Climate Class - Earth Day Edition
CLIMATE CLASS:
Spring Break Edition
Enrolling in a sustainable future, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, and look at the connection between the Climate Crisis and COVID-19..
The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 was inspired by the student anti-Vietnam war protests. Infusing the energy of anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment: it enlisted support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, and business and labor leaders, alike.
The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.
(Read more about Earth Day here.)
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Coronavirus as a Case Study for the Climate Crisis
There are many things that the climate crisis has taught us—namely, that our action (or more accurately, inaction) can have huge consequences. Now that we’re going into another month of worldwide quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s becoming more clear how human activity directly affects the planet. As an homage to Earth Day, we thought we’d dig deeper into the story.
How did we get here?
As with the climate crisis, we experienced the same denial story with coronavirus. The thing is, there were warning signs, and they came straight from Mother Nature. According to Doctor Katherine Hayhoe, climate change is a “threat-multiplier,” meaning that it can make existing issues much worse. In relation to the spread of viruses and other virulent diseases: Warmer weather means a longer time period and increased geographic range for the spread of vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease and Zika, dengue and yellow fevers. Milder seasons mean people are less likely to get vaccinated for the coming flu season. More air pollution is shown to make people more susceptible to respiratory illness.
Seeing the Connections
Because humans are directly connected to the earth, if the earth is in a state of disharmony, so we will be. How we treat the natural world directly affects our wellbeing.
The loss of biodiversity and natural habitats can disrupt ecosystems, allowing diseases and viruses like COVID-19 to spread to the human population. According to a Scientific American article, “We cut the trees; we kill the animals or cage them and send them to markets. We disrupt ecosystems, and we shake viruses loose from their natural hosts. When that happens, they need a new host. Often, we are it...”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that three-quarters of new or emerging diseases are zoonotic (passed from animals to humans).
The Pandemic as Teacher
It was beautiful to see how collective action in the face of grave consequences to humanity could spur rapid change. COVID-19 has been a powerful wake-up call for everyone that highlights the fact that life is precious and fragile. This compassion could also extend to the entire planet. In the span of one month we’re seeing what can happen when we collectively limit our consumption of fossil fuels.
Dolphins return to the port of Sardinia.
The Venice canals become clear and blue.
In India, the Himalayas once again become visible.
Los Angeles saw some of the cleanest air of any major city in the world.
Air pollution and CO2 levels decline across the globe.
Pope Francis likened the coronavirus pandemic and the recent fires and floods as one of “nature’s responses” to the world’s ambivalence toward climate change.
“I believe we have to slow down our rate of production and consumption and to learn to understand and contemplate the natural world,” he said. “We need to reconnect with our real surroundings. This is the opportunity for conversion,” he said.
Earth Day 2020:
A green vision for a new normal
The COVID-19 outbreak can be seen as a major wake-up call. While the entire world is at attention and many have begun to feel a deep sense of connection to our collective health, economy and wellbeing, what if we used this energy to drive necessary environmental change—both on the individual and governmental level? What if we continued our conscious consumption beyond quarantine, supporting local economies and communities? If we can see a major shift in the environment in only one month, just think about what we can do as a collective in one year or ten. This moment is critical for implementing new strategies to curb our impact on the planet.
During this #stayhome pause, many have been fortunate to feel the benefits of the earth.
For many, the lack of traditional commerce has meant more time available to appreciate the natural world, by either spending more time outdoors, getting fresh air and becoming aware of our habits of transportation, eating and general consumption.
Says Danish trend forecaster Li Edelkoort, “It seems we are massively entering a quarantine of consumption where we will learn how to be happy just with a simple dress, rediscovering old favourites we own, reading a forgotten book and cooking up a storm to make life beautiful. I think we should be very grateful for the virus because it might be the reason we survive as a species.”
A Green Stimulus
As a call to action in response to COVID-19, a Green Stimulus as an open letter to congress has been proposed:
We propose an ambitious Green Stimulus of at least $2 trillion that creates millions of family-sustaining green jobs, lifts standards of living, accelerates a just transition off fossil fuels, ensures a controlling stake for the public in all private sector bailout plans, and helps make our society and economy stronger and more resilient in the face of pandemic, recession, and climate emergency in the years ahead. This is an inflection point for our nation. This is a pivotal moment to put tens of millions of Americans back to work, building a healthy, clean, and just future.
Though everyone is affected by and is responding very differently to the current pandemic, one thing remains: it is a global phenomena. And it’s one that can be leveraged to create positive change for our collective future.
A few additional thoughts:
We wish we came up with this meme: “Climate Change Needs Coronavirus’s Publicist.”
If you can’t be outside: try visualizing yourself in nature, bringing nature inside or listening to nature from the National Parks Soundtrack.
Learn how the earth is medicine by following these accounts: @foliagebotanics + @goodfightherbco. These amazing women shared A Kitchen Witch's Guide to Wellness in the time of Covid19.
From the Wilderness Act of 1964: “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”
Learn how to grow your own food.
*** Special thanks to Lindsay Comstock for this educational article, Sophie Fabbri for contribution of her photos, Shelly Severinghaus of Long Trail Sustainability, and Kayla Lynch of BEST for the always impeccable design. ***