Earth Day: A Call to Protect Our Lifeline

There should be a day to acknowledge nature, which provides us with everything we need in our daily lives. That is exactly the purpose of Earth Day—a day dedicated solely to the protection, restoration, and growth of the nature we live in today. It is important to realize the fact that we humans are the main villains in this crisis, as we fail to understand the crucial role nature plays in our day-to-day life.

On November 11, 1969, Gaylord Nelson formally announced the proposal for Earth Day, and on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was officially celebrated with the theme “Give Earth a Chance.” It globally raised awareness about the destruction of the environment. Originally, Earth Day was not called what we know today. It was first titled “Environmental Tech In,” but Nelson wanted a simpler name that connected to people. So, he came up with “Earth Day” because not only did it sound more natural and appealing, but also because April 22, fitting his birthday, made the name “Earth Day” rhyme with “birthday.”

It has been proven by many scientists that activities such as deforestation and environmental pollution can have massive effects. One of the primary examples of these effects is the destruction of Los Angeles, not due to war, but because of the misuse of the environment.

This is not the case for every population. There are still some people in the world who have dedicated their lives to the sake of nature. The only factor working against them is that the majority of the population does not understand the importance of nature in our lives. People such as Kamlesh Patel have dedicated their lives to research and afforestation, with the hope of one day restoring nature to its original form. But reckless political and business behaviors have hindered these efforts. Scientists have calculated the effects of SDG (Sustainable Development Goals), and the results show that without the efforts of people like Kamlesh Patel, the climate would be far worse.

It is not the fact that mankind cannot restore nature and redeem our sins, but rather that we do not try. It is important to convey the message that every small act can be significant if multiplied by 7 billion people. Nature gives us everything, but we never give it back anything. It is crucial to take action when we can because it is time to pay back nature for our massive debt.

Nature is our life, don’t stab a knife.

-Lohenba