විශේෂ දිනයන්

World Earth day

Written by Rashmi Leema

Vote earth!

Since the dawn of time, our ancestors knew how vital nature is to our survival, ergo they considered nature as the supreme force of all. But over the course of human evolution and suite of adaptions accumulated over time mankind was able to turn the world upside down within nearly 50 years. From walking upright to originating technology thousands of achievements have been made. But with the escalation of the achievements came the proliferation of the numbers of negative impacts such as the percentages of the greenhouse gases emitted, the acidity of the oceans, etc.

Hence, 50 years ago today the ”Earth Day” was created for the purpose of raising awareness regarding the negative impacts mankind has on nature. Each earth day is assigned a topic related to various fields that need public attention. Not only mankind revolutionized the world almost within a century with Industrialization but also destructed the half of the world with world wars. Either be positive or negative, all those historic moments had a bad impact on nature and, are accountable for the fatal climate changes that we encounter today. Ipso facto the theme for the 2020 earth day has been chosen as “climate action”.

Typically, earth day is celebrated by holding events with mass gatherings that range from cleanups and fire station programs. But this year we will have to improvise due to the prevailing pandemic. The answer to the question “how can we contribute for climate action campaign” is absolutely simple. We can always begin by reducing our carbon footprint. With the high rate of traffic congestion, it’s quite obvious that the number of private vehicles spotted on the roads is relatively higher. So walking, bicycling, public transportation and ride-sharing can add a little green to nature. But not everyone is able to leave the car behind. If so, then by maintaining the vehicle in good condition, you can be a part of this campaign. Also opting for hybrid vehicles when buying is also another aspect that should be highlighted. Also conserve water as much as possible. Due to this quarantine now you have plenty of time to repair the leaky faucets you have been having this all time. After all, small changes add up to a lot of gallons. Practicing home energy efficiency is also a bit overwhelming but a key component. It could be done by turning off a light bulb even and unplugging unused appliances.

The irony is that although there wouldn’t be any large events or acts of conservations, due to the extensive travel restrictions and shuttering of factories environmental pollution has drastically decreased. The best example is the ozone layer is being regenerated after ages.

But us COVID-19 really a silver lining? Because during the pandemic the human activities are hindered ergo the pollution will stay lowered. But what will happen when measures are eventually lifted?? This is the real question we have to focus on rather celebrating virtual earth days online. We can have a notion about the forthcoming climate changes by observing the post-environmental conditions of the pandemics that we have faced akin to COVID-19. Remember earth day should not be a mere day to list out what we have to do and feel good about ourselves thinking that we are changing the system. Because we are changing nothing.

Speak up, Act now, Vote earth!

Designed by Samith Kanshadha

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About the author

Rashmi Leema

Faculty of Science - Second Year
University of Colombo

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