Why Earth Day still matters
Apr 22, 2018
Author: Tom Politeo, updates by Jim Wylie - spoken by Jim at the Indivisble/Chester County Earth Day picnic
Is Earth Day still relevant? This is the 48th anniversary of Earth Day. Is it still important to take a day to think about the planet as a whole, or even our local environment? We're all recycling, right?
Here are 10 reasons why I think celebrating Earth Day still matters.
1. Education
Every year, there are children who are eager to learn about the world they live in, and young adults who are interested in making a difference in the quality of life they and their children will experience. If we don't reach out to them, they will hear more about the benefits of exploiting the environment than of preserving it.
2. Our dependence on cars
Electric cars powered by solar energy will help clean up the environment, but these efforts only go so far in terms of reducing the problem caused by the sheer number of cars we are driving all the time. We need to drive less, and use alternative ways of getting around, i.e., walking, cycling, public transit, even using the Internet.
America still spends about $8 of every $10 in transportation funding on roadways built principally for cars rather than on all forms of public transit. We need to flip this equation
3. Eating
A diet that is good for our own health also turns out to be good for the planet. We don’t all need to become vegetarian overnight. But, if we reduce the amount of animal products we consume each year, we can do a lot to help the environment.
4. Clean Energy For All … For All
The places with the worst environmental records are typically the ones with the most poverty and highest concentrations of people of color. We've further seen that economic hard times encourage a kind of tribalism that tears down nations and infrastructure, rather than helping advance humanity. The clean energy revolution is an opportunity to right this wrong – lifting up the people that have suffered the most from a fossil fuel based economy.
5. Protecting our streams and air
The Trump administration wants to reduce or eliminate many environmental regulations. Ignore our global responsibility and commitments to reduce carbon emissions. Eliminate fuel efficiency standards and prioritize profits over people and the environment that future generations will depend on.
The latest US News & World Report lists PA at 44th (out of 50) in Quality of Life, and 45th in Natural Environment. Not just an opinion poll, this is from data like: Air Quality healthy days, Drinking Water violations per capita, pounds of industrial pollution per sq mile.
6. Reversing climate change
Not only does President Trump not care about climate change, he seems intent on instituting policies that will aggravate it. The administration's lackadaisical approach to climate change will open up more coal power plants, even as the industry itself can barely compete with other forms of energy.
7. Conservation
Ever since Ronald Reagan took down the solar panels that Jimmy Carter put on the White House, America has been in an era where we look at energy and manufactured products through the lens of cost and economics. The lower the cost the better for the Gross Domestic Product. Technological advances have permitted ever-increasing and wanton consumption.
And though consuming kilowatts that come from solar panels and wind farms is better than from coal or nuclear power plants, conserving power through more efficient use is better yet. Reducing our waste stream and the need to recycle in the first place is the way to go.
8. Hunger
Around the developed world, some 40% to 50% of the food produced is discarded uneaten. Ironically, since we put refrigerators in almost every home (in the 1930s), the percentage of food we throw out has at least doubled. We grow enough food to prevent starvation worldwide, and still, more than 9 million die each year from starvation.
9. War
War is perhaps the most environmentally destructive activity humans do. Yet, environmental crises help precipitate wars. The drought that preceded Syria's ongoing civil war may have been the worst in the past 900 years and is considered a contributor to the conflict.
War itself uses a tremendous amount of energy and resources, and contaminates a lot of land. The scars rendered by war, drought and extreme poverty can induce yet more conflict, making an ugly feedback loop where wars and environmental destruction contribute to each other.
10. Environmental Activism
I’ll close with some good news. Since Nov 8, 2016 the membership of the Sierra Club has increased by almost 1 million. Perhaps more by now. In the Philadelphia area our members and followers have increased by 30%. Most importantly, our rolls of active volunteers have swelled. One of my most enjoyable tasks is connecting volunteers with opportunities. From advocating for renewable energy, to resisting fossil fuel expansion and acting on the need for a Citizen’s Risk Assessment for ME2, to environmental education, to open space preservation, to lobbying and political endorsements, to communications and of course outings and enjoying the natural spaces that we are committed to defending. Our goal is to Invite, Include and Inspire.
Thanks for coming today and thank you Indivisble for inviting me to speak.
Tom Politeo is a Sierra Club member and the designer of the Angeles Chapter newsletter SoCal Now.