| It might have been easy to forget, given all the horrible things happening on the globe’s surface, but we marked the 55th annual Earth Day this week. As Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope wrote, the majority of people around the world want their governments to be take stronger climate action. They just may not be making it known.
But some leaders are. In New York, mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani released his plan for how he would prioritize climate change on a local level. Green Schools for a Healthier New York City, which Mamdani dropped on Earth Day, insists that “climate and quality of life are not two separate concerns.” In an exclusive interview with Gabriel Hetland, Mamdani detailed his agenda, which includes, among other initiatives, renovating public schools with renewable infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the world lost a climate advocate in Pope Francis, the only Vatican leader in recent memory to be so bold about protecting the environment, along with taking principled stances on the treatment of refugees and other social justice issues, encompassing the egregious uses of capitalism. We’re all going to leave this world one day. We might as well protect it.
-Alana Pockros
Engagement Editor, The Nation |
