Copyright © 2020, California History-Social Science Project, Regents of the University of California, DavisCurrent Context, April 15, 2020 Edition, http://chssp.ucdavis.edu

April 22nd marks the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day. This year, the coronavirus will prevent people from the typical gatherings that mark the celebration of our planet. The first Earth Day, in 1970, drew twenty million people - one in every ten Americans - out to the nation’s streets and parks to show their appreciation for nature and to call for its protection. The event soon spread to nearly every country in the world and it is estimated that one billion people – one in seven – now commemorate Earth Day. As one of the founders of Earth Day said in 1970, “If the environment is a fad, it's going to be our last fad...We are building a movement, a movement with a broad base, a movement which transcends traditional political boundaries.”

Fifty years later, it is clear that environmental protection is not a passing fad, but one of the most important global projects underway today. As a result of the increased focus on the health of Earth’s ecosystems and natural resources over the past many decades, our planet is in some ways healthier today than it was in 1970. There are also far more environmentally-friendly technologies today helping power electricity and vehicles. At the same time, however, the world has yet to take the necessary steps to curb climate change, a phenomenon barely understood in 1970 but is this year’s Earth Day theme. In early 2020, as the immediate crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic (which has deep environmental roots) brings the world to a near stand-still, we can take stock of current environmental

protections, what still needs to be done to keep the Earth inhabitable for a growing population, and how the world can commit an appropriate level of attention to the slower-moving crisis that is climate change.

A Model for Success

Earth Day was conceived of as an event that could help spur commitment to environmental legislation. In recent years politics have stood in the way of effective climate action at the federal level, but this has not always been the case. Not only were some of the United States’ most effective environmental laws like the Clean Air Act (1970) and the Clean Water Act (1972) voted on by Republicans and Democrats alike, in the 1980s the United States helped lead a global effort to cut back on the use of a human-made chemical compound that was causing a hole to spread in the ozone layer of Earth’s atmosphere. When intact, the ozone absorbs the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. This hole over Antarctica posed multiple threats, including diminishing the productiveness of global agriculture and causing skin cancer rates and eye cataracts (and blindness) to surge . As research scientists studied the atmosphere, global leaders came together to discuss the findings and to agree on phasing out the use of the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigerators, air conditioners and aerosol sprays that were to blame. With global regulations in place, scientists believe the ozone hole is on track to close/heal if governments continue to ban the use of ozone-depleting chemicals.

& the Coronavirusby Shelley Brooks, Ph.D., CHSSP

Copyright © 2020, California History-Social Science Project, Regents of the University of California, DavisCurrent Context, April 15, 2020 Edition, http://chssp.ucdavis.edu

Why was this effort successful? It helped that despite political hostilities between the world’s two largest economies – the United States and the Soviet Union – these nations collaborated on scientific research to address the problem of the ozone hole and created regulations for their own use of CFCs. It also helped that the United Kingdom’s prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, was a trained chemist who could speak intelligently about the problem while calling for action. Popular media also raised awareness about the problem, with television sitcoms incorporating the environmental hazard into their storylines. Of course, it also helped that the problem was relatively limited in scope. Scientists could identify the harm of certain chemicals on the ozone layer and advise policy makers on which chemicals to ban. In contrast, successfully tackling climate change will require the same political leadership, scientific research and innovation, and widespread social support, but for a much broader set of issues that touch many more aspects of our lives and the economy.

Successful climate action will help slow global warming and reduce the number and intensity of storms, droughts, wildfires and other weather disruptions, keep sea level rise to a minimum, and help protect the remarkable biodiversity that is important to all life on Earth. Critical to this success will be the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal that heat up the Earth’s average temperature. Greenhouse gas emissions primarily come from four key

areas: the production of energy/electricity, agricultural and other land development, industrial output, and transportation. The good news is that many of the technologies that will help us draw down our greenhouse gas emissions already exist. Renewable energy sources – like wind and solar – have grown significantly in the past many decades; regenerative agriculture practices are keeping more carbon in the soil and can actually draw carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) out of the atmosphere; and low and zero-emission vehicles are becoming more and more common as their mileage range and charging stations increase. Productive collaboration between researchers, businesses and government have helped move forward these new technologies and methods.

