Earth Day, Environmental Hostility and The Blue Marble 50 Years Later

This past week was Earth Day and one of the efforts to commemorate the day was NASA recognizing the 50th anniversary of their iconic “blue marble” photo of the Earth by releasing a similar image taken fifty years later. How did they compare?

“In the 50 years that separates these two snapshots in time, one of the most striking differences is the visible reduction in the size of the Antarctic ice sheet. The Sahara Desert has also grown while the rainforest ‘is retreating further south … the dominant thing that you can see on the [new] image is deforestation and the loss of vegetation’, as the Earth's land cover switches from greenery to desert.”

The photos reveal a truth about humanity’s relationship to the planet right now that was also apparent in a story from ProPublica this week about the open conversational and regulatory hostility that environmentalists and non-profits are now facing in the US. It is a concerning shift in a country where in the past “people and organizations [could] freely and safely pursue efforts to protect human health and nature — sometimes working hand in hand with the government.” Times have clearly changed.

At a time where the new director of the Environmental Protection Agency, a group created to protect the public’s air and water, has defunded environmental organizations and worked to actively roll back regulations—the story of this shift has been largely ignored by mainstream media. Instead this week we saw plenty of coverage of an intentionally inflammatory Easter message from the President that is yet another masterful tactic to distract easily outraged people (and media) from actions with far more consequences than a holiday tweet.

Earth Day is a chance to remind ourselves, and our leaders, that how we take care of our planet matters not just for future generations—but also for all of us right now. For more ideas on how you can do that, visit the official Earth Day website »