Earth Day 2020: Why do we celebrate it and how to do it online?
It’s Earth Day today! This should be the year that we stop taking our planet for granted. Although it’s the 50th annual call for environmental reform, we continued to turn a blind eye. With the health of the people and nature at stake, this should be an opportunity for us to reflect on our relationship. With coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lurking everywhere, this year should offer hope among anything else.
Why do we celebrate Earth Day 2020?
Earth Day aims to raise awareness of issues like climate change and global warming. This year should be no different. This year’s goal should “flood the world with messages of hope, optimism, and above all, action. Use the rest of the day to educate yourself on how you can contribute to the many issues facing the environment.
COVID-19 as a blessing in disguise?
The global outbreak may be a blessing in disguise for the planet as climate scientists forecast a drop in carbon emissions this year. COVID-19 may bring gloom and tragedy, this is one of the positive things it brought aside from the unity and solidarity we started to believe in. The lockdowns and closures across the planet have led to a decrease in our always-growing carbon footprint.
Less oil, less electricity, less carbon dioxide emission
With planes brought to a halt, cars banned from unnecessary trips, and people urged to stay home, it made climate change scientists think that COVID-19 has pushed Earth recover for a few weeks or even months. Research Director at the Center for International Climate and Environment Research – Oslo Glen Peters detailed:
“The International Energy Agency had already predicted oil use would drop in 2020, and this was before an oil price war emerged between Saudi Arabia and Russia. The unprecedented coronavirus lockdown in China led to an estimated 25 percent reduction in energy use and emissions over [two weeks] compared to previous years (mostly due to a drop in electricity use, industrial production and transport).”
“This is enough to shave one percentage point growth off China’s emissions in 2020. Reductions are also being observed in Italy, and are likely to spread across Europe as lockdowns become more widespread. The emission-intensive airline industry, covering 2.6 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions (both national and international), is in freefall.”
“It may take months, if not years, for people to return to air travel given that coronavirus may linger for several seasons. Given these economic upheavals, it is becoming increasingly likely that global carbon dioxide emissions will drop in 2020.”
Celebrate Earth Day 2020 inside your own home!
Although the day takes place during one of the most widespread and deadly pandemics that the world has seen, it doesn’t mean that we can’t celebrate the occasion sheltered in place. US Space Agency NASA urged us to continue celebrating it in our own homes.
“Fifty years ago, on April 22, 1970, people around the world marked the first Earth Day. Thousands gathered to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our beautiful planet for future generations. On this Earth Day, as we physically separate ourselves by necessity, we can still collectively appreciate the wondrous beauty of our planet and the extraordinary science that helps us understand how it all works – and we can do it from our homes.”
How to celebrate online?
There are over a thousand different programs from all over the world listed on the Earth Day official website. This includes:
Earth Day Live 2020
Join the live stream of activists and entertainment and political celebrities offer discussions, performances, and suggestions for action on the Earth Day movement. Know more about it here: earthday.org/earth-day-live/
Earth Day Art Model 2020
Join an international telematics festival featuring live performances from a variety of multimedia artists. Know more about it here: earthdayartmodel.org/
Earth Week Keynote: Nalini Nadkarni
Nalini Nadkarni, Ph.D., is a world-renown ecologist and pioneer of tree canopy ecology. She has decades-long experience studying ecosystems from the tops of trees has given her a unique perspective about life on Earth. Join her talk on Microsoft Teams.
Let us know how you celebrate Earth Day in the comments section below!
