In 1969, a catastrophic oil spill took place off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, where a blowout at an offshore field released up to 100,000 barrels into the Pacific Ocean. At the time, it was the largest oil spill in U.S. history. In response to the disaster, peace campaigner John McConnell called for immediate action, including environmental regulations. At a UNESCO conference held in San Francisco later that year, McConnell proposed the creation of Earth Day, serving as a day for all to honor our planet and demand protections for it. Earth Day was first set to be celebrated on March 21, 1970, which corresponds to the first day of Spring. However, it was later moved to April 22, 1970, when McConnell and Denis Hayes (a young student activist) organized teach-ins and demonstrations across the country.
Sojourner Truth Radio: April 22, 2021 – Earth Day, Fukushima Waste, Police Killings
Today on Sojourner Truth:
We commemorate Earth Day, which was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. As world leaders gather today virtually for a White House climate summit, President Joe Biden has announced plans to slash green house gas emissions in half by 2030. This, as the Biden administration proposes that nations support the Paris Climate Accord, which the U.S. has now rejoined. But is this enough? Environmentalists have longed criticized the Paris Climate Accord for being too modest given the level of devastation of the environment. Many also decry what they call false solutions to the climate crisis. They say capitalism and its market-focused economy are at odds with protecting the planet. For our weekly Earth Watch, our guest is Paula Gioia, a beekeeper and peasant farmer in a community-run agroecological farm in Germany near Berlin.
Japan intends to dump more than a million tons of radioactive waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. This follows the 2011 incident, where six atomic power reactors were severely damaged following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which was followed by a tsunami that damaged the nuclear plant. Our guest is Kevin Kamps, who has served as Radioactive Waste Watchdog at Beyond Nuclear since 2007. Beyond Nuclear advocates for an energy future that is sustainable, benign and democratic.
On Thursday, April 22, the funeral of Daunte Wright will be held. Daunte was shot and killed by the police just ten miles from where George Floyd was killed. Since then, there have been two other police killings of Black people that we know about. Our guest is Mic Crenshaw, an anti-racist campaigner raised in Chicago and Minneapolis and now based in Portland, Oregon, where he is the Regional Director of Hip-Hop Congress.
Lastly, our weekly Earth Minute, presented by Theresa Church of the Global Justice Ecology Project.
LISTEN | April 22, 2021 – Earth Day, Fukushima Waste, Police Killings