Earth Day and Disneynature!

Fix Earth First: Before We Colonize Other Worlds, Let’s Save This One – Lynn Scheid

This Earth Day, Disneynature’s Sea Lions of the Galapagos introduces us to Leo, a wide-eyed sea lion pup growing up in one of the most wondrous and fragile ecosystems on Earth. Narrated by Brendan Fraser and captured in sweeping underwater cinematography, the film invites viewers to dive into Leo’s journey as he learns to fish, fend off predators, and eventually fight for his place in the world.

It’s adorable. It’s breathtaking. And it’s also–though gently delivered—a wake-up call.

Because while Leo swims through the Pacific, trying to survive in an ever-shifting ocean, we humans are still stuck arguing on land about who’s to blame for the state of the planet. And while politicians bicker about climate policy, wildfires torch forests, oceans rise inch by inch, and temperatures quietly break records year after year.

Here’s the truth: we are running out of time to get our act together. And if we don’t start fixing the planet we have, there won’t be much left to argue over—let alone escape from in search of other worlds.

Earth Day: Remember When It Mattered?

Earth Day began as a revolt. In 1970, it was an organized scream of frustration against oil spills, toxic rivers, and polluted skies. Twenty million Americans–10% of the U.S. population at the time–took to the streets. It led to the founding of the Environmental Protection Agency and landmark laws like the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act.

And get this: a Republican president, Richard Nixon, signed them into law.

Back then, clean air and water weren’t red or blue issues–they were human ones.

Fast forward to 2025, and Earth Day often feels more like a corporate PR campaign than a public movement. We get hashtags, glossy green logos, and vague pledges to “go carbon neutral.” Meanwhile, climate science is treated as political opinion, and environmental protection has become a wedge issue rather than a moral imperative.

We can’t afford that kind of thinking anymore. The planet doesn’t care who you voted for. You can’t out-spin rising sea levels. You can’t filibuster a forest fire.

The Climate Crisis Isn’t Waiting

The science is clear and terrifying. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):

• The planet has already warmed by 1.1°C since the industrial era.
• If we don’t change course, we’re on track for 2.7°C of warming by the end of the century.
• Sea levels could rise up to one meter by 2100, displacing hundreds of millions.
• Extreme weather events are now five times more likely than 50 years ago.

And here’s the kicker: just 100 companies are responsible for over 70% of global carbon emissions since 1988, according to the Carbon Majors Report.

Yet somehow, the conversation keeps circling back to whether ordinary people are recycling enough or using the “right” straw.

It’s not that personal choices don’t matter. But the truth is, we can’t clean up a planet if only 5% of the population is trying. We need broad, unified, global participation—and that means cutting through the partisan noise and talking like a species with skin in the game.

Because we do.

Stop the Bickering. Start the Building.

We have the tools. Renewable energy is booming. Wind and solar are now cheaper than fossil fuels. We’ve seen success before: the ozone layer is healing because the world came together under the Montreal Protocol in 1987 to ban harmful chemicals.

We can do this. But it requires collective action—and right now, political tribalism is the biggest obstacle to progress.

Climate change doesn’t care if you’re liberal or conservative. It doesn’t care where you live or what flag you fly. But too often, conversations about environmental responsibility get dragged into political identity wars: “If you believe in climate change, you must be a radical.” “If you drive a truck, you must be the problem.” It’s childish, and it’s dangerous.

This isn’t about blame. It’s about survival. As the philosopher E.F. Schumacher said, “Infinite growth in a finite world is an impossibility.” And as Carl Sagan reminded us, Earth is our “pale blue dot”—our only home. “There is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves,” he wrote. “It is up to us.”

Before we go chasing new planets to inhabit, maybe we should stop wrecking the one we’ve already got.

Let the Sea Lions Remind Us Why We Fight

Back in the Galápagos, Leo’s not thinking about carbon emissions or deforestation. He’s just trying to live. But he and his fellow species are canaries in the ecological coal mine. Their home—like ours—is changing fast.

That’s what makes Sea Lions of the Galapagos more than a beautiful film. It’s a quiet call to consciousness. It shows us the world we still have, and how quickly it’s disappearing.

And for that, a heartfelt congratulations is due to the extraordinary creative team in the UK—including director Hugh Wilson, co-director Keith Scholey, and producer Roy Conli—whose dedication and storytelling bring Leo’s world to vivid life. And kudos to the champions at Disney who continue to support Disneynature and invest in these stories year after year. They’re not just making movies—they’re making the case for preservation through awe and empathy.

We need more of that. We need more films that don’t preach, but move us. That don’t divide, but unite.

This Earth Day, Let’s Get Real

Earth Day doesn’t need another photo op. It needs a plan.

• It needs citizens who pressure their governments to act boldly.
• It needs leaders who listen to science, not lobbyists.
• It needs communities that care less about who’s right and more about what’s right.

The planet won’t be saved by perfect environmentalists. It will be saved by imperfect people who finally realize we’re all in the same boat—and that boat is sinking.

So let’s stop fighting over who gets to steer and start patching the holes together.

Because there are no winners on a dead planet.

And because Leo, and all of us, deserve better than the world we’re drifting toward.

Join me at www.lynnscheid.com or tune into my podcast “What If I Were President?” on your favorite platform.