When it’s Earth Day in America, is it Earth Day everywhere?

OPINION

For those of you visiting from abroad, you would be forgiven for not knowing that today, April 22nd, marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in the United States.

Earth Day was born as a result of the environmental heart attack this country suffered in the 60s and 70s from a host of environmental and public health problems caused by such things as leaded gasoline, elevated particulate matter from fixed and mobile sources, the destruction of ecosystems, the prevalence of toxic chemicals in the market, indiscriminate industrial waste, brown fields, asbestos pollution, contaminated waterways, acid rain, and so much more.

In the hierarchy of needs, the time had arrived to tackle the environmental and public health consequences of accelerated industrial and economic growth.

America, already a very wealthy country at the time, could afford to tackle these poblems. The public’s growing concerns eventually led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air and Clean Water Act, and a host of other initiatives, including, Earth Day.

So, to answer the question, “when it’s Earth Day in America is it Earth Day everywhere?”

The answer is, sadly, no.

That’s because Earth Day is a one day celebration that is too narrowly focused on the United States, ignoring the fact we share a planet with billions more. And in a globalized world, what happens to them happens to us.

Here are two examples of the disconnect:

1. Clean fuels, green tech for rich countries… Wood, charcoal, and animal dung for the poor.

Each year 2 million people — mostly women and children — die from indoor air pollution caused by the inefficient combustion of biomass (wood, charcoal, animal dung). Black Carbon, a byproduct of poor biomass combustion is second only to CO2 as a climate forcer. Depending on biomass as a primary fuel also has a major impact on local environments and the poverty cycle. Today, close to half the world depends on biomass for their primary energy and the vast majority live in the developing world.

Helping promote and facilitate the adoption of energy efficient technology, clean alternative biomass fuels, and sound policies would go a long way to alleviating some of the problems listed above. We have the tools, they’re cheap, simple, and widely available.

What’s more, addressing the problem would go a long way towards raising the poorest of the poor out of poverty.

Let’s work together to raise this issue higher on the priority list of the international development community.

Let’s work together to bring green tech and clean fuels to the bottom of the pyramid!

2. The discourse of the climate change movement vis-a-vis the right of developing countries to grow their economies and raise their citizens out of poverty is another example of a deep disconnect.  That’s because industrialized countries have sent the message to developing countries that they should not depend on fossil fuels for their economic growth. So what energy are developing countries supposed to use to grow their economies? And where’s the funding for it? This puts the climate change/enviro movement on a collision course with the needs of poor countries to raise their citizens out of poverty.

So until Earth Day celebrations begin including environmental, social, and public health problems elsewhere around the world, Earth Day will remain as significant as Thanksgiving or the 4th of July: holidays whose meaning have long been eroded by ceaseless feel-good promotions and wall to wall advertisements.

Lets hope the 50th anniversary of Earth Day really includes a celebration of achievements around the Earth, not just the United States.