Earth Day is observed on April 22 each year. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the rapidly-rising levels of pollution, climate change, and other circumstances that contribute to damaging the environment and threaten the survival of our planet.

Theme

The theme each year is announced by the earthday.org portal, which globally organises environmental movements to commemorate the day. The theme this year is — 'Invest in our Planet,’ with a clear motto of ‘everyone accounted for, everyone accountable.' The emphasis of the theme is getting the more than one billion people who participate in Earth Day activities each year to take action in their own communities. It also wants governments, institutions, and enterprises to do their part.

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Businesses, investors, and the financial sector must use green innovation and practices to add value to their organisations and society. The public's interests must be advanced, and the foundation for a just and sustainable global economic system must be built by governments. As consumers, each citizen must advocate for sustainable alternatives.

History

Senator Gaylord Nelson established Earth Day in the 1970s to promote ecology and increase public awareness of issues pertaining to the environment. He was very concerned after seeing the horror of a significant oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, in early 1969.

Senator Nelson made the decision to combine the student anti-war movement with a growing public awareness of air and water pollution from his anxiety about the planet's deteriorating conditions. He had announced the idea of teaching about environmental protection in colleges. Gradually, through the efforts of Nelson and activist Denis Hayes, Earth Day came into being in 1970 and it gathered a lot of attention from the national media. Decades later, in 1990, the movement went global.

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Significance

The aim of the day is to increase environmental conservation and awareness. It offers an opportunity for people and groups to get together to organise and take part in projects like neighbourhood clean-up campaigns, tree plantings, and various eco-education initiatives. People are made aware of the detrimental effects of human activity on the ecosystem. We all should take the day as a reminder that we can all contribute to preserving the planet's health for coming generations.

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(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)