As we mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day it is appropriate to revisit the founding objectives of the original Earth Day movement. It was certainly not about “climate change” per se, as the concept at the time was only a matter of internal scientific debate, not public concern; and, it was not just about picking up litter, while that was indeed one of the many Earth Day activities.
The Earth Day philosophy was much deeper and broader. It was to be a day of education and the start of a movement toward a more sustainable life style and new, earth-friendly economy.The founder of Earth Day, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, had become greatly concerned about pollution. He claimed that on the flight home from visiting the Santa Barbara oil spill he conceived a plan for a National Teach-In day to educate students about pollution hazards. A few days later, he met Dennis Hayes a young activist with similar ideas and hired him to organize an Earth Day. Hayes had a much broader vision for the day, and working with a small staff combined activism with Senator Nelson’s education into an agenda that was widely adopted. Senator Nelson choose Wednesday, April 22nd (with no idea that it would become an annual event) primarily because it was the middle of the week and most college students, his target audience, would be on campus.
In 1970, the news media was full of photos of polluted waters, burning rivers, and oiled sea-birds. The concept of Earth Day struck a responsive cord, and soon spread far beyond college campuses. Local organizations, individuals, schools and teachers soon adapted the guides and other materials form Dennis Hayes office to their local issues, resulting in countless, unique community events, with most incorporating both education and activism. It is commonly estimated that over 10% of Americans participated in Earth Day, 1970.
At the time, few understood the words “environment” and “ecology”. The official Earth Day logo and flag, shown above, merges the letters “e” and “o” to symbolize the union of earth and organisms (the physical and biological components of ecosystems), while the alternating green and white bars represent a clean earth and air. The common catch-phrase, or slogan used by many was “there is no away” in counter-point to the “lets just throw it away” philosophy. Earth Day, 1970, obviously greatly exceeded expectations, resulting in a significantly expanded public awareness of the environmental concerns, and for many an introduction to activism, be it recycling or political involvement. The event also resulted in far more environmental legislation than any other time in our history.
Perhaps the most significant outcome of Earth Day, 1970 was a universal awareness that we are all inhabitants on a common planet, impacted by the actions of others just as our actions impact others: the “common good”.
Where do we stand 50 years later, on Earth Day 2020? We are facing two global crises, both with dire consequences. Climate change, which has been with us the longest, has been addressed globally with the signing of the Paris Agreement of 2015 at the 21st meeting of the “Conference of the Parties”, with the 191 signatories each pledging specific reductions of CO2 emissions. To date, few if any of the signing nations have met their pledged target, and the United States is scheduled to officially withdraw from the Agreement on November 4th 2020, one day after the Presidential election.
The second crises is the global Covid-19 pandemic, currently impacting nations on every continent, except Antarctica. With little, or no, coordination individual nations are pursuing their own course of action, with varying degrees of success. In the United States, a lack of Federal leadership has forced state Governors to assume the task of protecting their citizens. Some states coordinate with their neighbors, others do not.
While there may be a number of connections between climate change and the pandemic, the most significant may well be the failure to act for the “common good”, both on a national basis and increasingly on the individual level; a characteristic of rising nationalism. When faced with an increasingly hostile climate and a pandemic with no cure it would seem logical that we would all benefit policies and actions supporting the “common good”; instead we are increasingly faced with “me first” political policies and individual actions. The pandemic has clearly demonstrated that good leadership means working for and equally benefiting all citizens. Unfortunately too many national/regional and local leaders have not met that standard.
Most Earth Day 2020 events have been cancelled due to Covid-19. Where, and when, possible we could perhaps best demonstrate the Earth Day objectives of activism and education by becoming politically active. For example, in the United States our upcoming Presidential election will probably be the most consequential in our history. Our environmental laws and regulations have been decimated, science is under attack and the very existence of our free press is threatened. Truth has been replaced by “alternate facts” – which seem to vary on an hourly basis. This election is probably be our last opportunity to protect our environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and likely preserve our democratic form of government. We can best honor the 50th Earth Day working for, and voting for, leadership at the local, state and national government that will reverse the environmentally damaging policies of the current administration, support science and “facts”, and work for the common good. Fortunately it is still every individuals choice, lets preserve it while we can.
