World Earth Day 2024: Everything about celebrating this special day – date, history, significance and all

New Delhi: The annual celebration of Earth Day takes place on April 22nd. We should all do everything we can to keep the planet habitable, and this day serves as a reminder of that. The message of Earth Day is that we must all work together to end environmental degradation, global warming, and species extinction. It serves as a poignant reminder of our interconnectedness and the need for collective action to improve our world for generations to come.

History

In 1970, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin was responsible for organising a nationwide march to bring attention to environmental concerns, marking the inaugural Earth Day. Approximately twenty million individuals participated in different locations throughout the US. The United States government established the Environmental Protection Agency at the year’s conclusion, after nationwide rallies.

Concerned about the deterioration of the environment, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson came up with the notion of Earth Day. A large-scale oil disaster occurred in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969. Senator Nelson became more motivated to act. He witnessed youngsters protesting the war and felt the same enthusiasm might be utilised to raise environmental awareness.

In a discussion with the media, Senator Nelson discussed his plan to host a large-scale event at universities to raise awareness about pollution. A Republican congressman with a soft spot for the environment named Pete McCloskey agreed to lend him a hand. Senator Nelson requested the young activist Denis Hayes to head up college outreach efforts. April 22nd was chosen because it fell in between final exams and vacations.

Earth Day was born from the idea’s rapid expansion; the name sounded like ‘birthday’ and immediately grabbed people’s attention. More than 140 nations across the world were celebrating Earth Day by 1990.

Significance

Earth Day is a sobering reminder of the need to do all we can to keep our world habitable for future generations. Earth Day is an opportunity to think about how our actions affect the planet and to renew our resolve to do all we can to slow global warming, protect our natural resources, and ensure that future generations may live in a sustainable world.

Theme

‘Planet vs. Plastics’ is the theme of World Earth Day 2024. The major goal of the topic is to highlight the terrible problem of plastic pollution and the damage it does to the environment. This year, EARTHDAY.ORG is taking a stand for environmental health by calling for a 60% decrease in plastic manufacturing by the year 2040.

More

Reducing plastic consumption, planting trees, and preserving water and energy are all little steps that we can take to safeguard Mother Earth and all the living species on it.