Our Statement for Earth Day

Statement for Earth Day

By

Jack Moses, Sümeyye Arpacı and Mathilde Haas

On this day, 51 years ago, the first Earth Day event was held in the United States. Twenty years later, April 22nd became a day of international celebration of the Earth, with people from every country coming together to share thoughts and ideas on how to create a better future for our planet.

While the fight for environmental preservation has intensified over these past 51 years, the message remains the same: we have but one planet, and it is our duty to do everything in our power to protect it from the many threats it faces. We will not have a second chance at saving the Earth. We must act now. 

Earth Day has been and will continue to be more than just a celebration of the beauty of our planet. Originally, the event stemmed from incredible activism from Dennis Hayes and other environmental activists to educate the wider public on issues of environmental destruction and promote greater regulation of environmental threats. In the US, this incredible event and civilian support of environmental activism prompted the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the adoption of various pieces of environmental legislation. Now more than ever, the past successes of the Earth Day movement must be carried into the future. 

Unfortunately, today’s battles for environmental protection and preservation are not very different from the ones of yesterday. Notably, the fight against climate change, fossil fuels and nuclear power is still ongoing and as imperative as ever for the survival of  our planet and humankind. Millions of people’s homes are at risk of being destroyed due to the effects of climate change. As such, we must keep fighting to preserve these lands and we must  be ready to offer  asylum to climate refugees. We must also  ensure access to clean air, water, and food for all. 

The fight for our planet is a global effort, it cannot be done without the genuine commitment of every person at every level - domestic, regional and international.  As such, it is crucial that we promote international cooperation and global sustainable development. 

To reach our goals, it is equally imperative for us to consider how and to what extent issues of gender, race, and wealth are interconnected with the environment. We must work to fix global inequalities and systems of oppression to build more sustainable and resilient societies. 

 Since 1945, there has been a man-made threat to our environment that is often severely underestimated: Nuclear weapons. The very existence of nuclear weapons is a sword of Damocleshovering over the Earth.The use of such weapons would have catastrophic consequences for our people and our planet. A nuclear blast would plunge the world into fires and heavy clouds of smoke that would not dissipate for weeks. Nuclear fallout would appear as black rain rapidly contaminating our bodies, our water and our crops. It would put millions at risk of famine and without clean air or water. This would be in addition to the thousands - if not millions - of people that would be dead or injured in the blast and its aftermath. 

This may seem like nothing but a horrific tale, but it is important to remember that it is a reality.  From the consequences of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings to the nuclear emergencies in Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island, we have seen evidence  that land contaminated by nuclear material is not only unusable, but presents horrific and fatal health risks for all nearby people.

The risk posed by nuclear testing and nuclear waste cannot be swept under the rug as it represents the worst of this horrific threat. States owning nuclear weapons have been conducting tests and storing their waste on foreign soils for years, leaving the communities on the ground to deal with the consequences without help. For instance, nuclear waste stored in Greenland is at risk of getting free and contaminating everything around it. Similarly, nuclear waste stored by the U.S in the Runit Dome on the Marshall Islands is threatening to collapse due to rising sea-levels. We must stand with these affected communities to prevent the environmental and humanitarian damage of nuclear testing and usage in the future. 

Undoubtedly, nuclear weapons serve as one of the most prominent threats to the health and safety of our planet and our people. They have no place in the sustainably developed future that we are striving to build. It is our responsibility to advocate for non-proliferation and denuclearization until every nuclear weapon is destroyed and every person at risk is safe from the nuclear threat. 

 On a final note, we want to invite everyone to take a moment today to recognize and appreciate the beauty of the Earth and support all those who have worked hard to preserve it. Earth Day must be first and foremost a day of celebration and support. 

With the memory of the incredible environmental activism of the past, appreciation for the advocates of our present, and hope in the climate fighters of the future, we at RTT wish everyone a Happy Earth Day!