I remember celebrating my first Earth Day in middle school, many many years ago. It may just be me, but it seems like April 22 isn’t celebrated in the same way it used to be when I was younger. During my early Earth Day celebrations, I learned about eco-friendly cleaning products, not to run water while brushing my teeth, ways I could be energy efficient in my home and decrease my electricity usage, and how to properly recycle everything from water bottles to paper goods.
For many, the environmental concerns are so large, it is difficult to see themselves as problem-solvers in the larger climate and environmental crises. When major corporations and countries, large and small, are polluting waterways and emitting toxins into the air at alarming rates, many people don’t see how changing their lightbulbs or not running their sprinklers in the summer will make a dent in the larger problem. I can’t say that I blame them for that logic, but we must all continue to contribute to solving environmental problems lest we overuse resources and reach a point of no return. In political science, we call this the tragedy of the commons, when everyone uses a resource and contributes to its scarcity until that resource is overused and nothing is left of it, and no one gets to enjoy it.
Indeed, much more pressure has to be put on our elected officials to punish corporations that continue to violate environmental agreements. We must also motivate elected officials to do what is best for their communities in the short and long run, lest they get taken in by large corporations that effectively use lobbying to continue following harmful environmental agendas.
We know that on a global level, the United States has often paid lip service when it comes to being serious about changing its antiquated ways. Indeed, the U.S. has gone around the world, finger-wagging at several nations to do better. However, it is imperative that the United States and its more than 330 million residents think more seriously about the ways we—as individuals and as a collective—are contributing to climate crises.
How will you celebrate Earth Day 2024 this April 22? Will you and your family make a plan to reduce your environmental footprint? Will you recommit to recycling in your home, school, or office? Will you do research about how to help decrease emissions? However you choose to celebrate, it is my hope that you will use this Earth Day as a way to recommit yourself to the collective good. It is also my hope that you will inspire young people to think of ways they can be leaders in the fight to save our planet.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio; and a 2023–24 Moynihan Public Scholars Fellow at CCNY.