April 22nd will mark the fifty-fifth anniversary of Earth Day.  The power of those 20 million voices that came out on the streets that first Earth Day led the U.S. to create the EPA and the first generation of environmental laws addressing clean air, clean water and toxics.  

Fast forward to today. Under the banner of, “Our Power. Our Planet”, EARTHDAY.ORG, the global organizer of Earth Day, is calling on people from all walks of life to join in “Earth Action Day” — an effort to once again mobilize people power to tackle the current generation of environmental crises.

2024 was a disaster for the planet and its people.  According to NASA, it was the warmest year since temperatures began being recorded in 1880.  In the U.S. alone there were 27 climate and weather events resulting in at least a billion dollars of damages — second only to 2023 with 28 such events

While a number of factors have contributed to the increase in these catastrophic events, research demonstrates that ” human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of certain types of extreme weather that lead to billion-dollar disasters — most notably the rise in vulnerability to drought, lengthening wildfire seasons in the Western states, and the potential for extremely heavy rainfall becoming more common in the eastern states.”

The news about plastic pollution is similarly dark. Earth Action reported that on last Sept. 5 — Plastic Overshoot Day — the amount of plastic waste exceeded the capacity of waste systems to manage. 220 million tonnes of plastic waste were expected to be produced in 2024 with 66 percent of the population living in places where the amount of east exceeds local capacity. While negotiation of a strong global treaty on plastics in Korea and INC 5 held forth the promise of handling some of these issues, negotiators failed to reach agreement and the talks drone on.

All of this is taking place in the face of increasing scientific news about the harmful impacts of plastics on humans and their health. World Wildlife Federation reported that humans could be ingesting up to 5 grams of plastic each week and a recent report found that high levels of plastics have been found in human brains.  Additional research has shown that plastics are associated with everything from cancer to endocrine disruption, which can impair reproduction, growth and cognitive abilities. Wildlife too is suffering, with plastic ingestion and entanglement contributing to starvation and strangulation, among other issues.

For years we have been told by the plastics industry we can clean up and recycle our way out of this problem – continued use of plastics however means continued use of fossil fuels and recycling has been demonstrated to be in large part of myth due to factors including quality degradation, contamination and non- recyclable content.

What is the common thread of all these challenges facing our planet and the survival of its people — the cause of all of these threats can be traced to one source — humanity.

The encouraging and hopefully inspiring news is that the solutions to these problems also rest in the hands of the people.  We have the collective power not only to protect our planet but also to improve lives and livelihoods.

The link between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change is now scientifically indisputable. According to the United Nations, fossil fuels make up 75% of greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. The good news from the International Renewable Energy Agency is that 90% of global electricity can and should come from renewable sources by 2050.

Slowing the climate crisis is only one of many reasons to switch to renewables.  Renewable energy prices are falling and in most places of the world today, it is the least expensive option.  Other benefits range from preventing unhealthy air associated with the burning of fossil fuels to creating up to 30 million jobs to supporting energy security.

Whether you choose to power your home or vehicle with renewable energy, support community solar, or call on government leaders for more research and investment, the options for taking action to accelerate the transition to renewables are many. Similarly, as consumers we can choose plastic free products, demand a reduction and transition in the use of plastics from business while at the same time pressuring government leaders to reduce production globally, end the use of toxic ingredients, and improve waste management systems.

So this Earth Action Day exercise your power! We need to demonstrate to our leaders in government and business that we are still here, we are a witness to their actions and we will hold them accountable to do right by our planet and its people. 

— Susan Bass is Senior Vice President of earthday.org,