This year, Earth Day celebrated its 50th year. Its original intent was to protest environmental degradation and it served as a call to action to heal our planet and ourselves. It was very clear then, and even more clear then and even more now, that our health, the environment, and the climate are inextricably linked. With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping through our nation and across the globe, we are reminded again just how fragile our world can be and just how closely we are all linked together. Now, more than ever, we need to take time to heal ourselves, our society and our environment.
In our increasingly partisan world, where everything is framed as a zerosum game, we are pitting ourselves against our neighbors, against our family members, and against old friends. Now is not the time to stoke the fires of division; now is the time to come together as a community. Now is not the time to score political points; now is the time to find real solutions that can help us all. And now is not the time to return to business as usual; now is the time to re-imagine the future and heal our planet.
In the face of this monumental challenge, let’s re-imagine ourselves and our future. We can create a more fair and equitable economic system that leaves nobody behind and that does not continue to harm our planet’s ecosystems. We can create an inclusive and advanced healthcare system that is available to everyone and ready for tomorrow’s challenges. And most importantly, we can stand
up, together, as we did 50 years ago.
Joseph Hauck
Belgrade
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 5/3/20