Twenty million people rallied, marched and staged clean-ups across the country on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day. The Santa Barbara oil spill and the Cuyahoga River fire contributed to concerns about pollution from a growing number of Americans.
Earth Day 1970 was the launching pad for the Endangered Species Act, as well as public investments in ecosystem and wildlife protection. And it sparked an environmental justice movement highlighting how big-polluting industries affect low-income communities of color.
Today, the US, once a leader in environmental stewardship, is led by a Republican president and Senate majority prioritizing oil and gas production, loosening clean air and water rules, and rolling back emissions standards as a deadly virus that attacks the lungs wreaks havoc.
How did we get here? In 1988, a fringe group of anti-government organizations launched the “wise use” movement. Designed to look like a grassroots campaign, the movement's real proprietors included mining companies, the National Rifle Association and Exxon, among others.
Wise use advocates put out a 25-goal manifesto the following year. At the top of the list were opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and the Tongass National Forest, in southern Alaska, to logging. The Trump administration has plans to do both.
And yet, popular attitudes and market forces continue to shift in favor of a rapid transition to renewable energy. At the same time, the backlash has consolidated within the Republican Party and across the globe.
Read on to understand why this 50th anniversary of Earth Day could be the final test of citizens’ commitment to protecting and restoring our blue marble planet. | 
