All about World Earth Day

Earth Day

• Every year on April 22nd we celebrate Earth Day. The Earth day is conducted in more than 192 countries around the world. The Earth Day is expected to display backing for conserving the environment.
• UNESCO Conference held in 1969 recommended selecting March 21st, 1970 as the first Earth Day. The United States chose to celebrate a separate Earth Day on April 22nd annually. Later this date became the internationally accepted Earth Day in 1990. There are also several communities that backing environmental issues by celebrating Earth Week.
• The first Earth Day in 1970 launched a wave of action, including the passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States. The Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts were created in response to the first Earth Day in 1970, as well as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many countries soon adopted similar laws.
• Earth Day continues to hold major international significance: In 2016, the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day when the historic Paris Agreement on climate change was signed into force.

History of Earth Day:

Earth Day was a unified response to an environment in crisis — oil spills, smog, rivers so polluted they literally caught fire.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet.

The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event.

Facts:

• Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day while he was working as a US senator.
• The maiden Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970.
• On the first Earth Day, 20 million people assembled in the streets of the USA to protest against the industrial revolution. As a result of it, an environmental movement originated.
• Earth Day celebrated in the United States but later became acknowledged universally by 1990.
• Disney released a documentary film called Earth that trailed the relocation paths of four animal families On Earth Day 2009.
• Annually on April 22, people all over the world clean up garbage, plant many trees, clean up coral reefs, display movies, sign petitions, and plan processes and policies for an improved future for our planet.
• Earth Day was retitled officially by the United Nations in 2009 as International Mother Earth Day.
• In 2011, Afghanistan saw 28 million trees being planted.
• On Earth Day 2012, over a hundred thousand people rode bicycles in China to diminish carbon dioxide emissions and save fuel.
• 100 endangered species of orchids were planted and preserved to prevent their extinction in respect of Earth Day in Panama.

Earth Day Network:

To build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and planet.

Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in over 190 countries to drive positive action for our planet.

Theme of Earth Day 2020:

The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. The enormous challenge — but also the vast opportunities — of action on climate change have distinguished the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th anniversary.

Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.