April 22nd is the 53rd Earth Day.
Unfortunately, the conditions of our ecosystem are (still) dramatic: the 418 parts of CO2 per million in the atmosphere have been surpassed, and we should never have gone beyond 400. The next step, 450 parts of CO2 per million, is the threshold beyond which the risk is extinction. Today, 3 billion people consume zero energy, but at this rate, soon, those who have never consumed it will start, and then what will happen tomorrow?
We must necessarily change course to put an end to the degradation of our planet. Responsibility in consumption choices is required, and it is time to “transform sensitivity toward these issues into action, because we risk dying from sensitivity,” to quote Pierluigi Sassi, founder and president of Earth Day Italia.
Earth Day Italia is part of the international NGO accredited by the UN, Earth Day, which was founded in Washington in 1970 and now involves around 75,000 partners. It is the largest global network dedicated to environmental protection, safeguarding both the economy and the universal value of the common good.
The association celebrates Earth Day every year by organizing a series of events, including the TV marathon #OnePeopleOnePlanet and the most attended environmental event in Italy, the Villaggio per la Terra in Rome, at Villa Borghese (from April 21st to 25th). It is a moment of celebration, but above all, it is an opportunity to engage an ever-growing audience in the initiatives of Earth Day Italia, supporting sustainable startups and virtuous projects, thus transforming good intentions into concrete green actions.
According to Pierluigi Sassi, today, inventing, promoting, and accelerating innovability—the synergy between innovation and sustainability—focusing concretely on young people, “the true great engine of change,” creating permanent connections between them and institutions, and directing investments towards sustainable development are undoubtedly our most important challenges. It is time to act, for everyone.
Source: Interview by Marina Cappa with Pierluigi Sassi for L’Eco della Stampa.
