Conscious Clipper

April is an incredible month for earth lovers everywhere. As small yellow daffodils poke through the thawing ground, one cannot help but sense new beginnings on the horizon.

Along with the fresh flowers, good news is springing up all over the place. As the world gets ready to celebrate Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, President Biden will be inviting 40 world leaders to a virtual summit called the Leaders Summit on Climate aimed at convincing other countries to strengthen their commitments to greenhouse gas reduction. After four long years of climate inaction, this conference is a major step forward in the return of the United States to the global conversation about climate change.

Even though Biden is taking the steps that he can, there is only so much one nation can perform in a 180 on policy. For example, although Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement on the first day of his Presidency, the United States needs to recreate an official Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in order to move forward. An NDC is a measure of the Nation’s greenhouse gas output, and while Biden promises to have this number by the date of the virtual summit, his ability to deliver on that promise remains to be seen.

Whatever the outcome of the summit, the act of bringing the most brilliant and influential minds together to brainstorm solutions is exciting, and a major step toward the next round of UN-sponsored climate talks to be held in Scotland this November.

Until then, there is hope in the air -- join in the Green Cheer by taking part in one of the many virtual Earth Day celebrations sponsored by Earth Day.org. The change must start with each of us.

The Conscious Clipper is written by Rose Hansen