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Journalism of Courage
Every year, April 22 is observed as Earth Day, an international event celebrated around the world to pledge support for environmental protection. The year 2024 marks the 54th anniversary of the annual celebrations.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “On #EarthDay, we must stand for our planet. A planet threatened by climate change, by pollution, by biodiversity loss. A planet that needs to be rescued. So we must unite. And we must mobilize all our efforts for #ClimateAction.”
Here is a look at the significance of Earth Day and what this year’s theme is.
Earth Day was first observed in 1970 when 20 million took to the streets to protest against environmental degradation. The event was triggered by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill and other issues such as smog and polluted rivers.
For over the next half century, Earth Day continued to play an important role in environmental activism. The landmark Paris Agreement, which brings almost 200 countries together to set a common target to reduce global greenhouse emissions, was signed on Earth Day 2016. In 2009, the United Nations designated Earth Day as International Mother Earth Day.
According to earthday.org, Earth Day aims to “build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and the planet.” The movement’s mission is “to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.”
Earth Day is celebrated to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance. This day also recognises a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity.
Earth Day also provides an opportunity to raise public awareness around the world of the challenges regarding the well-being of the planet and all the life it supports.
This year, the theme is ‘Planet vs. Plastics’. The theme highlights the threat plastics pose to the planet and human health. It calls for an end to all plastic waste by demanding a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by the year 2040.
Plastic poses a grave threat to human health as it breaks down into microplastic, releasing toxic chemicals into food and water sources and circulating through the air humans breathe.
“Plastic production now has grown to more than 380 million tons per year. More plastic has been produced in the last ten years than in the entire 20th century, and the industry plans to grow explosively for the indefinite future,” according to earthday.org.
