On the Today Show I saw Weather Broadcaster Al do a little dance jig on a lawn as he was on location for Earth Day with a litter grabber tool in his hand and in the background many others picking up trash. It was clean up project time. Every year it seems so many places, municipalities and organizations sponsor litter patrols, while the earth burns.
We like to say we “celebrate” Earth Day every April 22 but we are ahead of ourselves. We should not be celebrating as if something has been accomplished. Ok, you say, “but we can celebrate progress can’t we, shouldn’t we, not least because it engenders more action?” Well, yes, but I would lead you to “Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World,” (PBS.org) wherein she forthrightly challenges our world’s significant political leaders for chronicling their political action “progress” on reducing carbon emissions while matter-of-factly not reaching or accomplishing the specifically stated goal of not increasing the global average temperature more than 1.5 degrees centigrade over pre-industrial era temperatures. “Progress over Perfection” is a laudable maxim for most pursuits but in this challenge of warming that we have it is not something to hold up as an acceptable report.
What Thunberg interestingly points to regarding “progress” against this challenging goal is this past year’s global response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. What can happen and did happen when billions in dollars and total multi-disciplinary attention in research, development, education and delivery of a solution to the virus’s devastating effects was given on a global scale: multiple vaccines developed and massive public-health measures instituted to slow down and stop the virus’s death march. Why do we not do the same with reducing carbon emissions? Why indeed.
I like to say that no matter how bad the numbers, numbers are our friends. They tell the truth. We cannot succeed if we deny the numbers or fake the numbers to fit our politics or popularity. Right now we sit at carbon dioxide emissions bringing us to a 2.5 – 3.0 degrees C average increase in temperature by 2100. That number is catastrophic for our ecologies. We cannot claim “progress” as success if “progress” means environmental collapse. It needs to be 1.5 degrees or nothing.
What will it take to get us there? Political will, financial investment, personal commitment and shared sacrifice.
Right now, this month of our 51st Earth Day, we must start with being real about “progress.” As Thunberg notes: “don’t listen to me, listen to the science.”
Oh my, do we hear?
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