Skip to main content

World Earth Day

 

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by Earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2024 is "Planet vs. Plastics." 2025 will be the 55th anniversary of Earth Day.

In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. A month later, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970. He hired a young activist, Denis Hayes, to be the National Coordinator. Nelson and Hayes renamed the event "Earth Day". Denis and his staff grew the event beyond the original idea for a teach-in to include the entire United States. More than 20 million people poured out on the streets, and the first Earth Day remains the largest single-day protest in human history.

Key non-environmentally focused partners played major roles. Under the leadership of labor leader Walter Reuther, for example, the United Auto Workers (UAW) was the most instrumental outside financial and operational supporter of the first Earth Day. According to Hayes: "Without the UAW, the first Earth Day would have likely flopped!" Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in recognition of his work. The first Earth Day was focused on the United States. In 1990, Denis Hayes, the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international and organized events in 141 nations. On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement was signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and 120 other countries.

This signing satisfied a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Numerous communities engaged in Earth Day Week actions, an entire week of activities focused on the environmental issues that the world faces. On Earth Day 2020, over 100 million people around the world observed the 50th anniversary in what is being referred to as the largest online mass mobilization in history. A similar but separate event, World Environment Day, is organized by the United Nations and observed annually on June 5.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dynamic Bats

Bats look like a small brown mouse. They have a fox like muzzle large ears and a neck, which is short and well covered with fur. They are flying mammals. They can fly but they are not birds. They do not have feathers on their wings like birds Instead, they have double layers of skin stretched over their bones There are nearly a thousand different kinds of bats which vary in size. The largest bat has been recorded as having a wing span of over 150 cm. But most bats are small creatures with rather large wings. A vampire bat's body is only about 9 cm long with a wing span of up to 18 cm. Most bats are nocturnal creatures, which means that they are active only at night. They sleep during the day and come out at night in search of food Bats hang upside down by their fret when they rest or sleep. They often live in caves where there may be thousands of them crowded together on the walls and ceiling. Smaller bat colonies of up to twelve bats may live together inside a hollow cave. The...
Post a Comment
Read more

World Asteroid Day

What Is International Asteroid Day? International Asteroid Day is a global event dedicated to educating the public about asteroids, their impact on Earth, and the ways we can protect our planet from potential asteroid threats. It serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance and scientific advancement in monitoring the skies.   Why Is June 30 an Asteroid Day? June 30th was chosen to mark International Asteroid Day because it commemorates the Tunguska event, the most significant asteroid impact in recent history, which devastated over 2,000 square kilometers of forest in Siberia on this day in 1908. On this day in 1908, a massive explosion occurred in Siberia, believed to be caused by an asteroid or comet exploding in the atmosphere. This event released the energy equivalent of up to 15 million tons of TNT, flattening around 2,000 square kilometers of forest and knocking down 80 million trees. Despite occurring in a remote area, the explosion had global atmospheric eff...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lazarus, Come Out!

Heroes in the Bible:  Lazarus, Come Out! Scripture Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? John 11:25 Have you ever wondered why God’s timing feels so different from ours? When Jesus learned that Lazarus was sick, He didn’t rush to his side. Instead, He waited two days before going to Bethany, where Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Why would Jesus delay when His friend was in such desperate need? Jesus’ response reminds us that God’s plans are always purposeful. “This sickness,” He said, “is not unto death, but for the glory of God.” What situations in your life feel delayed, but may be an opportunity for God’s glory to shine? When Jesus arrived, Martha expressed her faith, saying, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus answered her with one of the most profound declarati...
Post a Comment
Read more