Looking to the future as Earth Day marks 50 years
Posted April 22, 2020 10:37 am.
Last Updated April 22, 2020 6:04 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Wednesday marks 50 years since the first Earth Day was celebrated, and conservationists around the world are sharing their thoughts on what comes after COVID-19.
The Wildlife Conservation Society is hearing from environmental workers and activists who have, for months, been trying to drive home the connection between wildlife and habitat conservation, and preventing another pandemic.
“On this 50th anniversary of Earth Day, my hope for the future is that Canada will be a global leader and seize the opportunity that few other countries have to rebuild in such a way that protects our tremendous natural legacy from coast, to coast, to coast,” said Justina Ray, director of Wildlife Conservation Society’s North American Boreal Forest program.
“By staying indoors and travelling less, we are already seeing cleaner air and cleaner water,” said Pat Thomas, associate director of the Bronx Zoo.
“We’re also seeing wildlife in places that you wouldn’t normally expect to see them.”
The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day is TODAY! #CAWaterkeepers have pulled together 10 simple ways to protect your local rivers, streams, & beaches while sheltering in place. What will you do to protect #cawater now – & for the next 50 years? https://t.co/zXlROrJRWr. pic.twitter.com/OFzDHctN13
— CA Waterkeepers (@CA_Waterkeepers) April 22, 2020
Thomas added if more environmentally-friendly practices are put in place, a healthier planet will emerge for people and animals.
Wildlife and their habitats need help to survive, said Kris Inman, with the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Rocky Mountains.
“On this Earth Day, I think about the wild landscape that we have because of our private lands that connect our public, protected lands, and how the people here steward those lands so that wildlife can move through them.”
Earth Day began in 1970 to build the world’s largest environmental movement and drive change for people and the planet.
The Earth Day Network now works with more than 75,000 partners in more than 190 countries.
