For the optimists, Earth Day is an opportunity to honor the planet that hosts us, to make more sustainable choices in their daily lives and to more forcefully demand its essential protection. For the more pessimistic, it’s just another day set up for companies and politicians to promote a “good face” for themselves and an environment-friendly profile, and possibly make big promises they won’t keep.
But what is true? As in most matters, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. This day was established to motivate more and more people to action and highlight serious environmental problems. And indeed, thousands of citizens and organizations are pushing and spreading the urgent need to protect the environment. On the other hand, it is true that such global days are used as “fireworks” to advertise leaders, companies, etc., how “green” they are. Also, we often “celebrate” this day, but the issue is what we do for the planet and the life on it the remaining 364 days of the year, since the effort to protect it is a daily struggle.
What is needed is to make the cliché “every day is Earth Day” a reality, through substantial commitments and not solutions which, although they are good initiatives or theories, do not want to disturb the waters too much and “upset” the interests. Although the climate crisis is becoming more intense, measures to deal with it are coming slowly and excruciatingly. Billions of euros wasted on fossil fuel project investments and pseudo-solutions such as nuclear power or carbon offsets should be directed towards the just energy transition, mitigation and adaptation to the effects of the climate crisis.
Equally critical is the issue of pollution and the collapse of biodiversity, while the organizers of Earth Day events worldwide have set this year’s theme as “The planet against plastics”. And this is because quite simply, the scale of plastic pollution, which overwhelms cities, seas and forests and destroys biodiversity, has reached levels where no amount of recycling is enough to save the situation.
Greenpeace activist in Bonn
Greenpeace
Bernd Lauter
A day later, on April 23, the fourth round of UN negotiations on a Global Plastics Treaty begins in Canada. It may sound technical and boring, but it has the potential to bring strict, binding legislation at international and national levels that will force companies to drastically reduce the production of unnecessary single-use plastic and switch to sustainable options for their packaging. Also, governments and local authorities will be forced to implement these laws and offer truly sustainable options to citizens.
One such example is the “Date at the taps” program, which aims to ensure drinking water everywhere and access to an adequate network of shared taps for all. Through the program and with the help of the citizens, a record is made of the public taps in the country (functional and not) and an effort is made for the municipal authorities to implement the already existing legislation, which says that the municipalities are obliged to provide free drinking water to Public spaces.
Instead of an epilogue, a note about protecting the seas. A few days ago, the 9th “Our Ocean” International Conference was completed in Athens, where politicians and agencies from dozens of countries met to agree on a framework for a global strategy for the protection of the sea. The Greek government gave 21 specific commitments, concerning marine protected areas, sustainable fishing, decarbonization of the islands, combating plastic pollution, etc. We will monitor their implementation progress and hope to see them become a reality soon.
*Smaragda Skoulou, Communication department, Greek office Greenpeace
