Some of you may remember going outside as a child on a specific day each year to either appreciate the earth or to plant trees and flowers. Others may remember learning about it in the classroom. Earth Day is celebrated all around the world, in 193 different countries, and as time passes we seem to have more appreciation for the world we live in and our surroundings. It symbolizes how important it is to protect our earth and enjoy its current condition, while we still can.
Earth Day was established on April 22nd, 1970. It was founded after the push of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and ultimately the lack of U.S Environmental Protection Agencies putting in place in order to regulate the use of our natural resources. The Clean Water Act (2015) was put into motion by the CWA, stating that it would now be illegal to discard any waste that would pollute our oceans. This was later repealed in 2019. The Clean Air Act was followed by the same rules, intending to reduce the production of air pollution. This unfortunately, has also expired.
The world around us is slowly turning into something that was once a very far picture. With this being said, we need to do everything in our power to stop it before it is too late. We have been so blinded by the real damage that we are causing our home. Animals are dying and losing their habitats due to weather changes, our oceans are dying, and more than 1 million different species are facing extinction (Budd, 2017). The biggest killer in the United Kingdom is breathing problems due to the air pollution from factories and other air pollution contributors. We are digging a hole so big underneath ourselves that we may not be able to recover from.
The scariest part about our world dying is the fact that it may be irreversible damage. We could soon be facing extreme flooding, drought, heat, and also poverty all around the world.
This also raises another concern of humans as well as animals being displaced, due to these harsh living conditions. Places will become overcrowded, resources will become sparse.These grim signs that are starting to show, do not seem to be slowing down whatsoever. Now we do not have any way to tell what the future holds, but is this a risk we are willing to take when it comes to the way we live?
Some of the ways that you can help slow down the spread of this planet’s deterioration is to spread awareness. Having a conversation about it with teachers, friends, or family will help raise awareness of what we can do to help as a community. You could also bring attention to it on social media, whether it is a post, tweet, or a story. Another way you can get active and make a difference is to plant some trees or flowers, recycle as many items as possible, and reduce your carbon footprint in any way you can. Use reusable bags instead of plastic ones, repurpose household items to get more use out of them, get creative. Be conscious about your actions and start finding ways to love your planet.