April 22 Earth Day

John McConnell proposed March 21, the time when day and night are equal, as the date for Earth Day celebrations. Later, the first movement to respond to environmental issues with significant public support took place on April 22, 1970, with the backing of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and the organization of Denis Hayes, marking the first Earth Day celebrations in history. Approximately 20 million people participated in these celebrations, and many conferences and symposiums were organized to draw attention to environmental issues, leading to the preparation of the United States' first 'Clean Air Act' and 'Clean Water Acts.'The event that triggered Earth Day on April 22 occurred on January 28, 1968. On this date, approximately 12 million liters of oil were spilled off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. This incident, one of the largest environmental disasters seen up to that day, resulted in the death of over 10,000 birds, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. The waste spread over an area of more than 1,300 square kilometers and caused significant damage to the environment.In 2019, WWF-Turkey (World Wildlife Fund) held the International One Planet Cities Challenge on Earth Day, April 22. The goal of the competition was to reduce the effects of climate change in cities to keep global warming at the threshold of 1.5 °C.Since 2011, the One Planet Cities Challenge organized by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) has involved over 400 cities across five continents, with the primary aim of combating climate change, promoting climate-friendly transformation in cities, selecting cities that are progressing towards environmental sustainability goals, and raising awareness on this issue.The competition highlights cities that take meaningful and innovative steps towards reducing carbon footprints and increasing resilience against the effects of climate change.Special importance was also given to the goals and practices related to buildings and energy, which were the thematic focus of 2019.How Can We Contribute to the Environment on Earth Day? Here’s the AnswerAs global citizens, we can take measures to protect the Earth and its habitats. A greener lifestyle may include using more fuel-efficient vehicles. Additionally, environmental regulations can be implemented to reduce the necessary amount of water.In 2019, the United Nations published a list titled 'The Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World' to raise public awareness and encourage people to be more environmentally conscious.This list evaluates what people should do based on a priority ranking from 1 to 4 and explains what can be done at home, in the workplace, or elsewhere.According to the list, the second priority includes actions we can take, especially during this time when we are at home, as follows:Let your hair and laundry dry naturally instead of using a machine. Make sure your washing machine is full to its capacity. Take shorter showers. Remember that bathing in a tub requires more than a gallon of water compared to a 5-10 minute shower. Eat less meat, poultry, and fish. More resources are used to produce meat products compared to vegetables. You can try composting food products. This can also reduce the climate impact while recycling nutrients. Besides these, it is important to know that activities to be carried out in workplaces are at the fourth priority level.How Will Earth Day Be Celebrated Amidst the Pandemic We Are Currently Experiencing?This year, the 50th Earth Day will focus primarily on global warming and its effects. This April, for many of us, the necessity of social distancing and quarantine conditions has led to the digitization of Earth Day events. Virtual events, such as panels featuring speakers on Instagram and Facebook discussing environmental lessons and films, have emerged.The events will take place on April 22, Wednesday, on Earth Day. I recommend visiting earthday.org to see the official events according to countries and cities.**April 22, 2020… Pandemic Process. How Can We Contribute to Earth Day These Days?**So, does the question of what we can do in the current process come to your mind? In fact, we can state that our contribution to Earth Day has occurred to some extent, even unconsciously. So how? Due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak, people have been confined to their homes. The use of public transport and private vehicles has decreased, many workplaces have been closed, and the production speed of factories has slowed down, leading to a significant reduction in fossil fuel usage. As a result of these situations, air quality has improved, and in the second half of March in Istanbul, air pollution decreased by 36 percent. This situation has been valid not only for us but for all countries in the world. Studies have been conducted showing that air pollution decreased in China, the first country where the virus emerged, which has a very dense population. Dr. Marshall Burke from Stanford University published a striking study on the environmental impact of the virus. Dr. Burke highlighted the positive aspects of Covid-19 based on images published by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) showing air pollution in China. The first satellite image shows air pollution in China between January 1-20, 2020, and the second shows pollution between February 10-25. According to Dr. Marshall Burke's research, the decrease in air pollution in the southern cities of Shanghai and Wuhan is due to these cities being industrial areas and the recent slowdown in economic activities here. The slowing economic activities immediately reflected in air pollution and revealed a significant decrease in the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air. The Energy and Clean Air Research Center (CREA) conducted...In the research, it was determined that carbon emission rates in China decreased by 25% in February due to factories closing and reduced industrial production caused by the coronavirus.On Earth Day, during these days we are in this pandemic, there are both unintentional contributions we make and intentional behaviors that contradict the purpose of Earth Day. The simplest example is the water we leave running during the 20-second handwashing rule, the excessive use of detergents and chemical cleaning products, and the improper disposal of masks, among other behaviors, are attitudes that contradict the purpose of Earth Day. During the pandemic, let us act without forgetting that while trying to avoid the rain, we might get caught in a hailstorm.Sources: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%BCnya_G%C3%BCn%C3%BC https://tr.euronews.com/2019/04/22/dunya-gunu-nedir-5-maddede-22-nisan-dunya-gunu https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-dunya-48008784 https://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/national-earth-day-april-22/ https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/ https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/LazyPersonGuide.pdf https://tr.euronews.com/2020/03/15/cin-de-koronavirusun-etkisiyle-hava-kirliligi-azaldi-on-binlerce-insanin-hayati-kurtuldu https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/istanbul-ve-ankarada-hava-kirliligi-orani-yuzde-41-azaldi