On 22nd April every year, we celebrate Earth Day. And this year it’s no different.
The very first Earth Day was celebrated back in 1970 in the USA, going global in 1990. For decades it been used to rally people across the planet to support action on climate change. Unfortunately in that time, we have seen carbon dioxide levels increase by 26%!
The theme this year is “Restore our Earth”.
Earth Day events will be taking place online, across the world, with up to 1 billion people getting involved across more than 190 nations. This year, events will be starting early with a youth climate summit, led by Earth Uprising and will feature Greta Thunberg, amongst others.
We have the ability to make a difference in our industry, but that can only happen when we work together to #RestoreOurEarth.
Restoration is imperative to fighting climate change and making the Earth a safer, healthier, and more equitable place to live. It’s time to step up. It’s time to make a change.
What has Earth Day achieved?
The first Earth Day was as a result of a huge oil spill Santa Barbara, California. US Senator Gaylord Nelson witness the devastation caused by the spill and galvanised a nation into supporting action on protecting the environment. Over 20 million people took to the streets to support the awareness campaign, that’s nearly 10% of the population at the time! Within a year the action had led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency by Republican president Richard Nixon. It also sparked a wave of legislation in the following years including the Clean Water and Air Acts, and the Endangered Species Act.
Fast forward twenty years and Earth day went global, giving a significant boost to recycling efforts worldwide. Not only that but it paved the way for the first UN Earth Summit that took place just two years later.
In 2000, at the turn of the century they shone a light on the issue of global warming, advocating and encouraging the switch to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources.
Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, in 2010 they launched a worldwide campaign to plant 1 billion trees, a target that was reached in just two years!
In addition to events held on Earth Day, the campaigns it has supported and championed include the Paris Agreement. Adopted by 197 countries at COP21 in Paris, 2016. With the join aim to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and to limit the global temperature increase in this century to 2 degrees Celsius while pursuing means to limit the increase even further to 1.5 degrees. Today, 189 countries have joined the Paris Agreement.
How can you get involved in Earth Day 2021?
To find out more about Earth Day, or to get involved in Earth Day Live check out earthday.org/earth-day-2020/earth-day-live/
If you’d like to support Earth Day, download their resource pack which includes social media graphics and wording.
