Earth Day 2020
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. There are many milestones that we can celebrate and criticize. The world population has more than doubled, we’ve built up more than 54 million acres of natural land, increased crop and farm land.
All of which has diminished the amount of wildlife that exists and put us in closer proximity to which is still in existence. I do not have to tell you that outbreaks are more common, but you should know that 3/4 of new infectious diseases originate in animals (non-human).
But we are using more renewable energy. 32 times the amount of wind power and 400 times the amount of solar. While our forests and reefs are diminishing, we are taking more measures than ever to restore our forests and now we have over 10 million square miles of protected reefs and oceans. That’s a start, but by no means can we ease up. By no means are things going to get less difficult.
I cited animals as non-human to remind us that we are animals and we are part of the natural world. That should be no more obvious than it is now, during this pandemic. It is clearer now than ever; we are one world. This is a dark time for human life.
We will make it through this, and we will make the world a better place. We owe that to our children, our friends, our family. We owe that to the forest and fields we grew up playing in.
While this is a dark time, this morning we heard that scientist studying planets use darkness to help find new planets, to find new life. So with that, lets use the lessons we have learned and celebrate Earth Day safely.
What I’m reading:
The foot soldiers of the new environmental movement, The Washington Post
The ‘Profoundly Radical’ Message of Earth Day’s First Organizer, The New York TImes
