Earth Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide on April 22. It was first celebrated in the year 1970 and is now celebrated annually on global basis in more than 193 countries.
- Earth Day is celebrated in order to increase the awareness among people about the environmental safety as well as to demonstrate the environmental protection measures.
- The Earth and its ecosystems are our home. In order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social, and environmental needs of present and future generations, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth.
Background
World Earth Day observance was started to celebrate as an annual event to get national support. This would help in taking better take care of the environmental safety by solving its issues. In 1969, there was a peace activist of the San Francisco named John McConnell who actively involved in starting this event and proposed a day to get together for the environmental safety. In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, he proposed a day to honour the Earth and the concept of peace which was 21st March 1970. Later United States Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson chose this event to be celebrated on 22nd of April in 1970. Most of the earth day communities celebrate it for the whole week with the name Earth Week to focus on many environmental issues.Key Facts
- Earth Day is significant as it's a day of political action and civic participation towards preserving the planet.
- People march, sign petitions, meet their elected officials, plant trees, and clean up their towns and roads.
- Earth Day Network is the organisation that leads Earth Day worldwide.
- Earth Day 2018 is the 48th edition of the event whereas Earth Day 2020 will be the 50th edition.
- The theme for Earth Day 2017 was ‘Environmental and Climate Literacy’.
Earth Day 2018
- This year is the 48th Earth Day and 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day.
- Earth Day 2018 theme is 'End Plastic Pollution'. It is dedicated to provide the information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitude and behaviour about plastics.
- This was announced by the Earth Day Network to create support for a global effort to eliminate single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics.
- EDN will educate millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans, water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that decomposing plastics are creating serious global problems.
- The exponential growth of plastic is threatening the environment. Plastic is not only poisoning and injuring marine life but also disrupting human hormones. The presence of plastics in the food leads to major life-threatening diseases.
- This end plastic campaign includes four major components-
- Leading a grassroots movement to support the adoption of a global framework to regulate plastic pollution
- Educating, mobilising and activating citizens across the globe to demand that governments and corporations control and clean up plastic pollution
- Educating people worldwide to take personal responsibility for plastic pollution by choosing to reject, reduce, reuse and recycle plastics
- Promoting local government regulatory and other efforts to tackle plastic pollution
