EARTH DAY – SAVE MOTHER EARTH

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Manna

Earth is the only astronomical object habitable for life, known till date; therefore the importance of Mother Earth for humankind or any living creature needs no explanation. But due to some insane human activities, our lovely planet is experiencing several irrecoverable damages. Earth Day is celebrated to draw attention towards those activities and to create awareness to minimize them. Earth Day is an annual event celebrated every year on April 22, started from 1970. Worldwide, including more than 193 countries, organizes various social events to demonstrate support for environmental protection, which are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.

It is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event and it led to landmark environmental laws including the Clean Air, Clear Water and Endangered Species Acts etc. in the United States, and many countries soon started adopting similar laws. The United Nations chose Earth Day 2016 to sign the Paris climate agreement. Similarly EARTH DAY 2019 wants to draw the attention of the whole world towards extinction of species, including rapid reduction of plant and wildlife populations. This is another modern day global issue, resulted from unprecedented destructive human activities caused by climate change, pollution, deforestation, habitat loss, trafficking and poaching, unsustainable agriculture, pesticides etc.

The millions of species that we know, and many more that remain yet to be discovered, are the Nature’s real gifts to our planet. All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life. We need to understand and realize that completely and must work together in order to protect endangered and threatened species including corals, insects, bees, tigers, giraffes, whales and more.

Each of our actions impact the environment, each thing we do can help or hurt our planet in many ways. And the good news is that the rate of extinctions can still be slowed down, and many of our declining, threatened and endangered species can still be recovered if we work together to build a united global movement. So, on this Earth Day, either individuals or in groups, let’s start our footsteps to act sensibly for our environment and our beloved planet. No step is small if it can be performed with dedication, the stepping stone on this Earth Day can start with planting trees, saying no to plastics, picking up roadside trash, or conducting programs on recycling and conservation, and using recyclable containers. But let’s take whatever small steps we can, don’t remain seated idle, because if we do not act now, extinction may be humanity’s most enduring legacy.

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