On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day
It is time to reflect upon what we know
Is the Earth in a better shape now as
compared to fifty years ago?

While 50th anniversary is a cause for celebration,
Lets not get carried away
We need to ask what good can we accomplish
if we think about Earth for just a day?

We have been plundering the planet,
Species are becoming extinct at unprecedented rate
Carbon emissions have more than doubled in 50 years
We are playing a dangerous game with our climate

… Glaciers are receding
… Permafrost is melting
… Sea level is rising
… Weather is “weirding”*
(*100 year weather events are happening on a more frequent basis)

Not much time is left for us to stop using fossil fuel
If we don’t, we are heading to a catastrophe
Regretfully, it is our grand children who will pay the price
For our selfishness, stubbornness and profligacy

Internet enabled “conveniences” are straining the environment
Be it food-delivery, ride-share, or online-shopping
More green house gases are being released as a result
The “genie is out of the bottle” and now there is no stopping

We like the convenience of on-line shopping
But, we don’t stop to think of its impact on the environment
Amazon Prime encourages us to buy on impulse
Since shipping is “free’, we order with abandonment

We feel smug by taking trivial actions such as banning plastic straws
While the “great pacific plastic patch” keeps growing
Real change requires sacrifices, for which we are in no mood
Our “throwaway” and “ME” culture keeps the waste flowing

We want others to change for the sake of the Planet
We want to merrily keep going in our set ways
The masses in developing economies want to live like us
Economic growth is “king”, that is what gets all the praise

We don’t own the planet Earth,
We are only one of many species, just a tenant
Whether human race lives or dies, Nature doesn’t care
It won’t miss us, species come and go, nothing is permanent

We have to remain hopeful that we will mend our ways
Before it is too late and damage gets irreversible
Our planet is a “rare jewel” in the emptiness of space
Let’s not leave the planet for the generations to come that is inhospitable.