Earth Day is an annual global event on April 22 Earth and show ways to protect our planet.
When we hear terms like “red code for humanity” and “climate change”, it can be hard to look at the small things that people and communities can do to address the air crisis. . But Earth Day strives to show how everyone can be a part of change.
Read on to learn more about Earth Day, its importance and how we can make a difference through small actions or community involvement.
Select: 10 horrible signs of climate change from the sky
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day is an annual event that began in the 1970s when 20 million Americans – 10% of the U.S. population at the time – came together to highlight the importance of increasing security for our our world, according to the official website of Earth Day EARTHDAY.ORG.
Today, it works with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries with 1 billion participants, according to the Earth Day website. Earth Day celebrates our world and demonstrates the need to protect communities for their responsibility to environmental issues.
“Everyone counted, and everyone was responsible,” EARTHDAY.ORG said.
Environmental problems are rapidly increasing, so scientists and community groups say climate change is faster. Jane Goodall, a chimpanzee researcher for the past 60 years, is one of the scientists calling a whole system to look at how to protect our climate.
“None of us can do the same thing. It’s funny. There are a lot of problems,” Goodall said at the 2021 Nature Conservancy at California Summit, available on YouTube.
“We need every organization that cares about the future of the world to come together and work on ways that we can share these small pools of revenue, and seek. in ways to welcome those billions of dollars that have a lot of money to help us because of that. We don’t have to fight and argue about money, “Goodall said.
When and why was Earth Day established?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency saw the 1970s as a very different world for all of us. Not only is there no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act, no EPA, but overall, “there are no laws or regulatory powers to protect our environment,” the agency said.
Americans and others already knew about the environmental effects of chemicals. Events such as the publication of Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” (1962) which described the effects of the chemical environment, and the 1969 oil fire in Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Valley, public arrests, according to History.com.
It began to change in 1969, when Senator Gaylord Nelson (D.-Wis.) Asked for the idea of an anti-Vietnam war “learn-in”, or negotiations, in campuses in the United States, History.com added. Nelson, an environmental activist, wanted to allow the country to take a similar approach to protecting the environment. Nelson was the first to proclaim the idea of Earth Day in the fall of 1969, and after widespread public support, the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970.
My main goal in planning World Day is to show the nation’s political leadership that there is broad and deep support for the movement of the environment, “said Nelson, who died in 2005. in the 1980s.
“While I’m confident the peaceful expression of concern was amazing, I’m not prepared for the huge response that took place that day,” Nelson continued.
“Two thousand colleges and universities, 10,000 high schools and colleges, and … more than 20 million Americans have participated in some of the most exciting and significant events in the history of this country.”
The theme of Earth Day
Each Earth Day has a theme, in 2020 it will be “climate action”, and in 2021 it will be “Restore Our Earth.”
The theme of Earth Day 2022 is “Invest In Our Planet.”, According to the official website. This plan is not intended to talk about the individual actions we take to clean up the Earth, but also about how we spend our money on projects that care. important to care for.
“As human beings, we have a simple and positive ability to have our voices heard through our choices, our civic actions, and our personal relationships,” the website said. “What we do, and how we do it, has a huge impact on our ecosystem, and on the speed of business and government.”
EarthDay.org urges organizations to pay more attention to environmental management (ESG) standards, following discussions over the past two years. In 2020, the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland saw 120 major organizations pledge to implement the four pillars of ESG – government, globalization, people and prosperity – including many metrics follow the columns.
The conference also released a report with more details about each measurement. For example, under the “planet” column, major metric groups can track green gas emissions, land use and ecological information, use in water, air pollution, single -use plastics and solid waste disposal, to name a few.
The return on investment is for companies that effectively use ESG metrics, according to a TED 2021 talk by John Kerry, edited by former presidential candidate Al Gore. Kerry, who is the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, found that companies like Tesla (a major electric car maker) are demonstrating the value of abandoning traditional methods.
“Most of the CEOs I’m talking to, at least now, are very aware of the potential of these things. [environmental] Other than that, “Kerry said. For Tesla, Kerry said the company is” the largest automotive company in the world, and it has only one thing: electric cars. If thatʻs not a message to the people, I don’t know what it is. “
Significance of Earth Day
While defending our planet is a theme for Earth Day, that call is even quicker to cover the year. In August 2021, global scientists released the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, a man -made approach to climate change.
This latest revelation is shocking to António Guterres, the United Nations secretary -general, who called it a “red code for humanity.” Guterres noted that the IPCC had asked for years to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to the 2021 report, the average is 1.2 degrees.
“The bells are ringing, and it can’t be said: the release of green gas from burning fossil fuels and the destruction of the forests that plague our planet and leave behind billions of people in immediate crisis, “Guterres added.
“Global warming is affecting every part of the world, with so many changes becoming irreversible … The only way to prevent this threshold is to increase. that is to speed up our efforts, and to follow the best path. “
While scientists do not agree on the effects of climate change, the reality of human activity and purpose should be fully acknowledged by the climate community. The IPCC is a tool that enables professionals to reduce and manage the harmful effects of climate change, and it will continue to do so for many more years.
To take a snippet of the climate change observations that feed into the IPCC report, we can point out the value of observational satellites looking at the effects of climate change from in the air.
Satellites can detect the effects of fires, melting ice, warming or climate change, rising currents and other effects of climate change. the sky. Investigators use satellites and artificial intelligence to predict crops, sea levels, natural disasters such as tornadoes and other impacts with direct impact on humans and the ecosystem.
How do you get into Earth Day?
Earth Day events are held in many countries around the world. Check out the official map to see what’s happening near you.
There is a list of 52 activities on the Earth Day official website that you can do in small groups or from home if you want to get in that way. For example, you can use your computer instead of a printer, to look at things. The site also offers small tasks such as picking up trash while you travel, as much as organizing a community cleanup or calling your local political representative to change the routine. climate or environmental pollution prevention measures.
You can sign up to volunteer with EARTHDAY.ORG, become a member of Earth Day and register your Earth Day event for participants.
Organizations like NASA have Earth Day activities that you can enjoy in the community or at home. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has 10 small tasks you can do such as planting flowers to pull out pollinating things like beeswax, stopping the use of pesticide in your gardening, and taking good care of your drinking water.
Additional resources
Learn more about the first World Day with the Library of Congress.
The European Space Agency has a list of projects and activities available to the public. Explore various Earth Day observations and activities from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Booklet
Earth Day.org, “Earth Day”, 2022, earthday.org
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Sixth Assessment Report”, Aug. 9, 2021, https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/
NASA, “Earth Day 2022”, 8 April 2022, https://www.nasa.gov/earth-day-2022
United Nations, “Speech by the Secretary -General at the IPCC Working Group 1 Report on the Physical Science Basis of the Sixth Assessment”, Aug. 9, 2021, https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/secretary-generals-statement-the-ipcc-working-group-1-report-the-physical-science-basis-of-the- number six
United States Environmental Protection Agency, “The First Earth Day in April 1970”, July 15, 2021, https://www.epa.gov/history/epa-history-earth-day
