Good News Friday - Earth Day 2022
The first Earth Day in 1970 helped launch the modern environmental movement and went on to become an annual global event. Around 1 billion people a year engage in Earth Day, making it a huge opportunity for environmental action.This year, the event calls on individuals, businesses and governments to ‘Invest In Our Planet’ and to engage in sustainable practices, not just on Earth Day, but year round. In the past, these calls to action and the resulting cooperation have led to positive long term changes in environmental policy. For this Earth Day in 2022, we will look at some of the recent successes that resulted from this kind of mass action.
Renewable Energy Generation
Currently, renewable energy generation is at an all time high, and is projected to continue to grow. Wind and solar in particular are currently on track to meet climate targets. A report this year found that if the 10-year average growth rate of 20% can be maintained for these industries, then this may be enough to limit global warming to 1.5C. When the Paris Agreement was first signed, wind and solar generated just 4.6% of global electricity, but as of 2020, this has risen to 10.3%.
Landmark UN Plastic Pollution Treaty
2022 saw representatives from more than 170 countries come together to announce a mandate to negotiate a legally binding treaty to end global plastic pollution. The impacts of plastic pollution are devastating, and there have been cleanup efforts over the years. However, this is the first instance of international cooperation to completely end global plastic pollution. This idea received strong support from corporate groups such as Coke, P&G and Walmart, signing a statement expressing support for rigid policies to prevent plastic pollution.
Closing the Hole in the Ozone Layer
The ozone layer has been found to be slowly recovering in recent decades. When ozone depletion was first recorded in the 1970’s, it led to massive unprecedented action, with large investments in scientific research and international coordination efforts to provide financial and technical assistance to phase out the root causes of ozone depletion. The panic surrounding ozone depletion has subsided primarily due to these efforts and their success. The ozone hole still exists, but evidence shows it is starting to disappear, with projections for it to return to pre-1980’s levels by 2050.
While climate change still stands as a massive threat to society, the longstanding efforts of scientists, individuals, and the sustainability industry have led to overwhelming positive change for the planet. With continued action, it is likely that these positive impacts will become more common and noticeable in our day-to-day lives. Find out more about the Earth Day call to ‘Invest In Our Planet’ and how you can get involved with the sustainability movement year-round at https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/ .
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