"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
- Voltaire
This weekend we celebrate Earth Day. On this special day, do you think we can unite in our commitment to the planet and the welfare of all its inhabitants? Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, those who deny climate change continue to sow doubt, hindering our collective efforts to address this existential crisis. [1-4] Don’t you think it’s vital we challenge these deniers? I think it’s time for us to encourage our family, friends, and neighbors to trust in the overwhelming consensus on climate change.
We’re reading it every day – our planet is clearly experiencing rising temperatures, massive fires, devastating floods, and hurricanes, and we are suffering from a tremendous loss of biodiversity. [5] Whether we deny it or not, these events impact us all, and as time goes on it will only continue to get worse. [6] For us to preserve our planet, we must act on behalf of our shared home and demonstrate compassion for our fellow inhabitants.
I challenge you to take this Earth Day as an opportunity to practice sustainable living. From using public transportation or carpooling to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to composting and even conserving water and energy, every action you take matters. Can you find a way to embrace a greener lifestyle? Maybe start by supporting local farmers or choosing to consume products with minimal packaging. Think of ways that you might reduce your use of plastic, an environmental scourge that pollutes oceans and harms wildlife. Or maybe you want to take it a step further – plant a tree to create a habitat for local animals. [7]
By rejecting the falsehoods of climate-change deniers and by embracing our responsibility to protect the planet, we can come together and create a future where both humans and the environment can thrive. But we need to do it now. This Earth Day, can each of us take a moment to pledge to invest in our well-being and strive for a greener, more sustainable world?
References
Lewandowsky, S., Oreskes, N., Risbey, J. S., Newell, B. R., & Smithson, M. (2015). Seepage: Climate change denial and its effect on the scientific community. Global Environmental Change, 33, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.02.013
The long fight against climate change deniers. (2022, October 20). Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/10/20/the-long-fight-against-climate-change-deniers
Gross, L. (2018). Confronting climate change in the age of denial. PLoS Biol, 16(10): e3000033. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000033
Weart, S. (2011). Global warming: How skepticism became denial. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 67(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0096340210392966
Adebayo, O. (2019). LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY: THE BURGEONING THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH. Annals of Ibadan postgraduate medicine, 17(1), 1–3.
Gross, L. (2018). Confronting climate change in the age of denial. PLoS Biol, 16(10): e3000033. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000033
Turner‐Skoff, J. B., & Cavender, N. (2019). The benefits of trees for livable and sustainable communities. Plants People Planet 1(4), 323–335. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.39
