VIDEO: EARTH DAY AND ITS TRAGIC TRUTHS

Earth Day is the perfect day to be the change you want to see in the world.on April 22 this year, Earth Day turned 48, and Google celebrated it with the Google Doodle of conservation, starring Dr. Jane Goodall, who nudges us to do better in a video (below) titled “Do our part for this beautiful planet”.

In July 1960, at the age of 26, Goodall travelled from England to Tanzania and ventured into the little-known world of wild chimpanzees. She arrived with only her notebook, binoculars, and her fascination with wildlife. Goodall's adventures into the unknown gave the world a remarkable view of humankind’s closest living relatives. After more than 50 years of incredible research, Goodall has opened the eyes of the public to the urgent need to protect chimpanzees from extinction; she has also redefined species conservation to take into account the needs of local people and the environment. She now travels the world, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees and environmental crises, urging the public to take action for the sake of the planet we share.

There are 3 vital things we need to start paying attention to for the sake of the animal kingdom and out planet:

1. The plastic problem is even worse than we thought
   One of the bleakest and most recurring stories of the year so far was the report of a six-ton sperm whale washing up on the shores of southern Spain with 64 pounds of plastic in its stomach. A depressing sign of the alarming rate at which we’re dumping plastics into the ocean. In the Philippines, a Greenpeace group responded in outcry by creating a large whale sculpture entirely made out of plastic on the beach, urging people to clean the beach and reduce their plastic usage.
   
   
2. Extinction and the ever-growing critically endangered list
   The Northern White Rhino has officially been listed as an extinct species with the last male dying in March this year. Last year, the Christmas Island Pipistrelle, a bat found off the coast of Australia, was declared extinct. Three reptiles also went extinct on the island, including the Chained Gecko, the Blue-Tailed Skink, and the Whiptail Skink, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Many animals have also been added to the endangered list as listed in this newfeeds24 article.
   
   
3. Greenland’s ice is melting faster than we realised
   We know the Earth is suffering from the effects of global warming, but we saw several scary examples over the past year of how quickly and dramatically this is playing out. Earth’s polar regions are warming twice as fast as the average rate of the planet. NOAA scientists reported late last year that the Arctic ice is melting at its fastest rate in at least 1,500 years. There was also a heat wave in the Arctic in the middle of winter for the third year in a row.

Of course, Google Doodles do a much better job of conveying the importance of taking care of our planet. Check out the video below and don't forget, even if you just to do one thing, like refusing plastic straws at a restaurant, you can make a difference.