Dear John,
Fifty years ago today, an estimated twenty million people took to the streets across the US.
It was a hellish time: rivers caught fire, cities choked on pollution, species went extinct. Yet, the Earth Day marches ― in which ten percent of Americans participated ― spurred seismic changes. Within a few short years the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act were signed into law. What had been a hellish time, started to look a little more optimistic.
Sometimes history repeats itself. The sort of mass movement that forced such environmental progress in the ‘70s has continued to build. Last September, over seven million people around the world walked out of their schools, their jobs, and their everyday lives to call for climate justice.
This Earth Day was poised to be the largest climate strike yet: many millions striking on the streets, thousands of protests across the country, and hundreds of voter registrations events in every state. But with the current pandemic changed everything - so our climate movement is going digital for what is expected to be one of the largest-ever online demonstrations.
Speakers include Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Patrisse Cullors, Reverend Barber, and 350.org’s very own North America Director Tamara Toles O’Laughlin. There will be music from Questlove, Nahko Bear, Dave Matthews and many, many more - join Earth Day Live here!
This Earth Day, we may be keeping our social distance, but we can still come together for change - we hope you’ll join us.
In solidarity,
Emily
350.org is a global movement that fights for a just and equitable world by stopping the fossil fuel industry from continuing to destroy our climate.
Keep 350.org strong by chipping in right now: