Earth Day was celebrated on April 22. It was conceived in 1969 by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, after he witnessed the effects of a massive oil spill.

Since 1970, Earth Day has been recognized each April 22, providing an opportunity to celebrate nature and raise awareness for environmental issues.

These issues are even more important in 2022 than they were in 1970. There is currently 4,035,000 tons of plastic in the oceans. At this rate, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish in 27 years. Additionally, the world will run out of freshwater in 17 years, unless water use is drastically reduced.

Deforestation is also a serious problem today, with little more than 30 percent of the world’s wild forests left. Scientists estimate that in 77 years, all of the earth’s rain forests will be wiped out.

These statistics, all taken from theworldcounts.com, illustrate the grim reality of what life could look like by the end of this century.

The way we are living today is unsustainable. This is not our children’s problem, but ours.