Earth Day and the Bumpy Road to Saving our Planet

The temptation to tell an apocalypse story is global, from Ragnarök in the Norse mythologies to Native American, Egyptian, Chinese, and Christian Final Days. Anyone who was alive during historic plagues and warfare has had good reason to think the end of the world had come – and the introduction of the atomic bomb has inspired dread for generations past and present.

Earth Day turns 52 this year, and a half-century ago, the world faced very different concerns about the environment. In an earlier era, fears were not about rising temperatures, but falling ones – along with litter, acid rain, overpopulation and starvation. If scientists have been wrong before, should we believe them now? (Even if, well, that’s how or why science works.)

In wealthy nations, and in the U.S. in particular, even the most environmentally-conscious people are likely to have a significant carbon footprint. From air travel to the high environmental toll of foods like red meat, we often make decisions that are good for us as individuals but are sub-optimal for the planet – and we don’t necessarily love the idea of downshifting. Even the simple act of using a clothesline instead of a powered dryer can have complications.

If you swap a gas-powered car for a battery-electric one, it’s probably better for the environment... but there are no absolutes in this world, and electric vehicles come with trade-offs. EVs are only as green as their energy source and, depending on your location, the grid may be powered from sources that include natural gas and coal. Nickel and lithium, meanwhile, are elements used in batteries and often come from problematic areas.

Trading a gas engine for battery power often adds weight to a vehicle, which can accelerate infrastructure problems. Electric vehicles are often more dangerous for pedestrians due to faster acceleration, heavier weight and quieter operation.

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Petroleum, as the base product for plastics, supplies the modern world with thousands of other products. Without petroleum, there will be no cell phones, computers, appliances, cars, some medicines and many other items we use in our daily life. If the supply of petroleum becomes limited, all these things will become more expensive, if not non-existent.

The energy industry also pays trillions of dollars in property taxes to local governments. Without these taxes, we would need to find other sources of revenue to build schools and fund educational operating costs.

Weaning the global economy off petroleum would be no easy task, to say the least.

There are, however, reasons for hope. The cost of energy from solar panels has dropped dramatically in recent years. Technology that produces power from temperature changes means the next generation of panels could generate electricity outside of daylight hours, or on cloudy days. Relatively painless steps like cool roofs could offset some portion of rising temperatures. Startups like Gjenge Makers are repurposing plastic waste into alternative building materials and products. And more corporations are promising action with net zero pledges.

We have a long way to go, and setbacks are inevitable. The transition to a sustainable future won’t be simple or painless, and our collective failure to act quickly may have already contributed to bloodshed. But human history shows that we are capable of extraordinary things – against great odds.

What would you change in your life to improve our climate outlook?

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