Earth Day reminds us that we borrowed the earth from our children

The author contends that humanity's 'ruthless' treatment of nature and a 'mad rush to grow' have led to the Anthropocene, where human activity is the primary driver of planetary change. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst, the text argues that the virus reveals the failure of legal instruments and international climate agreements, such as the COPs, to maintain ecological balance. The author highlights observed environmental improvements during lockdowns—such as purer air in the Paris region and China, and increased visibility of the Himalayas from Punjab—as evidence of nature's resilience. The document concludes by calling for environmental protection programs to be executed with the same urgency and boldness as monetary and investment policies.

• The author asserts that humanity has entered the Anthropocene, an era where human activity, rather than natural forces, is the primary driver of global transformations, resulting from a historical drive for growth and a desire to be 'master and possessor of nature'.
• The document claims that the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that nature can restore its own balance more effectively than human-led legal and political efforts, specifically noting that nature succeeded where approximately twenty COPs on Climate Change and various environmental conventions failed.
• Lockdowns led to observable environmental improvements in several regions: air purity in the Paris region reached a 40-year high, NASA satellites recorded a significant pollution decrease in China, and the peaks of the Himalayas became visible from 200 km away in Punjab for the first time in about 30 years.
• In Dakar, the author observed a reduction in smoke from 'Mbeubeuss', the region's largest open garbage dump, and a return of birdsong during the lockdown period.

APA

Martens, C. (2020). Earth Day reminds us that we borrowed the earth from our children. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/earth-day-reminds-us-that-we-borrowed-the-earth-from-our-children/

Chicago

Martens, Claire. Earth Day reminds us that we borrowed the earth from our children. Natural Justice, 2020. https://naturaljustice.org/earth-day-reminds-us-that-we-borrowed-the-earth-from-our-children/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Martens |first1=Claire |title=Earth Day reminds us that we borrowed the earth from our children |publisher=Natural Justice |date=28 April 2020 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/earth-day-reminds-us-that-we-borrowed-the-earth-from-our-children/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{martens2020earth, author = {Martens, Claire}, title = {{Earth Day reminds us that we borrowed the earth from our children}}, publisher = {Natural Justice}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/earth-day-reminds-us-that-we-borrowed-the-earth-from-our-children/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }