Times are observed for humans to
dedicate themselves to review of activities of the past. Times are observed to do
stocktaking of activities of the past. Times are observed to reflect on the
direction of an organization. Times are observed to ultimately subject an
institution to evaluation so as to identify the strength, weakness,
opportunities and threats relating to that institution. The idea is to gather
materials from such evaluation to engineer a better way forward.
I believe it is within the foregoing
framework that Earth Day is observed every April 22. The campaign theme for Earth Day 2017 is
“Environmental and Climate Literacy”. The campaign theme presupposes ignorance.
A school of thought holds that the increase in environmental mean temperature
is as a result of escalating increase in human activities on Earth over time.
There is another school of thought who think that increase in human activities
down here on Earth is the result of increase in the radiation of the sun(increase
in mean temperature), and not the other way round.
This is a divide among even cutting
edge scientists. One school of thought may think the other to be ignorant, and
vice versa. Depending on where you stand you take it that you have literacy, thinking
that holders of the other position require some literacy or are ignorant. In
this context ignorance becomes an issue of relativity, requiring convergence of
literacy.
Whatever position you take, the clear signs are that the state of
the Earth now does not give hope for the future. Resources of the Earth which
support life forms are overexploited. The rate at which flora and fauna species
are being lost is upsetting balance in the natural environment. Rivers are being
polluted and some are lost. Fresh air is being lost. The air is composed of
gases in a certain balance, naturally. However, that balance is being
compromised because the gas content of the air is changing as a result of human
activities. For example there is too much carbon dioxide in the air.
As we observe Earth Day 2017, what should bring and bind earthlings
together should be the unsustainable state the Earth is experiencing. The state
of the Earth today ought to be the foremost force to galvanize us to find
solutions (including literacy) rather than allow ourselves to be divided and
bogged down by how the Earth got into the mess.
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