With COVID-19 dominating news feeds, it’s hard to focus on anything else. But today, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the environment and the existential threat of climate change cannot be passed over.
2019 was the second warmest year in the past 140 years, with global temperatures nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th century average, according to a report published this month by USAFacts, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that offers government data, in collaboration with Earth Day Network.
The United States remains as one of the world’s biggest emitters. In 2017, the United States emitted 15.8 tons of carbon dioxide per person, second only to Saudia Arabia, according to the report. Between 1895 and 2019, the average temperature in half of U.S. counties rose more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. And in six states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Delaware and New Jersey, the average temperature in all counties increased by more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
But the United States has also made progress in recent years. For instance, in 1990, the average American emitted about 20 tons of carbon dioxide annually, 4.2 tons more than they do now. And since 1980, the share of U.S. energy consumption coming from renewable and nuclear sources has nearly doubled.
But efforts have not been strong enough. Currently, the world is on the brink of missing its chance to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the goal set through the Paris Agreement.
And climate change helps diseases like COVID-19 spread rapidly.
“Climate change, man-made changes to nature as well as crimes that disrupt biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade, can increase contact and the transmission of infectious diseases from animals to humans (zoonotic diseases) like COVID-19,” according to the United Nations.
Action is needed to tackle both threats, and everyone must work together.
“We must act decisively to protect our planet from both the coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption,” António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, said in a news release.
“The current crisis is an unprecedented wake-up call,” he added.
Earth Day moves online
Most years, Earth Day is filled with youth and other climate activists marching in the streets or even occupying lawmakers’ offices. But this year, large in-person gatherings are no longer an option. So, activists have been forced to move their efforts online.
Most notably, the Future Coalition is administering the largest online environmental mobilization in history. Its event, named Earth Day Live, started at 9 a.m. Earth Day morning and is scheduled to last 72 straight hours.
The three-day event features dozens of speakers, including Al Gore, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Stacey Abrams, Joaquin Phoenix and more. It also includes performances from Jack Johnson, Questlove, Ziggy Marley, Jason Mraz, Angélique Kidjo and others.
The event is free and easy to access. To watch the live stream and see the full schedule, click here.
Additionally, the Earth Day Network is running an online event of its own. The 15-hour event features speakers, musicians, comedians and others, and is meant to “flood the world with messages of hope, optimism and, above all — action.” The event is available here.
March for Science, an organization that inspires tens of thousands of people to march each year on Earth Day in cities across the United States, has created its own schedule of livestream events for the week. To access its livestream events, visit the organization’s Facebook page.
NASA, too, is livestreaming events all day on Earth Day through its Earth Day At Home campaign.
