Thirty-five years after the first Earth Day, Americans take for granted that we have clean air, clean water and other basic environmental protections. However, it took legions of grassroots activists and a cadre of devoted political leaders to bring about the assurances and the improvements. The 21st century cries out for a similar commitment to solving the e-issues of our day.
Although environmental values infuse modern American thought (even big corporations want to be seen as “green’), such concerns paradoxically have been shuffled to the back burner of public policy. Yet today’s ecological problems are larger and more complex than the ones that faced the nation on April 22, 1970, when millions of citizens gathered for the first official Earth Day.
Three decades ago, most environmental problems could be solved with the passage of a single law. For example, after the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland caught fire in 1969, Congress passed the 1972 Clean Water Act. But in this century, environmental concerns involve worldwide economic and diplomatic factors as well as complicated scientific knowledge. Think global warming, for example. What’s needed in this century is more than a renewed environmental ethic. What’s required is a broader conception of environmentalism itself.
International cooperation and new alliances are needed to deal with climate change, deforestation, failing ocean ecosystems and similar worries.
To reinvigorate public enthusiasm, the environmental movement should start by celebrating its successes. For instance, in the 1970s, Denver’s air was so filthy it busted several public health rules, but today you can breathe easy: Denver meets air quality standards.
To create clearer public understanding, environmentalists also should focus on two overarching concerns: the need to slow human population growth and to find economical, clean energy sources.
Our species crossed the 6 billion mark in 1999, which was years later than was predicted and showed the benefits of family planning. Yet human populations are still growing faster than Earth’s ecosystems can sustain in the long term. More people will require more electricity and transportation fuels to support their economies. Meanwhile, global warming and other ecological crises argue against our continued reliance on oil, coal and other carbon- based fuels. The quest for clean and renewable energy sources thus must take center stage.
Still, rather than being a time to despair because of the overwhelming tasks that lie ahead, this Earth Day gives us reason to cheer for how far we have come.
