Every year, people come together across the planet to celebrate Earth Day.
The day is about stopping to appreciate how amazing our planet is and supporting initiatives that protect the functioning of our natural systems and our health.
Here in Alberta, we are blessed by abundant natural resources and incredible scenery.
Today, as spring emerges across the province, it’s a great time to reflect on all the fantastic nature that surrounds us and how far we have come in protecting our environment and human health for future generations.
A Little History
Did you know that the original Earth Day, which started in the US in 1970, was in response to the massive consumption of leaded gasoline from large and inefficient vehicles, which was causing toxic air pollution?
At the time, there was little awareness of the nasty effects of leaded gasoline on human and planetary health, but the first Earth Day not only educated people about the dangers of leaded gasoline and industrial pollution but also led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first-of-their-kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Clean Air Act and two years later the Clean Water Act.
The first Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans — at the time, 10% of the total population of the United States — to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development, which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts.
The initial Earth Day achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, and business and labour leaders.
By the 1990s, Earth Day had gone global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and bringing environmental issues to the world stage.
Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro
As a result of Earth Day, we have seen the banning of deadly leaded gas and DDT, a huge reduction in air and water pollution, and a blossoming awareness that a healthy environment means healthy and vibrant lives for all of us.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Earth Day 2020 was moved online with a three-day livestream commemorating its 50th anniversary which resulted in 100 million people participating in what is being referred to as the largest online mass mobilization in history.
2024 Theme: Planet vs. Plastics
The theme for Earth Day 2024, “Planet vs. Plastics,” highlights the next critical environmental pollution challenge.
Earthday.org, the organizing body behind Earth Day, has called for a 60% global reduction in plastic production by 2040, focusing on the health threats posed by microplastics.
According to the organization, “We are living in the Plasticene. An era in which plastics have permeated every aspect of our lives like an epidemic. Microplastics are impossible to avoid.”
Their 2023 report summarizes 120 independent research papers which show just how much microplastics are accumulating in human bodies and just how bad a health risk plastics have become.
Microplastics are the leaded gasoline of the 2020s.
The organization has asked the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) “to formally recognize the health implications of exposure to microplastics, plastics, and their additive chemicals to ensure plastics and health are not just included in the Global Plastic Treaty but are at the heart of it.”
Earthday.org, the organizer of Earth Day, has launched a Global Plastic Petition calling for the inclusion of plastics’ health implications.
On this Earth Day, like the initial Earth Day of 1970, we can all take collective action, by first learning about issues that are causing harm to human and ecosystem health (like microplastics), and then joining the voices advocating for positive change.
All Albertans want to clean, healthy ecosystem to live in and we are proud of our natural environment.
Earth Day helps us all with reminders of how incredible the planet is and some of the small changes we can make to keep this plant healthy and vibrant.
Happy Earth Day!
