April 22 is the 55th anniversary of Earth Day. Just five years ago, our planet’s environment was having one of its best earth days in decades.

The tragic pandemic that caused so much human misery also gave Planet Earth a rest – a much needed “breather.” Air pollution levels, as confirmed around the world, were reduced drastically. In Beijing, residents were able to see the stars at night, an impossibility one year earlier and, unfortunately, today. Fish could be clearly seen swimming in the canals of Venice. Yes – planet Earth experienced a one-year reprieve.

But these and many other outcomes that year provided little comfort. They came with a tragic cost from an invisible enemy, an enemy that caused a global pandemic. However, we did learn valuable lessons about earth’s ability to begin healing.

Earth Day was initiated on April 22, 1970. I can remember the euphoria of this recognition – with millions (20 million in the U.S. alone – 10 per cent of the population) marching around the world. I can recall clearly watching the strange but symbolic act of students burying a brand-new yellow Ford Maverick in San Jose, Calif. I can also recall being among many like-minded students at Simon Fraser University, and deciding then and there that I would enter the field of environmental science.

In 1970, the planet was home to around 3.7 billion people. There were about 200 million cars on the road. Today there are more than eight billion people on earth along with 1.5 billion cars. Meat consumption has almost quadrupled, and fish stocks are being depleted. Atmospheric carbon dioxide........

© Vancouver Is Awesome