Earth day is coming up very soon on April 22, which is the 50th anniversary of it. Earth day is such a vital and important holiday because it reminds people that we need to be taking better care of the Earth, and it gives us a day to appreciate it. Especially with everything going on with climate change, it is great to have a reminder of how important the Earth is to us. The Earth is obviously incredibly vital to humanity’s survival and people often forget that we can’t just do whatever we want to it.

If some of you don’t know about climate change and what’s happening to the Earth, here is some background information: “Climate change is the long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas) which produces heat-trapping gases” (United Nations). What this means is that the more energy, fuel, gasses, and heat we put into the atmosphere, the less inhabitable it gets.

Another reason why Earth day is very important is because it allows us to celebrate the Earth and all of the amazing things it does for us. An example of the many great wonders of the world is trees. Not only do trees give us oxygen, they also remove carbon dioxide from the air as they grow by storing carbon in the trees and soil. This is so wonderful because carbon dioxide is actually one of the most harmful greenhouse gasses to the Earth.

So, what can we do? There are many things that humans can do to help the Earth and slow down its demise of it like using less water, less energy, and taking part in activities like planting trees and picking up trash at parks. To use less water, you can try to cut back the amount of time you use to take a shower or use less water when you are washing dishes. To use less energy, you can walk to school some days or, turn off lights in the house when you are not there. Anything you can do helps; nothing is too small. Have a great Earth Day, Knights!