22nd April 2020, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the environmental movement’s annual celebration. Roughly 20 million Americans gathered in 1970, according to EarthDay.org, to demand a greater commitment to saving the earth. Activists all over the world have since met annually to mark the day.
Interestingly, Earth Day this year takes place amid one of the most intense and lethal pandemics the planet has seen for decades. As a result, all parties or other in-person activities had to be postponed — but that doesn’t mean that while sheltering in place we can’t enjoy the occasion.
The Earth Day website lists over a thousand different services from around the world. Unless otherwise stated, it all takes place on Wednesday 22 April. A list includes
EARTH DAY LIVE 2020
Several campaigners, along with entertainment and political figures, will be providing forums, events, teach-ins, and ideas for action on the Earth Day movement’s official website. This is going to take place within 24 hours. Participants include Pope Francis, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Steve Ballmer, and Dave Matthews.
ANIMATION & POETRY FOR OUR 50TH EARTH DAY
This is a collection of 10 short animated films by trained animators, college students, and teenagers, all from the Pacific Northwest and curated by Marilyn Zornado, artist and host. They will be available on Sunday, April 26 from 8 AM ET on April 22 till 8 PM ET.
EARTH DAY ART MODEL 2020 An “world telematic festival” featuring live performances by a variety of multimedia artists will begin at 8 PM ET on Tuesday 21 April and run through Wednesday 22 April at 8 PM ET.
JUPITER ARTLAND IN MINECRAFT
In a World Earth Day Sculpture Competition, Jupiter Artland and the Edinburgh Napier University Center for Interaction Design are encouraging young people to explore professional artists’ sculptures and create their sculptures. The winning design will be a part of the permanent collection of Jupiter.
MORPHOSIS BY MAX COOPER AND MEMO AKTEN
This seven-minute YouTube event will take place on Wednesday at 3 PM ET, described as “a meditative examination of the seemingly infinite existence of space and natural physical structure”
EARTH WEEK KEYNOTE: NALINI NADKARNI The UVM
Environmental Program and the Gund Institute sponsor a talk by the founder of tree canopy ecology, Nalini Nadkarni, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM.
Based on rising demand for concerted, immediate action and with a suite of international conferences scheduled to refocus global cooperation on these main issues, this year holds great promise for environmental change. In 2020 the connection was expressed between nature, environment, and sustainable development. The year gave optimism.
There has been much talk of nature as the link between the biodiversity and climate crises, of nature-based approaches such as forestation, peatland regeneration, and mangrove conservation as the answers to some of the problems we face today, and natural capital that promotes sustainable development and human well-being.
The postponement of COP15 and COP26 – the international conferences that were scheduled to set new global goals on biodiversity and climate change later this year – was, of course, the correct decision to take when the planet is dealing with a coronavirus pandemic, but we should not let the momentum of what was celebrated as a “mega year” for the environment be lost.
We are in an era of extinction and at the point where permanent harm may be done to the environment. We can not afford to lose momentum nor concentrate amid changed plans. If the COVID-19 constraints are lifted, the threat of the biodiversity and climate crises will always be there; the momentum of COP15 and COP26 will be carried forward and expanded on in 2021.
It may be difficult not to feel despondent right now but there are shoots of hope. During the lockdowns, we in many countries around the world can see greater respect for nature. From China to Spain, people of all ages are missing something they didn’t realize they would miss until they couldn’t: seeking open spaces; remembering the well-being and health benefits of nature access; and, in many countries, missing the spring blossom.
There have been some changes in emission rates in countries with limited human movements and the closure of factories and companies. Will we be able to reconcile our need to reopen these and our ability to travel while at the same time the footprint of these activities?
Communities come together to embrace one another – even in major metropolises such as London, which are too frequently viewed as violent and cold. Could we harness this spirit to look beyond home and the planet which supports us all when coronavirus becomes a distant memory?
A poster to celebrate the first Earth Day included the quote: “We met the enemy and he is us.” Fifty years ago, is this the year that we finally started taking the planet for granted, destroying and abusing its resources? Do we now all understand how vulnerable we are to a species?
I hope we can benefit from our understanding of this pandemic that pre-empting a global epidemic is much easier when we see it on the horizon than coping with it as it engulfs us. This is a lesson that we should be applying to the problem of climate change, which also challenges hundreds of millions of people, as well as that of listening to the experts. We must also understand the need for internationally organized responses to global challenges.
We will only have a decade to achieve sustainable development targets by the end of the year, and the COPs on biodiversity and climate change will be rescheduled – along with other important international meetings.
Crucially, there is a window of opportunity to ensure that the economic recovery strategies implemented by the countries when they emerge from this crisis are steadfastly “natural.” Long-term planning and strategies for sustainable economic development will be driving climate and environmental change programs. More than ever we need nature as a cure, as a tool, for respite, and life on Earth.
Looking ahead, possibilities emerge from this pandemic that, if taken, might pave the way for a more fruitful “super year” of 2021. We have to avoid being the enemy of nature and become a friend of nature instead.