The disruption caused by COVID-19 has focused our attention on the human-environment relationship in the most dramatic fashion, and with Earth Day 2021 upon us, it’s a natural time to consider: What have we learned and how will we move forward?
Earth Day is an annual event that is celebrated on 22 April. This year’s theme is ‘Restore the Earth’. Started in 1970, this day is celebrated to shine a light on the extenuating circumstances that are plaguing our planet. This day is used to spread awareness, educate the public, mobilize politicians and shared resources to address this global problem. Besides， it is also used to celebrate and reinforce the progress we have made in our collective actions.
This time last April, on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the world was coming to grips with the isolation of quarantine and the economic and travel slowdowns that defined the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. And even now, with the roll out of vaccines, the virus continues to affect our daily lives. And the toll keeps growing: 3 million dead and more than 140 million cases worldwide.
President Biden’s climate summit was a related hot topic, with late-night hosts touching on the president’s announcement that the United States will cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030.
In honor of Earth Day, the Times is highlighting 12 environmental stories published in the last year.
Credit…ABC
“At Earth Day Network, the health and safety of volunteers and participants in Earth Day events is our top concern. Amid the recent outbreak, we encourage people to rise up but to do so safely and responsibly — in many cases, that means using our voices to drive action online rather than in person,” Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, said in a statement.
A review of the data shows that an effort to Restore Our Earth™ to some recent condition would be deeply perverse. The global share of deaths from indoor and outdoor air pollution has declined from 10.1 percent in 1990 to 8.8 percent in 2017. Death rates from air pollution per 100,000 population have declined from 111.3 in 1990 to 63.8 in 2017.
Over that same period, the share of deaths from indoor air pollution—the result of poor people burning dung, crop waste, charcoal, and coal for heat or cooking—has declined from 5.8 percent to 2.9 percent. The death rate per 100,000 population from indoor air pollution: from 61.1 to 21.5.
The law also requires the state to transition to a 70% renewable energy workforce by 2030, a 100% zero-carbon electricity industry by 2040 and designate 35% to 40% of the transition’s total investment benefits for low-income areas, communities of color, coastal and agricultural regions and others disproportionately impacted by climate change.
Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet – and its people. Restoring our damaged ecosystems will help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent mass extinction. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which will officially launch with World Environment Day 2021 (5 June), will help us stop, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and every ocean. But we will only succeed if everyone plays a part.
The amendment to Article 1 of the state Constitution passed both houses of the state Legislature in consecutive two-year sessions, a requirement of the constitutional amendment process that culminates in a public vote.
“Today, by adding 15 words to the Constitution of the state of New York, we will help shape the future of New York,” state Sen. Robert Jackson said of Bill 528 in January. “Those powerful words are: ‘Each person shall have a right to clean air and water and a healthful environment.’”
Environmental research has driven landmark improvements that led to the protection of human and ecosystem health. Recognizing the value of knowledge generated by environmental research and the ingenuity within academic and nonprofit institutions.
And then we will begin the work of undoing the damage while also engaging in what we do best – advocating for the strong safeguards we need to protect our clean air and water and the climate.
Despite these challenges, Earth Day is established as a relevant, powerful focal point; the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year, and a day of action that changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.
Let’s remind more than ever in this International Mother Earth Day that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. Let’s promote harmony with nature and the Earth. Join the global movement to restore our world!
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