It was a remarkable day, perhaps the first day ever when the environment became a cause. It was called, appropriately enough, Earth Day. April 22, 1970, in cities across the country, including Denver, mostly young, mostly White, men and women, parked their cars and rode bikes, cleaned up litter, and demanded elected officials refocus on the planet, a place that, despite plenty of warning signs, had been neglected far too long.
Walter Cronkite, once anointed as ‘the most trusted man in America,’ described it as “a day set aside for a nationwide outpouring of mankind seeking its own its own survival.” Altruistic as it was, the first Earth Day was a stumble out of the gates. But it did accomplish one thing; it lit the fuse on modern day environmentalism and conservation. Other events, including the Santa Barbara oil spill in January 1969 and Lake Erie catching fire from floating pools of oil and chemicals that same year were also visible reminders that we were headed in the wrong direction.
This year Earth Day falls on a Saturday and all across the metro area, there will be festivities. In Denver, the Colorado Convention and Visitors Bureau is inviting everyone to come to the Big Blue Bear outside the Convention Center to enjoy music, demonstrations on ‘how to be green.’ Snacks and drinks will be free. Volunteers are needed for a cleanup of the most despoiled spots along Cherry Creek. Lakewood, Aurora, and Westminster will also be hosting events.
As Earth Day has evolved, so have its participants. Today there are Latino, African American, Asian and Native American environmental groups fighting to preserve a thoughtful and healthy balance for our planet’s land, air and water in every state in the country.
While Earth Day 1970 gave rise to the modern-day environmental movement, there was one galvanizing environmental moments that was a precursor to its birth, none more than a book.
In 1962, Rachel Carson published her monumental, ‘Silent Spring.’ It sounded the alarm on the indiscriminate use of insecticides, none more dangerous than DDT. The sins of pesticides and the industries responsible for them scarred whole nations. The U.S. Army, a prolific source in their use, also did not escape responsibility.
Post WWII, the army, farmers and ranchers, the chemical industry, whole nations, almost all used them nearly indiscriminately. It was an era where ‘better living through chemistry’ became more than a simple slogan. But ‘Silent Spring’ and the light it shone on chemicals brought a flashing red light attention to this threat in an easily digestible way.
There were plenty of warnings about the dangers of pesticides—poisons—but they did do their job. They killed bugs. But there were growing concerns about their safety. A few states issued formal warnings on their use, some restricted sales, others ordered skull and crossbones symbols be put on containers. But the nation was mostly ambivalent. Yes, they killed the ‘bad’ insects, from cockroaches to fire ants, but also the good ones, like bees. Chemicals also killed clover and grass, a natural buffet for cattle which meant they also moved into the food chain sometimes causing birth defects and dangerous illnesses like cancer.
Over the years, we have learned volumes about conservation, sustainability and saving the planet. We have learned there are still undiscovered species; global warming is an international economic problem; fossil fuels are a dangerous double-edged sword; wind and solar power are practical; bees and other pollinators need protection. The lessons are all around, said Metro State University-Denver Professor Antonio Bellisario, but are they being applied?
“In a way, we are making a lot of changes,” said Bellisario. “But nature and the environment have their own agency.” The native Chilean questions our capacity “to stop the damage that we’re doing,” saying we often don’t seem to acknowledge the consequences of our actions.
Parts of the planet, he said, are becoming “unlivable.” There will come a time, he warns, when “there’s going to be a strong competition for what remains.” Some people, said Bellisario, “are going to be forced to live in very unlivable environments.”
Already, there are serious undertakings adding to the crisis of global warming. Bellisario said wholesale deforesting in the Amazon to make way for agriculture is a major concern. Record temperatures in the Middle East, science predicts, threaten human survival by the end of the century. Temperatures have already set records across the region, including a recent 127 degree reading in one Iranian city. Combined with high humidity, comfort becomes an on-going challenge for humans. Agriculture is also threatened.
But it’s not just the Middle East. Portland, Oregon, recorded a week of unheard of triple-digit heat recently, including a one-day reading of 117 degrees. Several European cities from Rome to London have also set heat records. Global heat patterns have also raised ocean temperatures causing higher intensity tropical storms.
“It’s really scary,” Bellisario said. “We need global action and for that we need to have some sense about direction and agreement.”
Anomalous weather patterns are becoming more and more frequent. They have impacted both winters and summers. The impact of warmer winters is evident across the West with literally millions of acres of forest now a natural buffet for pine beetles who no longer freeze to death in warming winters.
While the clock is ticking on saving the planet, NASA says it’s still not too late. Change—responsible change—can be done thoughtfully and in an organized manner. One way the space agency recommends is to dramatically reduce the use of fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases.
A serious step in that direction was recently announced by the White House when it ordered a dramatic reduction in carbon fuel vehicles by 2032. The move, it said, would cut nearly 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions—twice today’s levels. It would also have significant economic benefits to American consumers, saving them an average of $12,000 over the life of a vehicle.
It’s an important step, say environmentalists. Signoff by manufacturers and Congress on the President’s plan is still a long way off. But people like Bellisario say, we know the threat. There is no time to waste.
