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Earth Day began in 1970 as a call to protect our planet from the reckless destruction of industrial progress. More than 50 years later, that mission is as urgent as ever, but rarely mentioned is the direct threat of current wars to our disastrous, climate-warming future.
Armed conflict is among the most carbon-intensive activities humanity undertakes. Military operations burn vast quantities of fossil fuels, while bombed infrastructure — oil refineries, chemical plants, power grids — release toxic pollutants into air, soil, and water. The destruction of forests and agricultural land eliminates the very carbon sinks we depend on. And post-conflict reconstruction is highly likely to lock in decades of high-emission development.
Earth Day on April 22 asks us to reckon honestly with what harms the planet. Peace is not separate from environmental justice — it is foundational to it. We cannot build a sustainable world on a foundation of ongoing destruction.
This Earth Day, please let us remember that caring for our planet means demanding an end to the many conflicts that, day after day, consume it.
Lynda Marin
Santa Cruz