Invest In Our Planet

“The earth is what we all have in common.”- Wendell Berry. What plans do you have regarding the observation of Earth Day? We live in a society and indeed a world where the environment is not always given priority. Too many of us are divorced from the reality that there is an interconnectivity of the environment and our state of health. Undeniably, we cannot continue to harm Mother Earth and not expect a backlash. Governments worldwide are as just as complacent surrounding matters of the environment; money and profit often takes priority over the Earth to the detriment of mankind. Oftentimes governments pay lip service to matters concerning the environment. As a result our development is often stymied due to a holistic approach to development. For example, we continue to litter our surroundings at random and without any care in the world. It has become commonplace to see our gullies littered with debris all across the island. Each year the international community pauses to observe Earth Day on April 22. This year, Earth Day is being observed on Saturday, 22 April 2023. The theme is Invest in our Planet. The global participation in this universal event will assist in raising awareness of the importance of protecting our planet and its natural resources. In addition, the day is set aside to encourage people to engage in conserving the environment. A number of rallies, concerts, tree-planting activities and other civic related proceedings are among the many actions and events that take place to commemorate Earth Day. History of Earth Day The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. The event was organized by Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin. He was inspired to action after witnessing the damage caused by an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in the year 1969. Gaylord Nelson realized that there was a need for humans to become more environmentally aware and active in preserving our planet. He hoped that Earth Day would be a way to educate people about the importance of environmental protection. Earth Day quickly became a global phenomenon. More than 20 million people participated in the events across the United States on the first Earth Day. Today, Earth Day is celebrated in more than 193 countries around the world including Jamaica. At present, more than 1 billion people around the world take part in Earth Day. The purpose of Earth Day is to bring awareness to the environmental issues our planet faces and to promote solutions for a sustainable future. On this important day, the collective humanity come together to show their support for the planet and make pledges to do our part in protecting it. In our small ways all of us can contribute to the environment by planting trees, cleaning up waste, and reducing our dependence on non-renewable resources like fossil fuels. However, by planting trees we are investing in our planet; trees help prevent soil erosion and water pollution. Those tree roots do a great job of holding the soil in place! Climate Action The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals addresses issues concerning the Earth. It must be noted that SDGs #13, 14 and 15 addresses matters of the environment. Climate Action which is goal #13 states that the increases in heat waves, droughts and floods caused by climate change are destroying the planet and affecting billions of lives worldwide. Despite the temporary reduction of CO2 emissions in 2020, global energy-related CO2 emissions rose by 6.0 per cent as demand for coal, oil and gas rebounded with the economy in 2021. The UN states that based on current national commitments, global emissions are set to increase by almost 14 per cent over the current decade, which could lead to a climate catastrophe unless Governments, the private sector and civil society work together to take immediate action. However, the war in Ukraine threatens to become the cause of a huge setback for concerted efforts to speed up climate action. Life under Water Sustainable Development Goal #14 addresses Life under Water. The world’s oceans and seas continue to struggle against increased acidification, eutrophication and plastic pollution, which are endangering the planet’s largest ecosystem and the billions of livelihoods depending on them. The pandemic has not eased that burden, as an estimated 25,000 tons of plastic waste has steadily entered the global ocean owing to an increase in single-use plastic primarily from medical waste. Owing to the initial lockdowns arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries experienced a 40–80 per cent decline in fish production, with small-scale fisher communities hardest hit. The pandemic also led to a dramatic reduction in tourism, causing substantial income losses for coastal and island communities. Life on Land The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #15 outlines that continued global deforestation, land and ecosystem degradation, and biodiversity loss pose major risks to human survival and sustainable development. Even as efforts are made in the domain of sustainable forest and natural resource management, commitments and instruments designed to protect, restore and sustainably use forests and biodiversity need to be urgently implemented to ensure healthy, resilient societies. The world’s forest area continues to decrease but at a slightly slower rate compared with previous decades. The UN adds that the proportion of forest area fell from 31.9 per cent of total land area in 2000 to 31.2 per cent of total land area in 2020. Despite the overall loss of forest, the world continues to progress towards sustainable forest management. Between 2010 and 2020, the share of forests under certification schemes, the proportion of forest within a protected area and the proportion of forests under a long-term management plan increased globally. The Impact of Gender There is an inseparable link between gender and the environment. United Nations Women states the climate crisis is not gender neutral. As its impacts worsen, women and girls are experiencing unique and disproportionate harm with the fallout amplifying existing gender inequalities. Women are essential agents of change in their communities to increase the resilience of their environments, as well as to mitigate and confront environmental degradation and climate change. In relation to conservation and climate actions, women generally have different knowledge of the social and environmental setting and differentially support environmental initiatives associated with various sectors where they uniquely contribute to the protection and sustainable management of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, which promotes the sustainability and effectiveness of nature-based solutions to the biodiversity and climate crisis facing the world. This Earth Day UN Women is highlighting the crucial connections between sustainability and gender equality in policy, business, agriculture and beyond throughout the planet. Beyond Earth Day Many of the activities we are encouraged to be part of will last long beyond Earth Day. Among the activities we can all be part of are: Reduction in our Carbon Footprint. Get creative with new ways to switch up your commute, or a part of your daily routine. Instead of driving to your destination, carpool with friends, take public transportation, walk, skate, scooter, or ride a bike. Depending on the weather, you may enjoy this new form of travel even more than sitting in traffic. Secondly, we can Reuse and Recycle our Wardrobes. Though it may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, your closet and your shopping habits can actually have a negative effect on our environment. By buying thrift or gently used outfits online, new resources will not be used to make more clothes that will eventually end up being repurposed, reused, or in a landfill. Thirdly, Switch up your Diet. Most people may know that food production accounts for one-quarter to one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and the majority of the blame falls on the meat industry. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently reported that if the entire world became vegetarian and ate no red meat by 2050, food-related emissions would decrease by about 60%. If the world went vegan instead, emissions would decrease around 70%. It may be time to try out the new ‘Beyond Meat’ burgers.

Only One Earth The meaningless war initiated by Russia against Ukraine and the subsequent bombings on Ukrainian soil, especially close to the nuclear powered plants clearly highlight the point that some of our leaders do not care about the environment. There is not a sequel to Earth. We only have one Earth. Earth Day serves as a conscious reminder of how fragile our ecosystem can be, and how our actions can have positive or negative consequences on the world we live in. In Jamaica, the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) which is an environmental non-profit organization focuses on environmental education and advocacy. JET will be observing Earth Day by doing a beach cleanup day at the Sirgany Beach in Rockfort in East Kingston. Earth Day serves to ground us in what we need to do to protect our home, and what we can do now, in light of all the damage we have already done to our world. Too many of us are absent minded concerning the matter of the environment. We need a global awakening in order to unite resources to tackle some of the burning environmental issues of our time. Earth Day presents the perfect opportunity for us to reignite that passion among ourselves to get involved in the myriad of environmental related activities which are being adopted to reduce global warming and climate change. It would be useful if more of our schools would encourage students to start environmental clubs in order to give such students an early engagement into environmental matters. There will be no Earth if we do not engage the next generations. Let us celebrate in harmony with Earth. Happy Earth Day! In the words of Bill Nye, to leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #EarthDay