Earth Day – 1970 vs Now, Artemis II Science and Awe, and Clearing the Air and Climate Solutions Hope
About this episode
The episode reflects on the first Earth Day in 1970, discusses the Artemis II mission, and addresses climate solutions and misinformation.
The first Earth Day in 1970, when some 20 million people peacefully demonstrated, arrived amid Vietnam War protests and other social unrest. And it came not long after the Apollo 8 astronauts snapped the iconic “Earthrise” photo that showed all of us were on a single, fragile planet amid the blackness of space. In this moment when humans have finally returned to the Moon after decades, we reflect on the movement that led to that first Earth Day and how the world has changed. Also, the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission that safely splashed down on April 10 made new scientific observations that are helping to expand our knowledge of the Moon, as well as the Earth itself. Artemis II Lunar Science Lead Kelsey Young joins us to talk about the scientific goals and accomplishments of the mission and the unforgettable moments the crew shared with people back on Earth. And climate solutions like renewable energy tech that requires intensive mining can run into skepticism from people across the political spectrum. But according to data scientist Hannah Ritchie, many of the concerns are based on partial- and misinformation, and the outlook for addressing the climate emergency isn’t…
People in this episode
Host: Steve Curwood
Guests: Kelsey Young, Hannah Ritchie
Topics covered
- Earth Day
- Artemis II
- climate solutions
- renewable energy
- scientific observations
- social movements
- misinformation
Keywords
- Earth Day
- Artemis II
- climate change
- renewable energy
- scientific goals
- social unrest
- Earthrise photo
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: World Media Foundation
Books & works: Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers
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