Dumping Earth Day?

By Dale Conour

Love Joseph Romm’s commentary in Salon, Let’s Dump Earth Day (subscription only). He says we need a name that gets to the real point: We’re trying to save ourselves, not the Earth. The Earth will go on just fine without us:

"...What the day — indeed, the whole year — should be about is not creating misery upon misery for our children and their children and their children, and on and on for generations. Ultimately, stopping climate change is not about preserving the earth or creation but about preserving ourselves. Yes, we can't preserve ourselves if we don’t preserve a livable climate, and we can't preserve a livable climate if we don't preserve the earth. But the focus needs to stay on the health and well-being of billions of humans because, ultimately, humans are the ones who will experience the most prolonged suffering. And if enough people come to see it that way, we have a chance of avoiding the worst.

We have fiddled like Nero for far too long to save the whole earth or all of its species. Now we need a World War II scale effort just to cut our losses and save what matters most. So let’s call it Triage Day. And if worst comes to worst, at least future generations won't have to change the name again..."

It’s a good reminder how blind earnestness and a lack of pragmatism can torpedo the best intentions. When environmentalists allowed  Conservatives (what an ironic label) in the Reagan era to frame environmentalism as a debate about spotted owls, a war between hard-working Americans and nutty treehuggers, the damage to their public image took decades to undo.

People consumed with the desire for power and money will always have the advantage over those with ideals. If you don’t even know you’re in a game, you’re gonna lose fast.

Let’s stay in touch.