Wednesday 21st April 2021
Since 1970, Earth Day has been a day to signify need for real policy change and increase the awareness of climate change. It occurs around the world and has seen many momentous events, including the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015. This year is no different. As the climate crisis deepens, each Earth Day takes on a greater significance. Earth Day represents a chance for real action to be taken, with each year following a theme of events and presentations and engaging with an estimated one billion people. This year the focus is to: ‘Restore our Earth’. Focussing not only on our recovery from COVID 19, but natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovation to restore our ecosystems. Impacts of climate change Climate change is already having visible impacts on the world. The consequences are far-reaching and affect all regions around the world. Everyone will be affected in different ways, some more than others, all of which are expected to intensify in the coming decades. In 2020 we witnessed devastating wildfires in California and Australia and saw extreme flooding in the UK. However, the biggest disasters often occur within societies that are not well equipped to deal with the consequences. For example, Bangladesh and Indonesia experienced the biggest flooding events for 15 years, killing over 200 people and displacing over 60,000. As humans we are wired to respond to immediate, personal threats. Climate change is slow-moving and there is often a feeling that we are not being affected now – therefore action can be delayed. However, these countries are home to 450 million people and produce 20% of the worlds rice. If climate change dramatically affects these two countries, for example, the whole world would feel the consequences – in human displacement and global food supplies. Action cannot be delayed. The time is now. We must all adapt and adopt the latest techniques and do our best to reduce our emissions to well and truly ‘Restore our Earth’. One campaign this year being promoted is Regenerative Farming Regenerative farming aims to restore the organic carbon to the soil. The practices include ‘no till farming’ and ‘cover cropping’ which can reduce erosion and water pollution, and in turn produce healthier soils. It promotes food security as well as reducing atmospheric carbon. It also creates an added benefit of more high-quality, nutrient-rich produce than conventional agriculture; fostering fruitful farms, healthy communities and thriving economies. Another is the Great Global Cleanup This campaign offers a tangible way to connect to the Earth through cleanups – reducing waste, improving habitats and preventing harm to wildlife. Throughout the whole of April, the Great Global Cleanup has been promoting events across the globe. Find out if there’s a cleanup near you, or register your own event! How can you take part in Earth Day 2021? This week there are thousands of events taking place, mostly online. Head over to Earth Day.org to find out about all the events and how you can get involved.
