Earth Day 2013 is just around the corner, coming up on April 22nd! Have you sent in a photo yet? This year the official theme of Earth Day is “The Face of Climate Change.” The Earth Day Network is collecting photographs that highlight the growing impact that is having on people throughout the world.
2012 was a year of catastrophic climate events:
- Arctic sea ice cover shrunk to a record low in September; 1
- The United States experienced one of the top hottest years on record; 2
- Superstorms struck the Caribbean, the Philippines, and the northeastern United States; 3
- Droughts dried out northern Brazil, Russia, China, and two-thirds of United States; 4
- Rains flooded Nigeria, Pakistan, and parts of China; 5
- International climate change talks have faltered, as many viewed the Rio 20 Summit as an international environmental failure. 6
A park officer walking along the cracked lake bed of O.C. Fisher Lake in San Angelo,Texas. 7
Unfortunately, those who were not directly affected by catastrophic events may feel removed, and like the issue is not an important one. As Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, put it, “many people think climate change is a remote problem, but the fact is that it’s already impacting real people, animals, and beloved places all over the world, and these Faces of Climate Change are multiplying every day.”8 The Earth Day Network will try to bring people together by sharing images both from people around the world who have been impacted by , and from people who are doing things to curtail it. The Network hopes that these images will serve to personalize and “make real the massive challenge that climate change presents.”9 In addition, the theme helps to unite the Earth Day celebrations everywhere. Digital displays will show the images on Monday April 22 at events all around the world and online.
When I first heard about the Face of Climate Change event I couldn’t help but think about how different Earth Day of 2013 is in comparison to the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. On the first Earth Day, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson helped to inspire a grassroots movement by organizing students, politicians and, concerned citizens to participate in a day to champion environmental issues. For a full history of Earth Day, see this . The first Earth day saw:
20 million Americans [take] to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. 11
To me, the most striking difference between the first 1970 Earth Day celebration and today’s is the scope of the event and the method of organization. It’s difficult to imagine such a gathering of like-minded people without today’s Internet connections. The face of the climate change campaign is heavily reliant on social media—it asks people to tweet using the hashtag #FaceOfClimate, and people are encouraged to post photos to Twitter12 and Instagram13.
The new forum for engaging on environmental issues seems particularly appropriate given the climate crisis we currently face. On a local level, there are opportunities for individuals and families to volunteer, celebrate, and learn about nature. You can volunteer with the California State Parks Foundation,14 join a picnic with the Nature Conservancy,15 or try a host of other —I suggest the video below as a start—understanding how it impacts you,16 submitting a photo, and exploring other photos that have been sent in.
To learn more about Earth Day 2013 and The Face of Climate Change, go to https://www.earthday.org/.
