Published: 20.4.2020.
The article was edited and published by Andrea Božić
Climate changes represent the biggest challenge for the future of the humanity and life support systems that make our world habitable. That is also the topic of this year's 50th Earth Day, that is celebrated throughout the world, although only through the internet this time, because all the events were postponed until further notice due to the pandemic.
It is also a reminder of the politics of each country in particular, unless it becomes active and increases the speed and measures of environment protection, unfortunately, there is no great future on the Earth for the current and future generations.
The Earth Day 2020 will be far more than a single day. It must be a historical moment when the citizens of the world will rise in a common call for creativity, innovations, ambitions and courage to prevent climate changes by various preventive actions and deliberation about the future without pollution.
The first Earth Day was organized on 22 April 1970, when 20 million Americans - 10% of the American population of the time – took to the streets. University students, high school students, workers, they all protested in hundreds of cities and demanded that caring about the environment be started, because otherwise ignorance would destroy our planet, and they demanded a new way forward for our planet. The first Earth Day is attributed to the initiation of the modern environment protection movement.
The Earth Day is now recognized as the greatest civil event on the planet and it lead to the adoption of the environment act in USA, including the Clean Air, Clear Water and Endangered Species Act. Many countries adopted similar acts soon.
"In spite of the wonderful success and decades of progress regarding the environment, we are facing an even graver, almost existential, set of global ecologic challenges, from the loss of the biological diversity to climate changes to plastic pollution, that call for action at all levels of government", said Denis Hayes, the organizer of the first Earth Day of 1970.
"Progress is sluggish, the effects of climate changes are increasing, and our enemies have become better financed", said the chairman of Earth Day Network, Kathleen Rogers, "We are presently living in the world facing global threats that demand a unified global response. On the Earth Day 2020, we will build a new generation of activists for protection of the environment, engaging millions of people throughout the world." And we must respond to our climate crisis and use the enormous possibilities for carbon free future.
While this year's Earth Day will remain in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, we must not forget the Earth Day of 22 April, and stop for a moment, and consider what we ourselves can do to help reduce the pollution of our country.
