Earth Day: When it began to be celebrated

THE Earth Day is a global event that aims to highlight the importance of environmental protection and takes place every year on April 22.

Specifically, according to BBC, began to be celebrated in 1970 by Gaylord Nelson, a US senator and environmentalist, and Dennis Hayes, a graduate student at Harvard University. However, both had growing concerns about environmental impacts in the US, such as those caused by a major oil spill in 1969 in Santa Barbara, California. Therefore, they devised Earth Day as a way to engage the public and push green issues onto the US national agenda.

During the first Earth Day celebration, 20 million people in the US took to the streets. It became a global event in 1990 and today more than a billion people of all ages participate in nearly 200 countries, according to organizers. “Celebrating Earth Day is often the first environmental action for many people,” says earthday.org President Kathleen Rogers.

“Planet vs. Plastics’ for Earth Day 2024

The theme of Earth Day 2024 is “the planet against plastics” and aims to raise awareness about the effects of plastic pollution on human health and the planet as a whole.

Past events have covered a wide range of environmental topics, from climate change and clean energy to species conservation and the benefits of tree planting. This year’s focus comes ahead of a historic UN treaty on plastics, which is expected to be agreed by the end of 2024. In fact, more than 50 countries have called for an end to plastic pollution by 2040. However, the Day’s organizers Earth want to go further and call for a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.

Earth Day Achievements

Within a few years of the first Earth Day in 1970, the US Environmental Protection Agency had been established and several environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act, had been enacted or significantly strengthened.

More recent events include planting hundreds of millions of trees, supporting farmers with sustainable agricultural practices, and launching climate education programs around the world. Some observers also cite the importance of Earth Day in putting environmental issues back on the national and international agenda.

Also, in 2016, Earth Day was symbolically chosen for the official signing of the landmark Paris climate agreement agreed at the end of 2015. It was the first time that the world’s countries had collectively agreed on targets to try to limit global warming.

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