On April 22 1970 environmental fears mobilized 10 percent of American population, or 20 million people to demonstrate and demand from world leaders, a new strategy to save our environment. Propelling this demonstration forward, was the unified response of ordinary people, who seized the opportunity/crises, from events such as the “oil spills, smog, river being so polluted that they literally caught on fire”. To this day, solidifying a unified response to this problem, from world leaders, has been slow and ineffective.
Perhaps some of the resistance is due to the fact, we live in a mechanistic age, lacking in “creativity, innovation, ambition and bravery, to meet our climate crises and seize the enormous opportunities of a zero-carbon future.” In these turbulent times a new vision for the future is imperative, as we work together towards transformative change, in ourselves and our entire world. However, it is imperative we maintain hope for progress leading to solutions against global warming.
Currently, I want to imagine, that the coronavirus sweeping the world will be like a “thin edge of the wedge”, to open the door for a more unified response to our global environmental crises. Deep in our bones and DNA, we know that not addressing climate change, endangers not just the lungs and life of people, but of all creation, above, below, in the oceans, earth, and high into the stratosphere of our beautiful sky, mountains and solar system.
Let us follow the example of former TV news anchor Walter Cronkite. He kept a photo of the earth taken from space, “Earthrise” from Apollo 8, on his desk, to remind him of “The Earth’s Fragility”. Art is of value, because art has the ability to shift consciousness, to help the viewer wonder and see things in new ways. It is my belief we will evolve with greater intimacy and commitment to mother earth. By changing inconsistent patterns and using our imagination, we are capable of finding a creative new global agreement. We can. We will. We must.
Visit www.earthday.org/earth-day-2020/ and discover activities happening on Earth Day in your neighbourhood, around our world, and also the history of Earth Day.
- Sister Patricia St. Louis, csj