Today, Monday 22 April, which this year also happens to be Easter Monday, is celebrated world wide as Earth Day. In my country, New Zealand, I've hardly heard anything about it this year. These last few weeks none of my acquaintances have been talking about Earth Day . Most don't seem to know it exists. Easter and then ANZAC Day, on the 25th, are much more on the radar. And an internet search revealed ony a few events, scattered throughout the country, to mark the day. But there were some suggested ways for individuals to acknowedge the day: Plant a tree - or many trees. Create a bee friendly garden. And I'm adding: Look after bumble bees. I hardly ever see honey bees in my urban garden these days. So I don't kill a bumble bee when it strays inside and buzzes on the window pane or when I find one exhausted on the patio. In a saucer I mix two dessert spoons of sugar with a spoonful of water. I put the bumble bee on the saucer and watch it refuel, then say a wee 'thank you' as it flies away to save the world. From 1970 till nowEarth Day is organised and stimulated by Earth Day Network. The first Earth Day was held on April 22 1970. It was an American event. An estimated 20 million people turned out in parks and streets all over the country. The Earth Day Network website says: 'Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.' By 1990 the annual Earth Day was still largely American but that year a big campaign was held focussed on global warming and clean energy. This time 'Earth Day went global mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries.' It has been global ever since, extending the number of countries to more than 170. Is interest waning?Interest may be waning in other countries as well as in New Zealand. I found this in Grist an American magazine in an issue as far back as 2015: 'In such a rigged system, [today's economic system] Earth Day doesn’t stand a chance, and so this widely celebrated international phenomenon has lost its relevance. It is a Band-Aid, a pat on the back, a Facebook like. It’s dumping a bucket of those in power to stop working for industry and start working for the people.' Earth Day has always featured celebration of the vast and varied species of plants and animals which live on the earth. True it has also fostered concern over climate change, but now perhaps climate change per se, and especially global warming, is more in the public mind. LondonJust this week images are streaming in from London of climate change protestors occupying bridges and crossroads to disrupt everyday life and force interest in what is happening to the climate. Some members of the same organistion were doing it in New Zealand too. Is disruption and therefore public irritation the way to go? These Extinction Rebellion protestors clearly feel it is. The only way?Writing in The Guardian Professor Andre Spicer has an interesting perspective: Extinction Rebellion’s call for “ecological justice” will appeal to people on the left, but it will miss out those in the centre and alienate folks on the right. If the rebels want to reach out, they could instead talk about “preserving the purity of nature” or “saving our national natural heritage”. Their tactics are also likely to push away many potential supporters. Acts of civil disobedience such as occupying bridges, guerrilla gardening and protest puppetry may appeal to seasoned activists, but are a turnoff for thousands of potential supporters who might walk past such occupations. If the rebels want to reach out, they should use social rituals which other groups are familiar with – instead of glueing themselves to DLR trains, they might hold tea parties at local fetes. Better, the school strikes?I prefer the tactics of the school children around the world who have been going on strike. They have held protests all over the place but they have attracted admiration rather than annoyance. And the initiator, Greta Thunberg, has, as a result, been invited to speak to gatherings of political leaders throughout Europe.
More of us beginning to worry about global warming's dangers?I'm writing this at 4 pm Monday, New Zealand time. Earth Day is nearly over. Maybe not many people are taking notice of it these days, but certainly more and more people are beginning to know about and feel the urgency and threats of climate change. That has been one of Earth Day's cardinal messages all along. ########## John McInnes Earth Day Monday 22 April 2019 References: Greta Thunberg at European Parliament Earth Day Network website Earth Day in New Zealand Andre Spicer - The Guardian -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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