“The better we manage nature, the better we manage human health.”
Do not be fooled by the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions and improvement in air quality. According to Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP, any “Visible, positive impacts are but temporary, because they come on the back of tragic economic slowdown and human distress.” Instead she recommends a systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that benefits both people and the planet. By examining the why and how of this spread of a zoonotic disease is key to reducing the chances of it and other similar diseases in the future. One area to tackle is our disruptive intrusion of ecological ecosystems of which we need to make a change immediately. Please read this entire excellent article from UN news to learn more.
April 22, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of global movement, Earth Day! 50 years ago a whopping 20 million Americans flooded the streets, college campuses and cities across the US to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new and more eco-friendly path for our planet.
Even with great historical success of this movement, today different global environmental challenges threaten our livelihood and existence, including plastic pollution and a loss of biodiversity. Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people each year as a day of action to adjust human behavior and create significant policy changes on the global, national and local levels.
This year Earth Day will be slightly different due to the Coronavirus. Earth Day 2020 will be digital and can be watched live at earthday.org. The theme is Climate Action and two main topics will be the focus. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and climate change. This Earth Day nations will be implored to boost their national commitments to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. The ultimate goal of the Earth Day Network is to secure a zero-carbon future.
Be sure to join here for the first ever digital Earth Day, where you will hear from thought leaders and global activists including Al Gore, John Kerry and many more. We all need to not only do our part by decreasing our carbon footprint (try these 46 tips), but also demand more from our leaders and law makers by voting!
To learn more about donating to the Earth Day Network, please click here.
