What Planet Are They on?
Posted by Eric Roston at 4/26/2008 3:19 PM and is filed under Climate,willful ignorance,Civil Society,Politics,Antarctica,Policy 
I've never really understood Earth Day, sort of in the same way I've never understood other made-up modern observances. But I acknowledge and am grateful that it has grown over almost four decades into a productive force for teaching and awareness of many issues that otherwise attract approximately zero attention. The op-ed I did with Bill Chameides last week was a great opportunity to talk about how the focus of Earth Day should move from the recycling of soda cans to what's in the cans themselves -- and how it got there.
Over at the State Department, they have their own idea of Earth Day:
"The snow-covered terrain of the earth's surface (NASA photo)"
What a beautiful ice-covered planet we have! And, when you click through on the same page to Climate Change and Clean Energy, you learn two main things:
At least the ice is dripping.
Over at the State Department, they have their own idea of Earth Day:
What Is Earth Day?I'm glad they emphasize that "nowhere is it a national holiday" and that it "has no central organizing force." I think those are two of Earth Day's most notable qualities, sort of in the way that Thursdays (for example) have no organizing force and are not national holidays. Thanks, State Department! But it gets better. Here's the picture and caption that run on the State Department's Earth Day introductory blurb page:
Earth Day, April 22, is the annual celebration of the environment and a time to assess the work still needed to protect the natural gifts of our planet. Earth Day has no central organizing force behind it though several nongovernmental organizations work to keep track of the thousands of local events in schools and parks that mark the day. Earth Day is observed around the world, although nowhere is it a national holiday.
"The snow-covered terrain of the earth's surface (NASA photo)"
What a beautiful ice-covered planet we have! And, when you click through on the same page to Climate Change and Clean Energy, you learn two main things:
The Earth’s climate system is a complex, interactive process made up of the atmosphere, land, snow and ice, oceans and living things. Two factors change the atmosphere -- natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions and human-induced increases in greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.That's sort of a stab at honesty. It's a little bit like saying that someone who tragically dies by getting hit by a bus has died (a) because everyone dies eventually, and (b) because he got hit by a bus. The Bush EPA has long acknowledged (in the recesses of its Web site) that manmade gases contribute to global warming. Bush has always had two speeches on the topic, the "uncertainty" speech, and the only slightly less deplorable "voluntary change" speech, which he gives internationally. Here's the picture that runs on the State Department's Climate Change and Clean Energy page.
At least the ice is dripping.
So, are you advocating that we organize a Thursdays Unite campaign? I'd be happy to work on the snappy slogan! All kidding aside, I too have always loved the "organic" (as in uncoordinated, evolutionary) way Earthday has grown, and I'd be very cross if it did become an "official" holiday. Even with it's big ticket rock concerts and massive vendor fairs, Earthday is still all about saving our most precious resources, not about sending another Hallmark card. Well done.
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