Businesses, consumers, and new normals

As an indication of just how effective energy-efficient transportation technologies have become,

consider the fact that oil consumption has only

roughly doubled over the past fifty years while the

number of vehicles on the road has risen from 200 million to 1.5 billion. This relatively modest increase in oil usage is because vehicles today are engineered to travel much further on a single tank of gas. Clean air laws and vehicle fuel-efficiency standards set by governments have helped spur technological developments and business practices that produce less pollution. As individuals experience the health benefits of cleaner air and grow to appreciate environmental concerns, consumer demand for low-polluting vehicles has grown. Superbowl commercials this year reflected that consumer demand. Audi and Porsche, two carmakers better known for luxury than energy efficiency, promoted their electric cars which have a miles per gallon (mpg) equivalent of around 70. At the same time, the Jeep Wrangler, with a 22 urban mpg, also held its spot in the commercial lineup. Such a juxtaposition indicates the spectrum of consumer choices available, and it also points to just how important it is that government regulations and laws create a basis from which countries can work toward decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses and individuals alone cannot create the necessary global coordination to adequately slow global warming.

NASA image of the ozone hole over Antarctica, which is decreasing in size after the adoption of the Montreal

Protocol in 1987.

Copyright © 2020, California History-Social Science Project, Regents of the University of California, DavisCurrent Context, April 15, 2020 Edition, http://chssp.ucdavis.edu

The abrupt changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic create the conditions for societies to consider permanent shifts that could improve individual and collective carbon footprints. Already, shelter-in-place orders have dramatically reduced personal and work related travel. Much work normally done in office buildings is being done online, from home. The reduced commuting and personal travel have led to marked improvements in air quality, especially in urban areas. Not only is it good for the environment that fewer fossil fuels are being burned for daily commutes, flights, and other trips, but there are important health benefits as well. Each year millions of peoples’ lives are cut short by respiratory illnesses that result from dirty air (inside and outside the home). By one estimate, up to 75,000 people in China alone will not die this year from respiratory illnesses because of the improved air quality during quarantine.

Though right now it is difficult to think beyond just how devastating this pandemic is for workers and businesses losing money each day, it is possible to imagine that this whole experience will prompt some creative improvements in working logistics. After this pandemic ends, will some businesses choose to continue work-from-home arrangements and partner with other businesses to share the upkeep of just one building, with alternating days of office space for in-person meetings? As well as lowering business costs, such a setup would also provide environmental benefits due to the more efficient use of energy and other resources. In addition, the current shift away from air travel has already prompted businesses to host conferences and meetings online. Perhaps what will come from these adjustments is a commitment to thinking about what work can be done virtually, especially if it cuts costs and is more environmentally friendly. Even in normal times, the long-

term challenges posed by climate change demand creative responses that will serve the needs of businesses while also protecting the environment.

The continued importance of government regulations

Again, though, these decisions about decreasing our carbon footprint need to also be happening at the government level. As governments provide financial stimulus packages to businesses to help them through this difficult period, some are arguing that this is an opportunity to require transitions to more carbon-neutral business practices. The executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently reported that the IEA is being “asked by many governments around the world to give them advice on how they can shape the energy component of these stimulus packages in order to boost the energy resilience and accelerate the energy transition” away from fossil fuels. Perhaps not surprisingly, legislators in the United States who are already opposed to environmental protections are arguing that such priorities are misplaced during this current crisis, while lawmakers concerned about climate change see this as a chance to shift away from fossil fuels in order to reduce the likelihood of the many hundreds of thousands of deaths per year that scientists predict will result from a warming climate by 2030. For all of the sadness and hardship caused by this coronavirus, there is an opportunity to respond to it with environmental policies that will protect lives for years to come.

This year’s Earth Day theme is climate action, in recognition of the pressing need to slow climate change. In 2015 global leaders signed the Paris Agreement, committing to reducing warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages (before factories and vehicles began emitting greenhouse gases). The

Celebration among leaders at the 2015 United Nations climate talks upon the adoption of the Paris Agreement to curb climate change.

