This Earth Day, almost all attention is focused on what we can collectively do to mitigate the effects of climate change. Our connection to the natural world is fundamental to our survival on this planet – and we’re at risk of destroying it. Earth Day presents an opportunity to not only consider the logistical steps that we can all take to reduce climate change, but also to reflect and appreciate our incredible planet and the innate connection we all have to it. 

Here’s what you might have missed this week:

• The view of climate change from above. Time lapse satellite images show glacial retreat at Mount Kilimanjaro, Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching, deforestation in Germany and Greenland glacial melt – The Guardian
• Decarbonisation would be easier if we could store green energy for the future. Renewable storage solutions using gravity, pressure and other elemental forces will be essential in the green energy revolution – The New Yorker 
• Could the answer to global warming be giving the planet some shade? Solar geoengineering could provide a seemingly quick solution to our warming planet, but there are risks involved – The Economist
• Try to save the planet by 2050. This interactive game tests whether you can stave off the worst effects of climate change and reach net zero by 2050 – The Financial Times
• Is it possible to recreate planet Earth? Jessica Camille Aguirre’s profile of amateur scientist Kai Staats follows his quest to condense our complex ecosystem into a single space capsule, and sparks reflections on just how unique our original biosphere is – Harper’s Magazine 
• Businesses need to prove they are serious when it comes to achieving net zero by 2050. The pressure is mounting on the corporate world to provide tangible results when it comes to decarbonisation. Here are the biggest challenges that businesses are facing in the green transition – Raconteur  
• The origins of the first Earth Day lie in an environmental disaster over fifty years ago. An oil spill in California in 1970 paved the way for a series of key environmental protections, an age of activism and Earth Day – National Geographic 
• We need a new system to measure green investment credentials. The global system for rating ESG investments has become nearly meaningless; it’s time for a new one to be put in place – The Beautiful Truth