Earth Day 2015: Do We Even Care About Environment Protection?

On this Earth Day 2015, one question will be on the minds of environmental campaigners and activists – are we doing our bit for the environment? The answer to this question varies from country to country based on various factors such as literacy rate, development, society and geography. The human race has woken up to the dangers presented by climate change, global warming and other inter-connected occurrences. These harmful changes to the Earth’s ecology is the result of many damaging everyday practices; there is the daily occurrences heavy traffic and pollution globally. There are industrial practices that spew waste on the environment. And then there are the excessive consumerist and gluttonous tendencies in today’s affluent societies that are a drain on limited resources that Mother Nature blesses us with. All of these issues are highlighted on Earth Day, issues that we need to address fast.

What the World is doing about it?

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol agreement was the first step taken by the global comity of nations to address climate and environmental issues. It envisioned a plan for nations to cut their carbon emissions and power output so that issues like climate change and global warming would be managed better. The agreement was about striking a most judicious balance between social, economic and economic needs of the current as well as the future generations of life that inhabit planet Earth. After all, Mother Earth has given birth to life for millennia by providing a stable ecosystem. In the interest of continuity, the world needs to change their damaging attitudes towards environmental protection and pollution.

The world has woken up too late to these pressing environmental concerns. However, there is now more awareness amongst the denizens on developed countries to adopt a environmental-friendly lifestyle.

UK citizens are becoming increasingly conscious of their responsibilities towards their environment.

With the growing spate of environmental disasters all over the world, the global populace is becoming increasingly cognizant of preserving their environment. But this change too is coming from countries with a more developed academic system i.e. European countries vis-à-vis Asian countries.

How EU has woken up to the threat of climate change.

The role of Politics in Scuttling Environment-Friendly Policies

Problems persist in the implementation stage, especially after the promulgation of Kyoto Protocol. Heavily developed and industrialized countries are exhorting less-developed countries to cut down on harmful greenhouse gas emissions. This throws an interesting conundrum for countries which want to develop their infrastructure to match those in developed societies. The developing countries state that the onus is on rich societies to cut down on environmentally-unfriendly practices, since the developing countries are not enjoying the fruits of having a comprehensive infrastructure and good living standards in place.

A comparison of air pollution levels between America and China

Some promising developments towards a greener future

Political wrangling aside, the rising tide of tsunamis, floods, freak storms, temperature increase and seismic disturbances are proof enough that Mother Earth needs care. On April 22 2015, about a billion people from 192 countries will come together for the 45th edition of the Earth Day.

We have solar energy becoming a viable means for alternative energy.

Solar energy is becoming more efficient and affordable day by day.

We are seeing the growth of wind farms settling down for now.

Investment in wind energy is slowing down as better technologies are making them more efficient.

Cars and other vehicles are going all hybrid and electric.

The energy source of the car affects the environment tremendously.

These are some promising indications that the world is slowly but surely moving away from the incessant use of noxious fossil fuels. Advances in science and technology are paving the way for more renewable sources of energy to become part of the world’s energy mix. There’s still a lot to be done and we’ve just started. Earth Day is an occasion to reflect and deliberate on how we can ensure that future generations inherit a more green environment.