{"id":194,"date":"2021-04-22T13:46:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-22T13:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.exeter.ac.uk\/gsi\/?p=194"},"modified":"2021-04-22T13:46:18","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T13:46:18","slug":"earth-day-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/gsi\/earth-day-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Earth Day Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"

History of\u00a0<\/b>Earth Day<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n

\"\"The first Earth Day was\u00a0observed\u00a0on April 22nd\u00a01970\u00a0in the\u00a0USA,\u00a0providing\u00a0a voice\u00a0for\u00a0emerging concerns\u00a0around\u00a0environmental degradation.\u00a0Senator Gaylord Nelson,\u00a0inspired by\u00a0the energy of student anti-war protesters,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0emerging public consciousness around air and water pollution,\u00a0began to form\u00a0an\u00a0idea for\u00a0a day of activism and education\u00a0across the USA.\u00a0With the aid of Denis Hayes, a then young activist,\u00a0they mobilised the student community, community organisations\u00a0and faith groups to organise \u2018Teach-In\u2019\u00a0events and rallies.\u00a0Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans to\u00a0take to the streets,\u00a0parks\u00a0and\u00a0auditoriums\u00a0to\u00a0demonstrate, making\u00a0their voice heard around the\u00a0deterioration\u00a0of the environment.<\/p>\n

In 1990 Denis Hayes was approached\u00a0again\u00a0to organise the first interna\"\"tional Earth Day.\u00a0Earth Day 1990\u00a0mobilised\u00a0200 million people in 141\u00a0countries and helped\u00a0to pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit. Today Earth Day is recognised\u00a0by millions of people, governments and organisations globally. As awareness of the climate crisis,\u00a0and disillusionment with the\u00a0low-level\u00a0climate commitments made my governments\u00a0grows,\u00a0people are beginning to\u00a0rise\u00a0and demand change and greater action to protect our planet. As with the 1970s, young people,\u00a0students, activists\u00a0and others are taking to the streets\u00a0and\u00a0utilising their digital presence\u00a0to demand change.\u00a0Let Earth Day 2021 become a day of focus, bringing people together, empowering, supporting, listening and learning from each other. #EarthDay2021<\/p>\n

(Source of content:\u00a0The History of Earth Day | Earth Day<\/a>,\u00a0Photo by\u202fMarkus Spiske<\/a>\u202ffrom\u202fPexels<\/a>)<\/b><\/p>\n

GSI Earth Day Focus:\u00a0<\/b>Tipping Positive Change<\/b><\/h1>\n

Recently the University of Exeter launched\u00a0a set of four short films under the heading \u2018Our Tipping Points are bringing change to the climate crisis.\u2019\u00a0These films showcase\u00a0the work of Professor Tim Lenton (Director of the GSI), Professor\u00a0Zhongdong\u00a0Wang (Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences), Professor Richard Cochrane, Professor Frank van Veen, Professor Toby Pennington, Professor Angela Gallego-Sala, Dr Tom Powell, Dr Jean-Francois Mercure and Dr Mi Tian.\u00a0The following provides\u00a0short insight to the information presented\u00a0in this project. To view the full\u00a0resource,\u00a0follow this link:<\/p>\n

Our Positive Tipping Points are bringing change to the climate crisis\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

What are Positive Tipping Points?<\/h2>\n

In a time of climate and ecological\u00a0emergency a lot has been made of \u2018tipping points\u2019, moments when a small change can trigger a large and often irreversible response. For\u00a0example,\u00a0the loss of the Amazon rainforest or West Antarctic ice sheet.\u00a0\u2018Positive tipping points\u2019<\/a>\u00a0identify sources of hope where humans can come together to identify and trigger transformative change towards sustainability.<\/p>\n

“If we’re going to avoid the worst risks from climate Tipping Points, we need to identify and trigger positive social tipping\u00a0<\/i><\/b>points<\/i><\/b>“<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

