Earth Day was established in 1970 to raise awareness about pollution and drive environmental regulations. It’s served an important purpose, offering a moment in time for people to celebrate, reflect and do their part to green the earth. But to reverse the impacts of climate change, sustainable practices must be embedded in our lives every single day of the year. Earth Day is simply not enough.
Whether we’d like to admit it or not, the evidence of climate change is easy to find. It seems in recent years that it has made itself more apparent from record-breaking heat in the north to increased wildfire disasters on the west coast and above-average tornadic activity this spring in the south. At first glance, it may seem like restoring the planet is a hopeless cause but there is a bright side and it comes directly from the sun.
Last month, the UN climate report made one thing very clear – we must act now to limit the damage that harmful greenhouse gas emissions have already caused. But perhaps the most encouraging takeaway is this, change is possible if we all play our role.
The report laid out a blueprint of what must be done to slow the effects of climate change and it starts with rapidly accelerating the use of renewable energy and cutting fossil fuels. Effective solar policy can help bring these initiatives to light by making solar energy more accessible to all Americans.