By Jennifer Ju
Facing Ourselves
Jennifer Ju
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
These were the words written by writer and conservationist Rachel Carson in her book, Silent Spring, one of the works that raised awareness of the link between pollution and adverse health outcomes. Written in 1962, Silent Spring helped promote environmental initiatives on a global scale. As recognition of the importance of taking actions to protect the environment grew, efforts to spread awareness via events across the US evolved into Earth Day on April 22. First celebrated in 1970, observance of Earth Day has continued to grow, and it is now celebrated globally.
Momentum from Earth Day initiatives in the US eventually led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and passage of the Clean Air Act, as well as other environmental laws. Despite these initiatives, there is much concern that what is being done is not enough.
How much impact have these measures made on protecting the environment? According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent report, which analyzed decades of research conducted by hundreds of scientists, we are currently in the midst of a growing climate crisis which is heading to the point of no return – one in which the damage to Earth will be irreversible unless substantial and rigorous actions are made now. Extreme weather patterns continue to increase, causing devastation and destruction around the world, as well as displacement of people in multiple regions worldwide which have already reached the limit in their ability to adapt to these dire changes.
The deleterious effects of pollution on our health are impossible to ignore. Severe water scarcity and drought, as well as loss of agriculture and property due to fires, flooding, storms and rising sea levels are also challenges. Increasing and irrevocable losses in crucial ecosystems are evident, leading to plants and animals pushed to permanent extinction.
The IPCC’s recent report also includes recommendations for policy changes and other actions needed to protect nature, decrease and offset greenhouse gasses, and increase the use of renewable energy. However, the IPCC has been issuing warnings of the disastrous impact of climate change for more than 30 years since its first report in 1990, and remediation actions have only been implemented slowly.
Per the IPCC, temperatures are currently approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, with permanent damage to the planet if temperatures increase another 0.4 degrees Celsius higher. According to a study published in January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, there is evidence that the planet will reach these temperatures by the early 2030s.
It appears that IPCC’s report is being taken more seriously now. United Nations secretary general António Guterres said, “This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.”
Earth Day 2023’s theme calls for us to “invest in our planet.” We can do so, as individuals and as a country, by striving for net-zero emissions, as well as adopting a shift in mindset in which year-round actions are taken to protect the planet, including more mindful consumption of products and fossil fuels, significantly reducing the use of plastics, educating ourselves on the proper way to recycle so that the majority of what we think we are recycling doesn’t end up in the landfill, investing in renewable energy and voicing our support for laws that help reduce pollution as well as protect our forests, water and other natural resources.
As Rachel Carlson wrote in Silent Spring, “We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost’s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road – the one less traveled by – offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.”
There is only one Earth. We must act now to save our beautiful, precious planet for ourselves and for our future generations.
Jennifer Ju, MD is a physician who is a graduate of the Brown University family medicine residency program. She is also an actor and writer who has performed in various theatres across the state and whose plays have been produced locally. Ju has also presented numerous online and in-person workshops on mindfulness, health and wellness for parents and children, as well as for pre-K-12 educators in New Haven and Fairfield counties.