An Earth Day Like No Other

This is an Earth Day like no other that has gone before.  It is a terrifying time in which people are sick and dying while others are suffering from isolation due to social distancing. Although it may be hard to fathom from where we are today it is also a hopeful time that may augur the change we so desperately need.

In 2020 we are celebrating the 50th Earth Day and the theme this year is climate action. This event, which is celebrated in more than 193 countries, has succeeded in raising awareness and increased calls for both political action and civic participation. The inaugural event in 1970 was chaired by Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin) and Representative Pete McCloskey (R-CA).  On that day 20 million Americans participated in protests, festivals, and rallies. Their actions led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Shortly thereafter Congress passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Since then the arc of America's progress has been slow but steady. In the wake of the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement at the end of 2015 there was so much hope. The Earth Day signing ceremony for the Paris Climate Agreement was a proud moment in human history.

This all changed with the election of Donald Trump in 2016. He not only withdrew from the Paris Agreement, he launched an anti-science crusade and a de-regulatory orgy has systematically rolled back clean air and water he has also gutted the ESA.  This is a president at war with nature. The United States, is not alone, authoritarian governments around the world continue to poison our air, land and seas. This includes governments in Brazil, Australia and Russia. These regimes are exacerbating the climate crisis with their wanton disregard for nature and their unholy attachment to dirty energy. They are destroying the Earth's biodiversity and killing the web of life upon which we all depend. Their genocide against nature is suicide and it must end.  The Pandemic may help bring an end to their fossil fuel powered reigns of terror. Out of this terrible tragedy there may be hope for climate action. This plague calls us to vote for governments that respect science and value the natural world.

We have come so far since 1970, but this progress is at risk. This year's Earth Day has a gravitas unlike any that have gone before. This is a make or break year that will determine whether or not we have a future. 

Related
Earth Day Everyday: Sierra's Efforts and Reasons for Hope
Earth Day 2017: We Have Met the Enemy and it is the U.S.
President Obama's Earth Day Address: Action on Climate Change Cannot Wait (Video)
Responding to Grist's Anti-Earth Day Rants
The Importance of Science and Nature on Earth Day
Silencing Earth Day Critics
Earth Day Special: Green Blueprint Earth Day Business Resources

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