Marking the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

Today, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of an international day of observation that could not come at a more appropriate time: Earth Day. Amidst the global pandemic we are faced with, it is a challenge to focus on practically anything else, let alone another crisis. This crisis has justifiably taken over the international community, and the human impact of the spread of this virus is monumental.

This virus, while harmful to all, presents a significantly greater challenge to the disenfranchised and more vulnerable members of our society. Oxfam has warned that nearly half of all jobs in Africa could be lost and a further 500 million people pushed into poverty unless the international community takes urgent action to deal with the pandemic. While tackling the pandemic and its repercussions is essential, we must not lose sight of the urgency with which we need to fulfill our collective efforts to stop another global crisis: climate change. Like the pandemic – climate change also has the potential to most negatively impact the poorest members of our society. While the pandemic and climate change are entirely different crises, they both have a huge potential impact on the human race, and a disproportionately negative effect on the already disadvantaged members of the global community.

by Ding