The history and importance of Earth Day
April 19, 2016
The environment seems like something people have always cared about, but it wasn't until the 1960s that a new wave of environmental activism was launched. American marine biologist and nature writer Rachel Carson and former governor and Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, stood up for the earth and its people. Fast forward to today, and an international holiday to commemorate environmental awareness - otherwise known as Earth Day - seems like a given. This only proves just how much Rachel Carson and Senator Nelson changed the course of history.
The history of Earth Day
The 1960s and 1970s were a time of turmoil, greed and activism. The Vietnam War was in full force, providing a turbulent-at-best socio-political situation back home, with American college students all over the nation voicing their displeasure in a war the U.S. seemingly could not win. People were upset at nearly everything - the war, corporate greed, social injustices - and the environment. The science book "Silent Spring", published in 1962, ignited the global environmental movement. Its author, Rachel Carson, was an American marine biologist and nature writer.
"Senator Gaylord Nelson was the founder of Earth Day."
Carson's book has been credited with detailing the devastating effects of the haphazard use of pesticides and the proliferation of it. It opened Americans' eyes to the damage they had unknowingly done to the environment. After writing her book, Carson appeared before Congress, arguing against the use of chemistry and technology to disrupt nature, that people had a right to know if the government was spraying their private property. She went on to advocate a grassroots movement of "citizen's brigades" which led to Clean Air and Water Acts, the founding of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Earth Day.
The tipping point of Carson's environmental movement came a few years after "Silent Spring" was published, when it became clear to Senator Nelson that intervention was necessary. According to the Earth Day Network, Nelson was spurred by a large oil spill in 1969 to put together a staff of 85 people to organize environmental activist events to take place across the country April 22, 1970. It was a success, as 20 million people showed their support for a sustainable environment by crowding into parks, streets and anywhere else they could publicly congregate to spread their message, the source reported.
The very first Earth Day set off a chain of events, as it was seemingly the only cause at the time Democrats and Republicans could get behind together. No matter which economic tier you were in - rich, poor or in-between - the Earth was everyone's concern. Later that year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created, and the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts passed through Congress, according to the Earth Day Network.
In 1990 another large push was made for the environment - but this time on a global scale. Denis Hayes, the lead organizer for the original Earth Day founded by Senator Nelson in 1970, led the charge. The Earth Day Network reported that his efforts reached 200 million people in 141 countries, and was one of the major forces behind the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro.
Earth Day 2000 saw similar results with Hayes at the head, reaching 184 countries through 5,000 partners, according to the Earth Day Network. Earth Day 2010 proved to be a challenge, with global warming deniers coming out of the woodwork to discredit anyone involved in pushing for a sustainable environment worldwide. Nearly 22,000 groups proved to be successful getting the message across in 192 countries.
According to the Earth Day Network, this secular holiday is celebrated by 1 billion people every year - a true testament to the importance of this holiday.
Why Earth Day is important
"The ocean levels will rise," is the response you usually receive from an environmentalist about global warming. This is true, but the effects of a spike in the average global temperature of just a few degrees has devastating effects that follow it.
According to Live Science, sea levels have risen 20 cm since 1880, and at an accelerated rate of 3 mm since 1993. If global warming were to continue its path, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) believes the sea level would rise by 58 to 92 cm in 2100.
Live Science attributes the rapid rise in sea levels to two phenomena - ice glaciers melting at a heightened rate, and the thermal expansion of the ocean. So, what exactly happens when the sea level rises - essentially the height of two pencils stacked vertically - another 20 or 30 cm? The rest of the world is waiting and watching the Maldives as a case study.
"The Maldives could be completely submerged by 2085."
The Maldives is an island nation found in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sri Lanka. If the IPCC is correct in its predictions, a sea level rise of 58 cm could result in 77 percent of the island being submerged in 2100, according to Evan Puschak of Seeker Network. Should the sea level rise closer to the 92 cm prediction mark, the entire nation could be underwater by as early as 2085.
The importance of Earth Day lies in the preservation of humanity - a bold statement for a seemingly innocuous holiday. The prolific use of fossil fuels for technology that improves our way of life has had the undesired effect of propagating global warming, with glaciers melting at an accelerated rate. This is why renewable energy and energy storage has become so important. By moving away from carbon dioxide and methane-emitting activities, the environment can begin to be restored to its natural order.
Just as the public awareness for pesticides and oil spills catapulted changes in Congress in the 1960s, rising sea levels and the fight for independence from fossil fuels have launched the new Clean Air Plan which cuts carbon pollution from existing power plants. As coal plants are retired, energy storage will make the implementation of renewable energy a more rapid and viable avenue to combating global warming. Currently, when demand outstrips supply, the grid generates extra energy through more damaging methods of procurement. Energy storage allows the grid to run off of cleaner energy. So, as the next Earth Day comes around on April 22, remember what Senator Nelson said - "that man cannot live or act apart from his environment." To truly take part in the international holiday you need to take the steps necessary to avert global warming. Invest in the technology that helps the earth and its people around the world.
