Good job taking care of the earth. Now can we do it WITHOUT an executive order?

I’m not proud of our recent “go green” fad, and you shouldn’t be, either

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

As Earth Day rolls around the corner, climate activists, journalists, and scientists alike are praising the positive environmental effects we have seen on planet Earth as a result of stay-at-home orders.

A few quick examples of said praise:

• The Pandemic Has Led to a Huge, Global Drop in Air Pollution
• Venice’s Canals Are Beautifully Clear As Italy’s Coronavirus Lockdown Cuts Down on Water Traffic (here’s the truth about this, by the way)
• Satellite images show less pollution over the US as coronavirus shuts down public places

That’s nice, but guess what: I’m not proud, and you shouldn’t be either.

But we are finally saving the earth!

Yes—that’s true. But we had a goal to save the earth before COVID-19 took the lives of over 160,000 people (and counting).

We are not protecting the planet and saving the earth because we, as a society, desperately want to. Nope. Many people do want to, but getting the whole world on board, historically, has been like pulling teeth.