(Professor\u00a0<\/i><\/b>Tim\u00a0<\/i><\/b>Lenton)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Potential\u00a0Positive Tipping points<\/h2>\n

Power Generation<\/a><\/h3>\n

Within the UK the introduction of a carbon tax,\u00a0EU\u00a0emission scheme and increased power generation from renewables have combined to create a\u00a0Positive Tipping Point. Within the last five years coal power has become unprofitable and dropped to\u00a0almost zero. At the University of Exeter\u00a0there is a lot of work going on in this area which the GSI\u00a0can\u00a0bring together through a multi-disciplinary approach. Reducing the cost of offshore wind and solar and improving energy storage\u00a0to produce clean and affordable energy options will work towards further Positive Tipping Points. A major challenge\u00a0the University of Exeter is\u00a0currently\u00a0working on is\u00a0upgrading power networks to support renewables through decentralisation,\u00a0decarbonisation,\u00a0and digitalisation to achieve net-zero carbon emission by 2050.<\/p>\n

“We need to control the network in such a way that we can take more and more renewable energy, and when generation is higher than demand we can store that energy or convert to support low-carbon transport.<\/i><\/b>\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

(Professor\u00a0Zhongdong\u00a0Wang)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Switching to Electric Vehicles<\/a><\/h3>\n

Electric Vehicles are better for the environment than petrol or\u00a0diesel but\u00a0are more expensive (except in Norway where their progressive tax system has made them cheaper than comparable models). The more people buying electric vehicles the cheaper they will\u00a0become,\u00a0and more investment can be made into improving battery storage,\u00a0the key contributor to the cost of such vehicles.\u00a0This\u00a0would lead to a Positive Tipping\u00a0Point and\u00a0reinforce\u00a0positive\u00a0feedback\u00a0for\u00a0clean\u00a0energy production\u00a0through the\u00a0investment in\u00a0improvements\u00a0to battery storage of renewable energy, leading to an increase in renewable power generation, positively\u00a0impacting\u00a0the electrification of transport systems.<\/p>\n

“Assuming the cost of\u00a0<\/i><\/b>EVs<\/i><\/b>\u00a0continues to fall, we expect the Positive Tipping Point quite soon \u2013 in the 2020s.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

(Dr Jean-Francois Mercure)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Regenerate Ecosystems<\/a><\/h3>\n

Ecosystems\u00a0are being degraded or destroyed globally with\u00a0negative\u00a0consequences for people,\u00a0biodiversity\u00a0and the climate. Positive Tipping Points in human society could transform our relationship with the\u00a0natural\u00a0system\u00a0and sustain life on earth. University of Exeter Researchers are currently working on collaborative projects globally investigating the causes of ecosystem destruction and searching for solutions to make the future more sustainable. These include\u00a0projects focused on the\u00a0wildfires\u00a0in Indonesia\u2019s peatland, The International\u00a0Small Group and\u00a0Tree Planting Program\u00a0in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and India,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Inga Systems\u00a0Tree-based tropical\u00a0agriculture\u00a0solutions focused on the\u00a0ecosystems of Latin America.\u00a0These projects all\u00a0involve restoration work and rely on local people,\u00a0organisations\u00a0and governments for their success, recognising\u00a0the influence humans\u00a0have over the ecology of the land surface.<\/p>\n

“We believe that the message of Positive Tipping Points can bring concrete hope that we can accelerate decarbonisation and stop the climate and ecological crisis.”<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

(Prof Tim Lenton<\/i><\/b>)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Earth Day\u00a0<\/b>Re<\/b>s<\/b>ourses\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n

Respecting\u00a0the\u00a0ethos\u00a0of the\u00a0first\u00a0Earth Day\u2019s focus on \u2018teach in\u2019 the GSI\u00a0Community\u00a0has\u00a0provided\u00a0some interesting and exciting resources\u00a0for you to access:<\/p>\n