US Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day to raise awareness about environmental concerns, enlisting activist Denis Hayes to coordinate countrywide celebrations.
The global theme for Earth Day 2022 is ‘Planet vs. Plastics’, with an emphasis on decreasing plastic manufacturing for human and environmental health.
Earth Day is observed across the world on April 22 to encourage environmental conservation initiatives. It was initially observed on US college campuses in 1970, months after a huge oil spill in Santa Barbara. Since then, the campaign has mobilised over a billion people in 192 nations. The annual occasion will be observed on Monday with the worldwide theme ‘Planet vs. Plastics’.
The United Nations set April 22 as the date for the signing of the Paris Accord, which is widely regarded as the most momentous deal in the history of the climate and environmental movement. On April 22, that year, leaders from 196 countries signed a legally binding convention to combat global warming. Under the Accord, countries are supposed to aim to limit global warming to 1.5°C, while greenhouse gas emissions must peak no later than 2025 and fall by 43% by 2030.
How did Earth Day initially come about?
Earth Day began in the United States a few months after a catastrophic oil disaster off the California coast. During this time, US Senator Gaylord Nelson attempted to “infuse the energy of student anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution.”. He enlisted activist Denis Hayes to organize university teach-ins and spread the notion to a larger audience. To increase student involvement, the duo picked April 22 as the date, which was a weekday between spring break and final exams.
According to the earthday.org website, Hayes ultimately established a national staff of 85 to promote events around the country. They also changed the event’s name to Earth Day to increase visibility.
What’s the theme?
“Planet vs. Plastics unites students, parents, businesses, governments, churches, unions, individuals, and NGOs in an unwavering commitment to call for the end of plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by 2040 and an ultimate goal of building a plastic-free future for generations to come,” according to an excerpt from the official website of Earth Day.
