April 22 marked the 49th annual Earth Day, when more than 1 billion people in nearly 200 countries were expected to take part in what the Earth Day Network calls 鈥渢he largest civic-focused day of action in the world.鈥�
Since the first Earth Day in 1970 (which was connected to the passage of the Clean Air Act that year), there have been many environmental victories, such as passing and strengthening laws for cleaner air and water, expanding Marine Protected Areas, reducing overfishing, and even improving our ability to predict extreme weather events.
Scientists say more progress is needed if we are to slow the impact of climate change, and carbon emissions are a major threat, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since the mid-1800s, the agency notes, carbon