In 1970, April 22 was proclaimed as the commemoration of Earth Day in support of the robust, ambitious, equitable and just global effort to spare the planet from the human actions that compromise the capacity of the planet to heal itself, thus compromising the survival of life on Earth. Concerned citizens, environmental advocates, frontline communities and stakeholders from around the world have come together to radiate the clamor to put premium on the efforts to preserve and protect the planet so that future generations can enjoy conditions that can sustain life and propagate it.
Environmental disasters and degradation and their impacts life on Earth through the years inspired the movement that led to the declaration of the first Earth Day in 1970. It was borne out of people’s movements against environmental destruction, industrial pollution, biodiversity loss, toxic chemicals and waste proliferation. It was a clear demand for the populace for the protection of the environment.
In 1990, the Earth Day celebration expanded to 141 nations and over 200 million on its 20th anniversary. The important aspects of the environment that were given important attention were the deteriorating ozone layer and the growing threat of climate change which continues to proliferate to date.
Over the past 55 years, people had been commemorating Earth Day through various activities geared towards empowering communities to be resilient about the negative impact of climate change that is taking its toll upon the populace and always posing a serious threat to the safety of life and limb, especially in calamity-prone areas around the globe.
The Philippines shares with the different parts of the world the problems of climate change and the deteriorating state of the environment that pose a serious threat to our survival. Aside from being a disaster-prone country, the Philippines is also experiencing the aggravated effects of climate change and the proper disposal of solid waste that is now grossly polluting the different bodies of water and the land considering the effects of the increasing population, especially in urban centers.
For the Cordillera, it is the watershed cradle of Northern Luzon which underscores the importance of having a well-protected watershed and robust forests because it provides the needed supply of water to both the highland and lowland communities for domestic, agriculture, irrigation, power generation, and industrial uses, among others. However, the region’s forest cover has drastically deteriorated through the past several decades significantly affecting the quality of water flowing to the different river systems which warrants the implementation of appropriate strategies to address the rapid deforestation of our watersheds. Undeniably, the rapid deterioration of the region’s watersheds is triggered by the establishment of commercial vegetable gardens, road-building, logging, urbanization and other human activities in these watershed areas.
Both the government and the private sector have somewhat performed their respective duties and responsibilities in trying to bring back the forest cover in our watersheds but more is action is needed. The celebration of Earth Day should not only be done annually but isn’t everyday Earth Day since it is our only home?
With the election fever heating up, we do not see much agenda on environmental concerns. The state of the environments in the different political jurisdictions of candidates seems to have taken a back seat and we more mudslinging, but not one that will protect the environment, but to pollute the election atmosphere. In this year’s celebration on April 22nd, the campaign fever has clouded the politicians’ priorities overshadowing this annual milestone. Nobody among the candidates seems to have seized the opportunity to expound on an agenda on environmental concerns in their campaign sorties. Our politicians should have taken the responsibility themselves to celebrated 2025 Earth Day with their own environment preservation and protection initiatives that might have contributed in improving their overall image among the voters. Do we take this as an indication that these candidates actually do not have any agenda on environmental concerns, that they do not have any proposal to address the basic issues in their desired jurisdictions, e.g., the continuing blatant violations of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The voters would also like to hear what actually do these politicians have to offer to really make Baguio city clean and green, e.g., protection of open spaces for common use, especially for children, support for sustained environmental awareness-raising among young people, among others.
For leaders, Earth Day should be celebrated everyday as a demonstration of political will to mitigate environmental degradation, climate change, adapt lifestyles that promote and develop resilience and sustainability, promote and support citizens’ participation in environmental movements, among others. Let us remember that our every single simple act geared towards preserving and protecting our environment will surely go a long way. Let us not only think of the benefits that we will derive from Mother Earth but let us be mindful that we have the future generations to inherit a livable planet and that we must also develop their mindset and build their capacity to pass on a healthy planet to their children.
