Earth Day Opinion Column by Stuart Liebowitz (Chair, Douglas County Global Warming Coalition), Douglas County News & Review, April 22, 2020
On April 22, 1970, 20 million people came out to celebrate and demand environmental protections for the planet.
The year before, the fire on Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River brought awareness to the problem of chemical waste disposal. Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” had already raised alarms on the danger of deadly pesticides. Landmark legislation immediately followed, including the Clean Air and Water Acts and the Endangered Species Act.
The ozone layer is healing, and lead from gasoline no longer poisons our children. Today, the air is cleaner, water is safer and the biological diversity we cherish is protected.
