biodiversity and prevent future outbreaks.
We can educate ourselves if we don’t already know about the global climate crisis. The more we know about the issues the world is facing, the more we can make justified decisions and begin implementing changes in our lives. We can also try and reduce our carbon footprints or at least try to offset them slightly. The figure below gives you some ideas of how you can start improving your environmental footprint.
Participating in Earth Day will help you gain a greater understanding of what has already been done and what still needs to happen if we are to see nature restored. There are many events taking place for Earth Day this year which you can access here: Earth Day 2021 | Restore Our Earth™ | EARTHDAY.ORG as well as many other articles and resources which can be found here: Education Resource Library | Earth Day.
Earth Day and the agencies, laws and agreements signed to date show just how much can be achieved if we all come together and demand action. Climate change will impact all of us, but if we continue to put pressure on our governments by changing the way we consume resources and pushing for better environmental policies, we can all help to create a world where biodiversity bounces back and nature can become a clean and vibrant space for us to enjoy, just as we did so much during lockdown last year.
I know this blog has been a rather long one, so if you have managed to get to this point, then thank you! I hope you have a wonderful Earth Day, and as usual I have put the links to the resources I used in the reference section below should you wish to read even more!
References
www.earthday.org/history/
www.un.org/en/conferences/environment/rio1992
www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/agenda-21
sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf
To find out more about the Sustainable Development Goals, use this link: Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals – United Nations Sustainable Development