LETTERS: Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970 that gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet.
Earth Day is widely recognised as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behaviour and create global, national and local policy changes.
At the moment, Earth is facing a pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus. The coronavirus can be considered as a parlay to the diseases that have appeared in recent decades such as swine flu, avian influenza, SARS, Ebola and AIDS.
One commonality in all of these diseases is that all of them originated from animals. It would be rational to say that one of the factors behind the birth and spread of new diseases is the over-exploitation of nature.
The depletion of habitats, the alterations of natural environments and more generally the deterioration in biodiversity are all factors in the proliferation and transmission of infectious diseases. It is important to realise that natural ecosystems are pivotal to the survivability of the human species.
According to various environmental assessment reports, human-driven activities have claimed a heavy toll on the planet since the 1970s.
The 2019 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report stated that almost 75 per cent of the planet's land and 66 per cent of its marine environments have already been perilously affected by humanity.
While more than 85 per cent of the planet's wetlands have disappeared, the human population has doubled since the 1970s and, with it, consumption has swollen by 45 per cent. As a result, the demand for food, water, energy and raw resources has significantly swelled.
The report also highlighted an "unparalleled appropriation of nature" where humans take more than they give back, leading to eventual extinction of animals and plants.
It is in contrast to what was shared by Professor Andy Purvis, a research leader at the Natural History Museum, that "Before the Industrial Revolution, people had to look after the environment around them because that's where they got their products from. If they didn't look after it, they would face the consequences".
To illustrate further, each year more than nine billion tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are being released into the atmosphere and each year 350,000 people die because of climate change.
This number could increase to five million in the next decade if the current GHG emission level continues. Therefore, we must reconcile with our planet and restore the philosophies of belonging, gratitude and common destiny.
Since the last Earth Day, we have witnessed even more confirmation that the extraordinary heterogeneity of life on this planet is diminishing.
American photographer and documentary film director Louie Psihoyos was quoted as saying: "Our planet is currently undergoing a mass extinction of species called the Anthropocene." Every year we are saying adieu to many species forever and this past year was no different.
The Sumatran rhino, Cryptic Treehunter bird and Chinese paddlefish were pronounced extinct in the past year. The Malayan tiger is in danger too. This is due to habitat loss caused by deforestation, climate change and pollution by human activities. If and when the world returns to normalcy post-pandemic, we can't go back to business as usual.
SUZIANAH NHAZZLA
Shah Alam, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times