Earth Challenge 2020 -

What is Earth Challenge 2020?
Earth Challenge 2020 “is the world’s largest ever coordinated citizen science campaign. The initiative integrates existing citizen science projects and builds capacity for new ones — all to grow citizen science worldwide.” The goal is to engage millions of global citizens. This is the world’s largest civic event going digital for the first time in its history. On April 22, tune in to Earth Day online and then later, and throughout the year, continue to participate in this project using online tools and resources.

Listening to the Earth: Earth Day Event 2020
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Listening to the Earth team is honored to host a webinar on April 22, in partnership with Nature4Climate, Climate & Sustainability and Narayan. An inspiring array of speakers will share insights on “Listening to the Earth – why and how?”, especially in these times of crisis, followed by a collective meditation on “one planet, one humanity, one health” guided by Radha Gupta. Everyone is welcome to join these online events.

A Healthy Planet Requires An Ecological Economy
This April 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Earth Day. In honour of this occasion, Creatively United for the Planet is offering a free online EarthFest webinar series, from 11 am to 12:30 pm Pacific Time (PT) daily from April 19-25th, featuring an incredible line up of presenters who will explore a multitude of transformational possibilities and creative solutions to move us forward. Please join in by registering here for free. Each presentation will be recorded and available on CreativelyUnited.org for those who are unable to attend the live webinar.

Universal Basic Income and Medical Care For All
All non-essential workers should be sent home now to #FLATTENTTHEOTHERCURVE. Spain is already implementing this program now. Here’s how to take action to demand that your government begin this process now:

Google a list of local unions.
Ask them if they’ve heard of the May 1st General Strike.
Three demands are: rent forgiveness, universal healthcare, universal basic income.
The methods are general strike (call in sick to work or walk out) and rent strike (do not pay your rent)DO NOT DIE FOR WALL STREET OR LET THE PLANET DIE FOR IT EITHER. Through a general strike we can win a UBI of $2000/mo. But this is only if you act. If you do nothing, don’t expect anything.

Calling All Citizen Scientists
Everyone can participate in their governments and stay informed. People can and must demand that leaders unite behind the science. People will need to push for action at every level of society to stop the rising tide of climate change. Also, as global governments respond to the coronavirus pandemic, all citizens must demand a GREEN recovery stimulus. We must also plan to stay home and save the planet in order to flatten out the other curve.

The climate crisis is the most serious and critical issue of our times. Educators, scientists, and all of humanity will be called upon to come together to solve the most difficult problem mankind has ever faced in the sixth mass extinction event now underway. In fact, the last time CO² emissions were this high, modern humans didn’t exist. Eminent scientist, James Lovelock has said that over 6 billion people may perish by the end of the century in the climate crisis. Deaths from air pollution have also reached an all time high and are making us more susceptible to virus outbreaks like COVID-19. Climate change also makes the risk of novel diseases much more likely.

If we are to survive and mitigate some of the worst outcomes of the climate crisis, now predicted and in the math, it will require everyone to understand at least some of the science behind how our amazing planet works. There are many online tools that everyone can begin to use to analyze and see the situation as it is unfolding now. Here is a list of just a few research applications offering data monitoring to get started with.

Tools for Citizen Scientists to Monitor the Planet:

Be Part of the Solution
The rampant denial of science is wreaking havoc on our crucial understanding of these issues. Inaction, defeatism, and denialism continue to persist with strong influence. Climate change denial does an extreme disservice to our ability to act on what we are facing in the coming extinction. Additionally, this denial is causing significant cognitive dissonance at levels that have left us unable to respond to this crisis as a global security threat.

Political science and climate science are clashing in a war of words. Add to this, the overwhelming desire for humans to want to jump to simple conclusions, defend positions, and provide quick answers to complex issues. Also, humans apparently have an inability to plan for crises that are not happening right now. Our pervasive cognitive dissonance and confirmation biases are clouding our judgement, while we lose our habitat.

Human societies across the globe are failing to come to terms with the science and exponential math of climate change. In fact, most have no idea how bad it is (video). Moreover, we aren’t listening to the scholars and scientists we employ to instruct and advise us on these matters, even though they are often working for the good of all. It’s as if we have plunged into a new dark age of irrational and magical thinking.

We are losing 200 species a day. The oceans are acidifying and filling with dead zones. The insects are disappearing. Radiation is leaking from melting glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic. The Chernobyl exclusion zone is burning in raging wildfires. We are 100 seconds to midnight (video). Millions of people are already becoming climate refugees everyday. Drought and wildfires have become common headlines. This is an emergency and nothing less. Anyone denying this now is committing a crime against humanity and all life on the planet. Lawsuits should be pursued against these planet-destroying profiteers.

Further, our leaders have lost sight of the big picture for the profit margin. We are trading our real wealth as a global species, for imaginary wealth in the biggest gaslight of our time. We have become entangled in linear, overly simplistic thought processes based on outdated ideologies and politics. We are increasingly unable to grasp the exponential challenges of a world moving faster than we can adapt to.

The only solution to this predicament is to become citizen scientists as well as whistleblowers; and finally to arm ourselves with credible, independent sources (video). It will also be necessary to better comprehend the complexities of objective science, to begin to deconstruct (video) these false narratives and finally, to take action. Join us in taking the Earth Challenge for 2020 and become a citizen scientist.

Further Reading:
For more about Earth Day, citizen science, and student projects and activities related to the environment, see the following posts on the Science Buddies Blog:

“No matter how high the mountains of the great dharma are, no matter how deep the sea of ignorance is, they will be as nothing before a boundless spirit of determination.” – Koun Yamada, “Great Faith, Great Doubt, Great Determination”

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