Earth Day is an annual celebration of the planet Earth on April 22nd that raises public awareness about environmental issues. Rallies, conferences, school projects, and other activities are held around the world to commemorate the day.
In 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson established Earth Day. The occurrence boosted public support for the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deal with environmental challenges. Since then, Earth Day has aided in the passing of numerous environmental laws in the United States.
Susan Clayton, a professor of psychology and environmental studies at The College of Wooster in Ohio, recently told Live Science that Earth Day reminds people to think about humanity’s values, the problems the globe confronts, and methods to help safeguard the environment. “Thinking about the history of environmental activism and how individuals have collaborated to alter policy might inspire us to believe that we can make great changes in the future,” Clayton added.
WHEN DOES EARTH DAY 2022 TAKE PLACE?
Earth Day 2022 will be held on April 22, 2022. The 52nd year of Earth Day will be commemorated by a variety of events around the world.
The topic of Earth Day 2022 is “Invest in Our Planet,” according to EARTHDAY.ORG, a charity that organizes these activities. This subject aims to motivate businesses, governments, and citizens to take immediate action on climate change and other concerns in order to ensure a more sustainable future.
Despite the fact that there have been over 50 Earth Days, climate change and other environmental challenges continue to pose a threat to the planet’s health. Earth Day, according to Michael Mann, a distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Penn State University and author of “The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our World” (PublicAffairs, 2021), is an occasion to assess where we stand in the fight to live sustainably on this planet.
In an email to Live Science, Mann said, “We are not yet on the path toward stabilizing our planet’s warming below harmful levels.” “Earth Day provides an opportunity to discuss what needs to be done. To be honest, Earth Day should be celebrated every day. We have nothing without a livable planet.”
WHEN DID THE DAY OF THE EARTH BEGIN?
After witnessing the environmental devastation caused by an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969, Nelson founded Earth Day. According to earthday.org, he was inspired by student anti-Vietnam War protests and organized a national “teach-in” on college campuses aimed at educating the public about the environment.
Nelson persuaded California Rep. Pete McCloskey to serve as co-chairman, and political activist Denis Hayes to serve as national coordinator. According to a 2012 blog post on the United Nations Foundation website by John Maleri, then associate director of Earth Day, they were able to organize 20 million people across the United States on April 22, 1970, with a team of 85 built by Hayes.
According to earthday.org, the team chose April 22, a Wednesday, since they thought a weekday between Spring break and students’ exam finals would inspire the most students to participate. Thousands of colleges and universities around the country organized rallies against environmental damage on that day. The event drew national media coverage, and many people met in public spaces to discuss about the environment and discover strategies to protect the globe. In total, nearly 10% of the population of the United States took part.
In 1980, Nelson wrote in the EPA Journal, “It was on that day that Americans made it apparent that they understood and were sincerely worried about the deterioration of our environment and the reckless squandering of our resources.”
After 1970, the annual event rose in size and appeal. According to EARTHDAY.ORG, Earth Day became a global celebration in 1990, with 200 million people from 141 nations attending.
WHY DO WE HAVE AN EARTH DAY CELEBRATION?
Earth Day is observed every year on April 22nd to encourage environmental awareness and commemorate the inaugural Earth Day. Environmental issues persist decades later. EARTHDAY.ORG points out that the fight for a clean environment is growing more vital as environmental challenges, particularly climate change, become more pressing.
Human activities such as burning fossil fuels produce heat-trapping carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, raising global temperatures and disrupting weather patterns, causing climate change. Extreme weather events, such as enormous floods and strong wildfires, are among the effects of climate change around the planet. Thousands of scientists warned in 2021 that ignoring climate change will cause humanity “untold suffering.”
“To maintain our world habitable and prospering, we need to fight climate change harder,” Jonathan Overpeck, head of the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, previously told Live Science in 2020, as Earth Day celebrated its 50th anniversary.