Why Earth Day is more important than ever

Yesterday, Earth Day 2020, was the 50th anniversary of the holiday and the signing of the Paris agreement which in turn fueled the beginnings of climate action on our planet. Environmentalism, arguably the most successful social movement in modern history, has a lot of work to do. According to the United Nations Emissions Gap Report in 2019, global CO2 emissions must fall, and continue to fall, by 7.6% each year in order for our planet to keep global heating under 1.5 degrees Celsius. As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, many people around the world are now reflecting on the environmental impacts of our everyday life as we step away. “The pandemic is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of humans and the planet in the face of global-scale threats.” Scientists have statistically proven relationships between the health of our planet and the health of the flora and fauna in the present area – the better we take care of our planet, the fewer things like COVID-19 occur. In 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, people all around the world were outraged by smog, oil spills, pollution, and animal rights issues. 20 million people took to the streets, protesting the lack of legislative action towards environmental policy – eventually pressuring governments across the globe to begin establishing environmental agencies and laws. The events leading to the founding of Earth Day in 1970, really show the power of what can really happen when people come together and speak up about a problem they care about. It is hoped that everyone took the time yesterday to stop and appreciate the beauties of the natural world around us and maybe even consider taking larger action in an effort to protect the environment.