This month marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day – April 22, 2020 – and many global events to celebrate this milestone have been cancelled. Communities are wondering whether it is even appropriate to celebrate or acknowledge this yearly event, when people typically gather in natural settings, parks and green places, to celebrate our natural resources and our role in preserving them. In the US we recognize that our environment has come a long way in 50 years, and Earth Day has become the “largest secular observance in the world” (earthday.org). However, we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic that has shut down many of our businesses and cities in ways that we have never seen before, with millions unemployed, millions struggling to make ends meet, and millions infected with a disease that has a high mortality rate and no known vaccine yet. Is it even possible to celebrate nature at a time like this?
Absolutely. The current crisis shows us that, now more than ever, we need to unite around caring for our health, our lives, and our planet. The theme for Earth Day 2020, after all, is climate action. The first Earth Day arose out of crisis. It was a time of oil spill disasters, factories spewing pollution and darkening the skies, and Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River catching on fire. More than 20 million Americans – one tenth of the population at the time – participated in group activities, tree plantings, protests and marches. Their voices and their advocacy showed leaders that our environment matters, and that legislation was needed to protect it and to protect our health. Their actions helped give rise to legislation like the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. In 2016, the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day to sign the Paris Climate Agreements into force.
In a time such as this, many are realizing that things will not be returning to “normal” after the threat of this pandemic passes. We will be re-building our economy, our cities, our lives, and even the way we interact with each other after this crisis. If we can let go of the old, we can make way for something new to emerge. This crisis has pointed out continuing racial and health disparities that, in the end, hurt us all. Ending the climate emergency isn’t just about reducing our emissions, it is about re-building our infrastructure to be sustainable, it is about strengthening our social safety nets, and it is about treating each other better – and more equitably – just as much as it is about treating the Earth better. Communities can plan virtual activities on Earth Day to help remind us that we should look forward to new structures, and to better ways to live together safely and healthily. We can still take actions, we can advocate by contacting our elected leaders, and we can still share ideas for protecting our planet and our future.
Earth Day is just one day in April, but it symbolizes a way of thinking, living, and growing that can permeate every day of the year. This Earth Day, at the same time that we are safeguarding our communities against a pandemic, we can play our part in speaking up for our planet, virtually and safely. We can take time to remember and celebrate the awesome beauty, balance, and life contained within the green and vast spaces we visit and love. So let’s resolve to ramp up our advocacy for a better planet, a healthier climate, and a brighter and more just future for all – and turn crisis into opportunity.
Mwezi huu ni maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya Siku ya Dunia (Aprili 22, 2020) na matukio mengi ya kimataifa ya kusherehekea hatua hii yameghairiwa. "Watu wanajiuliza ikiwa ni sahihi hata kusherehekea au kutambua tukio hili la kila mwaka, wakati watu kwa kawaida hukusanyika katika mazingira ya asili, mbuga na maeneo ya kijani, kusherehekea rasilimali zetu za asili na jukumu letu katika kuzilinda. """ "Kwa mujibu wa taarifa ya shirika la habari la Marekani, ""siku ya dunia imekuwa ""adhimisho kubwa zaidi la kidunia duniani"" kwa miaka 50 iliyopita." "Hata hivyo, tunajikuta katikati ya janga la ulimwengu ambalo limefunga biashara zetu na miji yetu kwa njia ambazo hatujawahi kuona hapo awali, na mamilioni ya watu hawana kazi, mamilioni wanajitahidi kupata pesa, na mamilioni wameambukizwa ugonjwa ambao una kiwango cha juu cha vifo na hakuna chanjo inayojulikana bado. """ Je, inawezekana hata kusherehekea asili katika wakati kama huu? Bila shaka. "Mgogoro wa sasa unatuonyesha kwamba, sasa zaidi ya wakati mwingine wowote, tunahitaji kuungana karibu na kutunza afya yetu, maisha yetu, na sayari yetu. """ "Tema ya Siku ya Dunia 2020 ni ""Kufanya Kazi kwa ajili ya Hali ya Hewa.""" Siku ya kwanza ya Dunia ilitokana na mgogoro. Wakati huo kulikuwa na misiba ya mafuta, viwanda vilivyotokeza uchafuzi na kuficha anga, na Ziwa Erie na Mto Cuyahoga vilipowaka moto. Zaidi ya Wamarekani milioni 20 - asilimia kumi ya idadi ya watu wakati huo - walishiriki katika shughuli za kikundi, kupanda miti, maandamano na maandamano. Sauti zao na utetezi wao ziliwaonyesha viongozi kwamba mazingira yetu ni muhimu, na kwamba sheria inahitajika kuilinda na kulinda afya yetu. Matendo yao yalisaidia kuanzisha sheria kama vile Sheria ya Hewa Safi, Maji Safi, na Spishi Zilizokabili Hatari ya Kutoweka. Mnamo mwaka 2016, Umoja wa Mataifa ulichagua Siku ya Dunia kama siku ya kusaini Mkataba wa Hali ya Hewa wa Paris. Katika wakati kama huu, wengi wanatambua kwamba mambo hayatarudi kwa "kawaida" baada ya tishio la janga hili kupita. """Tutajenga uchumi wetu, miji yetu, maisha yetu, na hata njia tunayoingiliana na kila mmoja baada ya mgogoro huu." Kama tunaweza kuacha mambo ya zamani, tunaweza kufungua njia kwa ajili ya kitu kipya kutokea. "Mashambulizi hayo yameweka wazi tofauti za kijamii na za kiafya ambazo mwishowe zinatuumiza sisi sote,"" alisema." "Kukomesha dharura ya hali ya hewa sio tu juu ya kupunguza uzalishaji wetu, ni juu ya kujenga upya miundombinu yetu kuwa endelevu, ni juu ya kuimarisha mitandao yetu ya usalama wa kijamii, na ni juu ya kutibu kila mmoja bora na kwa usawa zaidi, kama vile ni juu ya kutibu Dunia bora. """ Jumuiya zinaweza kupanga shughuli za virtual katika Siku ya Dunia ili kutusaidia kukumbusha kwamba tunapaswa kutazamia miundo mpya, na njia bora za kuishi pamoja kwa usalama na afya. Bado tunaweza kuchukua hatua, tunaweza kutetea kwa kuwasiliana na viongozi wetu waliochaguliwa, na bado tunaweza kushiriki mawazo ya kulinda sayari yetu na siku zijazo. Siku ya Dunia ni siku moja tu mwezi Aprili, lakini inaashiria njia ya kufikiri, kuishi, na kukua ambayo inaweza kuenea kila siku ya mwaka. Siku hii ya Dunia, wakati huo huo tunalinda jamii zetu dhidi ya janga, tunaweza kuchukua jukumu letu katika kuongea kwa sayari yetu, kwa kweli na kwa usalama. Tunapaswa kuchukua wakati wa kukumbuka na kusherehekea uzuri wa ajabu, usawa, na maisha yaliyo ndani ya nafasi za kijani na kubwa tunazotembelea na kupenda. Kwa hiyo hebu tuamue kuongeza utetezi wetu kwa sayari bora, hali ya hewa yenye afya, na siku zijazo zenye mwangaza na haki zaidi kwa wote - na kubadilisha mgogoro kuwa fursa.