Copyright © 2020, California History-Social Science Project, Regents of the University of California, DavisCurrent Context, April 15, 2020 Edition, http://chssp.ucdavis.edu

agreement requires regular assessments and reporting on each nation’s progress. At the end of 2020, countries are expected to increase their national commitments. No major world economy has yet to create sufficient regulations to curb greenhouse gas emissions in keeping with the global target. Some countries – like Germany and the United Kingdom – are getting close, while the United States under President Trump has decided to withdraw from the international agreement and roll back environmental protections in this country, believing this is in our country’s economic interest. Meanwhile, California, a state as populous and productive as most countries, has continued its commitment to establishing statewide regulations and laws that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the process, California has demonstrated that strong environmental protections and a strong economy can go hand-in-hand; in fact, California’s state economy is the fifth largest economy in the world, even larger than the United Kingdom’s. Clearly, strong state and local government regulations also play an important part in shifting business and consumer practices toward environmental sustainability.

This pandemic demonstrates that to successfully contain a global threat it is vital that countries and their governments coordinate with one another to gather the most accurate information, to share the best tools and strategies, to support each other’s efforts and not work at cross-purposes with one another, and to hold each other accountable for actions that support the well-being of all. Such coordination is necessary in an age of remarkable global-interconnectedness. The organized efforts that help battle the coronavirus are quite similar to the strategies that will help protect the climate. Can the world maintain similar attention and energy for prioritizing the future well-being of our planet and those who will inhabit it as for containing the coronavirus? Can the economy be started in such a way that does not dismiss earlier climate laws in the interest of quickly recouping lost income? In the long term the stakes are certainly no lower for climate action than they are in this pandemic.

The Great Global Cleanup, a worldwide campaign to remove billions of pieces of trash from neighborhoods, beaches, rivers, lakes, trails, and parks — reducing waste and plastic pollution, improving habitats, and preventing harm to wildlife and humans.

Earth Challenge 2020, the largest-ever global citizen science initiative, which will arm everyday individuals with the tools they need to report on the health and wellbeing of the environment, from water quality, to air quality, to the species around them.

Foodprints for the Future, a collaboration with individuals, communities, and partners across all sectors to address one of the largest contributors to climate change facing us today: our food system

Artists for the Earth, a global campaign bringing artists from around the world in every discipline, using the power of their art to express our common humanity.

Post

er b

y Tr

avis

Mor

gan:

http

s://w

ww

.flic

kr.c

om/p

hoto

s/m

orga

ntj/3

4546

9452

8

Recommendations from earthday.org for ways to celebrate Earth Day, every day

Copyright © 2020, California History-Social Science Project, Regents of the University of California, DavisCurrent Context, April 15, 2020 Edition, http://chssp.ucdavis.edu

Primary source activity: environmental justice during a pandemic Recent studies of the fatality rates from the coronavirus suggest that people who live in areas with heavy air pollution are more likely to die from the virus. COVID-19 is particularly dangerous for those with compromised lungs and immune systems, making people with pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease more likely to become seriously ill or die. And living in cities with high levels of air pollution from traffic and industrial operations makes people more susceptible to these three health conditions. In the United States, those living in the most polluted areas are often people of color, and the rates of asthma, diabetes and heart disease are disproportionately high among these populations. Though there is not yet complete data on how the fatality rates break down along racial lines, some cities are compiling this information to try and understand the causes of this disparity. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for instance, where black residents make up 26% of the city’s population, they account for 81% of the deaths that have occurred in that city. In the state of Michigan only 14% of the population is black, and yet 40% of the deaths linked to COVID-19 in that state are among this population. The linkage between communities of color, poor health, and unhealthy environments is well-established. On the very first Earth Day, James Farmer, the Assistant Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, spoke in Washington, D.C. and highlighted the linkage between poverty, race, and environmental degradation. He argued: “The garbage, the trash, the carbon monoxide, the junk; who suffers most from it if it is not the poor? And so the poor, especially the ghettoized poor – the black and the brown and the red – stand to benefit first from any successes in cleaning up the environment.” Farmer was also an important member of the civil rights movement. In 1942 he had co-founded the Congress of Racial Equality to work toward a society free from the discrimination, segregation, and prejudice that characterized the African-American experience. By 1991, despite the considerable successes of the Clean Air Act of 1970 that had more than cut in half air pollution from the six common pollutants, communities of color still suffered from unhealthy environments. In that year, the first National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit took place in Washington, D.C. Three hundred Native, African, Latino, and Asian Americans gathered to address issues of environmental justice. Committing to “re-establish our spiritual interdependence to the sacredness of our Mother Earth” these delegates created a set of 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, including: “1) Environmental Justice affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction & 9) Environmental Justice protects the right of victims of environmental injustice to receive full compensation and reparations for damages as well as quality health care.” The environmental justice movement has continued to evolve and has increasingly shaped California’s and the nation’s environmental policies. The COVID-19 pandemic is another reason to turn attention to the important issues raised by this movement. Discussion questions:

• How does an unhealthy environment pose risks to the people living in it? • Why might people living in unhealthy environments find it difficult to move? • How is the coronavirus pandemic reinforcing some of the inequalities already understood to be part of the

experience of communities of color in the United States? • How can we pursue environmental protection in such a way that brings benefits to all?

The Center for Regional Change (CRC) at UC Davis has developed an online tool for students to learn about the linkages between health, social well-being and environmental conditions in their community. Visit the CRC’s environmental justice webpage for more information.

Copyright © 2020, California History-Social Science Project, Regents of the University of California, DavisCurrent Context, April 15, 2020 Edition, http://chssp.ucdavis.edu

A program of CalRecycle’s Office of Education and the Environment, EEI lessons are designed to foster environmental literacy among California students. The following EEI units provide learning opportunities for various topics, including the natural resource management practices of indigenous groups, agriculture, technology and innovation, industrialization, transportation, natural resource legislation and regulations, international agreements, and the environmental movement. Each of these topics can deepen student understanding of the history behind today’s climate change crisis.

1st Grade - 1.4.2 On the Move

2nd Grade - 2.4.2/3 The Dollars and Sense of Food Production

3rd Grade - 3.2.2 California Indian People: Exploring Tribal Regions

4th Grade - 4.2.1 California Indian Peoples and Management of Natural Resources

5th Grade - 5.8.4 Nature and Newcomers

6th Grade - 6.2.2 Agricultural Advances in Ancient Civilizations

7th Grade - 7.6.3 Managing Nature’s Bounty: Feudalism in Medieval Europe & 7.3.5 Genius Across the Centuries

8th Grade - 8.12.5 Industrialization, Urbanization, and the Conservation Movement & 8.12.1 Agricultural and Industrial Development in the United States (1877-1914)

10th Grade - 10.3.3 Growth of Population, Cities, and Demands &10.3.1/5 Britain Solves a Problem and Creates the Industrial Revolution

11th Grade - 11.5.7 Mass Production, Marketing, and Consumption in the Roaring Twenties &11.8.6 Postwar Industries and the Emerging Environmental Movement &11.9.7 The United States and Mexico: Working Together &11.11.5 Many Voices, Many Visions: Analyzing Contemporary Environmental Issues

12th Grade (Econ) - 12.2.2/7 Sustaining Economies and the Earth’s Resources

12th Grade (Gov) - 12.3.2 Active Voices: Civil Society and the Environment &12.7.6 Making and Implementing Environmental Laws

Current Context: A Publication of the California History-Social Science Project

Produced by the California History-Social Science Project(CHSSP), Current Context is a series of instructional materials designed to help students understand current events in historical context. All Current Context materials are copyrighted by the Regents of the University of California, Davis. This issue of Current Context is part of a special series dedicated to helping students understand the connections between environmental literacy and the study of history-social science, and is funded through the generous support of Ten Strands. To download this issue and others, visit: http://chssp.ucdavis.edu/current-context.

For more information about the CHSSP, visit our website, http://chssp.ucdavis.edu. Headquartered in the Department of History at the University of California, Davis, the CHSSP is one of nine disciplinary networks that make up the California Subject Matter Projects, administered by the University of California, Office of the President.

Image citations - Cover image: https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Earth-Day-poster/81686.html; ozone hole: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2015-antarctic-ozone-hole-area-approaches-annual-maximum; plug-in car: http://pngimg.com/download/72410; Paris Agreement: https://www.flickr.com/photos/unfccc/25876053520; Earth Day poster by Travis Morgan: https://www.flickr.com/photos/morgantj/3454694528