This year marks the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day, first celebrated on April 22, 1970. Back then, modern society, especially in the so called developed world, was peaking with environmental concern. One of the big issues of the day was the disastrous effects of DDT on bird populations. Global warming was a little known theory and the degradation of the Earths’ ozone layer wasn’t yet imagined.
Some would say we’ve come a long way in the last four decades. DDT and other harmful chemicals have been banned. A global treaty to protect the ozone layer from CFC’s has been in effect since 1987. And, since 1972 nations have gathered under the U.N. umbrella to deal with the preservation of bio-diversity and a climate changing build-up of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. The Kyoto Protocol was one outcome of these gatherings. It was signed in 1997 and ratified (reluctantly, and to little effect) by us Canadians in 2002.
We’ve learned to practice the three ‘R’s – reduce, re-use and re-cycle. Of course our generation can’t take too much credit for these particular advances because our forefathers and mothers regularly practiced them, albeit more likely due to economic necessity and everyday practicality than for environmental stewardship.
But, despite all the efforts we make on an individual; community; national or planetary basis, our environment becomes more foul by the day. (more…)