Earth Day - Who Cares?

Earth Day - Who Cares?

Apr 26, 2021

Earth Day was last week on Earth - I know because my feed was populated by posts saying 'Happy Earth Day', 'How to Respect Earth', '5 things we should do for Earth on Earth Day' etc.

The Earth would be currently laughing at us, if it could!

I understand spreading awareness is important and all. It's becoming more urgent by the day but do we really need a day to celebrate the only planet we can live on right now? I was pondering over whether I should post something too, but, who cares? All the information and facts seem to be out there already. And some Earth days, I'm just not so hopeful.

Just came across a somewhat popular travel blog recommending whale meat to people on a trip to Greenland. It was ridiculous - they first suggest whale watching tours in the same post and then go on to say it's OK to kill/eat whales (something about ''maintaining'' their population). Whales are intelligent mammals that have been on this planet far longer than us - do you really think they need us to maintain their population? Doesn't the human population need to be maintained too in that case? It's just another excuse to kill other earthlings, fulfil their fleeting taste pleasure and keep the whaling/ animal slaughter industry going. It is not ethical even if it's legal in some places.

Do we forget that other animals are also part of the Earth and we share the planet with them?

I've been sharing facts since many years but or most part, people I know just ignore these posts. Or anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. When it points to one's own actions, people react weirdly.. and sometimes logic completely evades even the most smart humans.

Talking about the impact of animal agriculture on the environment: You don't have to study scientific papers to understand that it's massively inefficient to produce animal products to feed billion people as compared to directly consuming plants. What's more - most people believe it's necessary and normal to eat animals/ their products. What about the cultures which have been traditionally vegetarian? Now, millions of people are thriving on purely plant diets. I'm living proof but I'm sure you'll find many better examples, haha! Look up all those vegan athletes and bodybuilders. For a regular person who has access to a supermarket - there is no good reason to continue eating animal products. Those living in developed well-off countries have access to abundant alternatives.. but these are the same countries where people have meat and dairy heavy diets. The consumption of animal products has increased greatly in societies with increase in wealth, mass production-cheap availability. It has nothing much to do with necessity or health. Stop buying into the lies of animal exploiting industries. It's not only for ethical reasons but important for other issues facing us right now. Deforestation, habitat loss, pollution, waste (can you imagine how much waste billions of farm animals generate?). Land cleared and wildlife erased for cattle ranches and soy crops to feed the cattle. Look at what's happening to the Amazon Rainforest.

The reality is that, biodiversity is now disappearing at a fast rate. It may not be obvious in some parts of the world (like in Finland where you have vast forests), but I have seen greenery disappear before my eyes when living in India. 'Eco-anxiety' is a fairly new term and people increasingly suffer from it, now with climate movement and stuff.. For me, the feeling is familiar. I remember always participating in 'Environment Day' in primary school, making posters and going about telling people to save the environment, asking for donations for Save the Tigers project. After 20 years, things still seem to be going downhill. That's why I'm not so hopeful on this Earth Day.

Can we really turn this around?

What I would like to say to people is to start living with conscious intention. More importantly, don't be closed-minded when it comes to questioning your own habits. The Earth needs us to listen right now. Are we going to leave a positive impact on this Earth? Those who care about the planet take action everyday, it may not be too late for you to begin - individual action matters much more than you think 🌱

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''And so the earth it parts

And from its wound births an orphan child

A mirror to the world

For all to see its harrowing pain

Day in, day out..'' - lyrics from Pain, a song by Cellar Darling

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