Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22 as International Mother Earth Day. With an increase in pollution levels, activists worldwide have been pushing industrialists and leaders to adapt ways for a cleaner environment, as the ravages of climate change have become more vivid with each passing day.
Why is Earth Day celebrated?
Since 1970, April 22 has been an annual affair for environmental activists to commemorate ‘Earth Day’. The day is marked to preach the ideals of more sustainable and environmentally friendly ways.
How was the idea of ‘Earth Day’ floated?
American Senator Gaylord Nelson, who was concerned about the deteriorating environment in the United States, witnessed the ravages of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
Nelson wanted to create awareness of air and water pollution. It was in 1970 when Nelson along with other activists chose April 22 to raise awareness against increasing pollution levels of Earth.
When did Earth Day go global?
It was in 1990 when the movement inspired and mobilised 200 million people across 141 countries and brought environmental issues onto the world stage.
Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The success of the event made then US President Bill Clinton award Earth Day founder—Senator Nelson -- with the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest honour given to civilians in the United States.
Theme For This Year’s Earth Day
The theme for this year’s International Mother Earth Day is ‘Invest in our Planet’. It highlights the need for people to come together and take steps to protect biodiversity and our ‘blue planet’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 'Earth Day'
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Earth Day is about expressing gratitude to "Mother Earth" for her kindness and reiterating one's commitment to care for the planet.
Earth Day is observed on April 22 every year to raise awareness about the need to protect the environment.
Modi also posted a clip of his past remarks about India's traditional regard for the environment. In the clip, he said it is the responsibility of every generation to conserve the environment.
Dalai Lama on Earth Day
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has appealed to people to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and adopt renewable sources of energy.
"The threat of climate change is not limited by national boundaries, it affects us all," he said.
"In my own life I have witnessed the decline in snowfall, first in Tibet and later, in Dharamsala. Some scientists have told me that there is a risk of places like Tibet eventually becoming deserts," he said.
(With Inputs from earthday.org and PTI)
