For more than 30 years, the Earth Day Initiative has been on the front lines in the fight for environmental justice.

Founded by a broad coalition of environmental groups, the Initiative came together in 1990 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. Since then, they have brought their activism into classrooms and boardrooms throughout New York City and across the U.S.

John Oppermann, Executive Director of the Earth Day Initiative, joins In Focus to talk about how far environmental efforts have come, and how much work still has to be done. He says the COVID-19 pandemic actually showed how ill-prepared New York City for another major disaster, based on what he says was an inability to get city workers working from home or keeping businesses running as normal.

On the national front, Oppermann talks about how the U.S. has lost a lot of credibility in the climate discussion by pulling out of the Paris Accords - as the world wonders if we’ll be in or out as administrations change. 

He also speaks to the “ticking time clock” as we approach a tipping point when climate change spirals out of control to the extent where there are things we simply cannot fix. Oppermann also talks about the importance of some form of the Green New Deal, and why he believes the Biden administration is starting out strong, but still has a long way to go.