Celebrating Earth Day 2020 in The Middle of The Pandemic
Note: This is an article I wrote for Earth Day in 2020, adding here for portfolio.
Earth Day is a form of unified response to the global environmental crisis. On April 22nd 1970, 20 million Americans took it to the streets and colleges in hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and promote environmental awareness. It is considered to be the pioneer of modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event.
Since then, Earth Day has been celebrated globally on the 22nd of April every year. This year marks the 50th anniversary of this environmental movement, with this year’s theme set to be about “climate actions”.
We cannot talk about climate actions without fully grasping the concept of climate change. To put it simply, climate change — also known as global warming — is the process of our planet heating up. Sadly, rising temperatures don’t simply mean that the weather would get more pleasant. It would actually be more extreme and unpredictable.
Overall, higher temperatures would bring more rain and snowfall, and a lot of living organisms could discover they’re not ready to adjust to this situation.
Human influence on climate has been the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid-20th century. The largest human influence has been the emission of greenhouse gases, with consists of over 90% carbon dioxide and methane. Fossil fuel burning is the principal source of these gases, with agricultural emissions and deforestation also playing significant roles.
In the middle of this ongoing global pandemic, though, everyone has been practicing social distancing, resulting to the 50th anniversary of this environmental movement to be very different. We aren’t able to come together physically this year, but the ever growing technology is providing some unique opportunities to show our love for the Earth virtually.
TAKE OFFLINE AND ONLINE ACTION
There are a lot of ways to take part in climate actions. If grand gestures overwhelm you, start small by preserving water and energy, eating more organic food than meat, practice the sustainability 3Rs, and plant trees at the safety of your home.
A new way to take action is by participating in the Earth Day community’s largest on-line climate conference called “We Don’t Have Time” programme with more than 100 speakers from five continents during the Earth Day Week starting from April 20th until April 25th. You can also start your own green action and share it with the community.
SPREAD THE WORDS
Digital platforms are making it easier than ever to connect, especially through social media. You can bring your friends, teachers, and family together to raise awareness and do their own part for the environment.
There are plenty ways to take actions. Small changes can be the catalyst of a greater change. Remember that change starts from us, so do it now and become the change you want to see. Happy Earth Day 2020!
