World Earth Day 2024: Get to know the date, history, theme and significance

Participating in Earth Day events and activities offers an excellent opportunity to engage in environmental activism and contribute to a more sustainable planet. The themes for each Earth Day vary, focusing on different aspects of environmental protection and sustainability.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 13, Climate Action, and SDG 15, Life on Land, highlight the urgent need for climate action and the preservation of terrestrial ecosystems.

As Earth Day promotes environmental protection and contributes to global efforts to achieve a sustainable and equitable future for all, here’s all you need to know, from its origin to its significance, the theme for 2024, and more.

World Earth Day 2024: Theme

Earth Day, which will be observed on April 22, 2024, EARTHDAY.ORG has announced the theme: ‘Planet vs. Plastics’. (Source: EarthDay.Org)

According to World Wildlife Fund research, global plastic trash production exceeds 380 million tonnes annually, with a substantial amount of it finding its way into landfills, oceans, and waterways.

With the ultimate goal of building a plastic-free future for generations to come, this year’s Earth Day, which will be observed on April 22, 2024, EARTHDAY.ORG has announced the theme: ‘Planet vs. Plastics’.

It highlights the threat plastics pose to the planet and human health, thereby calling an end to all plastic waste by demanding a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by the year 2040.

To achieve the same, EARTHDAY.ORG has laid out significant goals:

1. Promoting widespread public awareness of the damage done by plastic to humans, animals, and all biodiversity’s health and demanding more research be conducted on its health implications, including the release of any information regarding its effects to the public;
2. Rapidly phasing out all single-use plastics by 2030 and achieving this phase-out commitment in the United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution in 2024;
3. Demanding policies ending the scourge of fast fashion and the vast amount of plastic it produces and uses, and
4. Investing in innovative technologies and materials to build a plastic-free world.

Earth Day 2024: Origin and Significance

Earth Day in 1970: Earth Day continues to still be the largest day of protest in the world. (Source: Earthday.Org)

The concept of Earth Day can be traced back to the late 1960s, which saw a surge in public debate over environmental issues, with Rachel Carson’s influential book Silent Spring (1962) and the Santa Barbara oil spill (1969) raising awareness about environmental destruction.

However, it was first accepted in the USA when the UN officially acknowledged it in 1972 after peace activist John McConnell proposed the idea of celebrating a day in honour of the Earth and peace at a 1969 UNESCO conference, where it began as a national teach-in on the environment, led by Senator Gaylord Nelson and activist Denis Hayes. 

To maximise the greatest student participation, they chose April 22, a weekday falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, and it has stuck ever since, with it being celebrated annually on April 22, regardless of the day of the week.

In essence, World Earth Day is more significant than ever in an era of growing concerns about the environment, depleting natural resources, and severe climate change. In addition to highlighting the growing concerns, it provides a crucial forum for raising public awareness of these issues and encouraging and inspiring individuals globally to take action.

It serves as a reminder that everyone has a shared responsibility for the health of the planet and that corporations, governments, communities, and individuals must work together to achieve this goal.