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Earth Day 2024: This year's theme, the story of how it started and what it's all about

What do the campaigners behind Earth Day want to achieve and how did the decades-old event come about? Sky News looks at why and how the day is marked.

Monday 22 April 2024 09:22, UK

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Earth Day will be celebrating its 54th anniversary this year.

The environmental event is marked by an estimated one billion people across more than 190 countries, according to the Earth Day Network.

But what actually is Earth Day and why should we care about it?

When is Earth Day and is there a theme?

Earth Day is celebrated annually on 22 April.

This year's theme is "Planet vs Plastics".

Campaigners are calling for a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by 2040, with the ultimate goal of a "plastic-free future".

To achieve this, the Earth Day Network has four main goals:

• to promote awareness of the damage done by plastics and demand more research into the health implications
• to rapidly phase out all single use plastics by 2030
• to demand an end to fast fashion with its high levels of plastic
• to invest in innovative technologies to move away from plastic use.

When did Earth Day first begin?

Earth Day is a concept first brought about by Gaylord Nelson, a politician and environmentalist who served as a senator and governor in the United States.

The senator had many concerns about the damaged environment in the US, including the large oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, in 1969.

He was also inspired by student anti-war protests and their passion for change during the Vietnam War, as well as the impacts the conflict had on spending priorities in the country.

In the hope of expanding public awareness about air and water pollution, Senator Nelson led environmental teach-ins on campuses across the country - backed by activist Denis Hayes and co-chair Pete McCloskey.

'If our cities don't work, America won't work'

The first Earth Day was marked in 1970 and became a huge success, with 20 million people participating nationwide in the US.

At the time, people took part by demonstrating in parks, streets and auditoriums against oil spills, power plants, sewage, toxic dumps, loss of wilderness and more.

The first Earth Day also came at a time when a wave of legislation was being passed in the US, including the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act - the next 10 years were seen as the "environmental decade" because of such measures and the focus on green issues.

Speaking to a crowd in Milwaukee before the first climate event, Senator Nelson said: "I don't think there's any other issue, viewed in its broadest stance, which is as critical to mankind, as the issue of the quality of the environment in which we live."

During that first Earth Day speech, Senator Nelson added the "environment is all of America and its problems".

He highlighted the environmental problem was heightened by the government spending billions of dollars on the war in Vietnam.

Senator Nelson argued the government should have invested back into the US instead. He said the US was a country that was "decaying, crowded, congested, polluted".

Inspired and determined to make a difference, Senator Nelson added: "If our cities don't work, America won't work."

Earth Day goes global

In 1990, Earth Day became a global event with 200 million people and 141 countries participating.

During that year, the event also helped boost recycling efforts worldwide and in 1992, it paved the way for the United Nations Earth Summit.

In 1995, former US President Bill Clinton awarded Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his role as the Earth Day founder.

How can people participate?

The Earth Day Network says the day is to mark the importance of dedicating time, resources, and energy to solving the climate crisis.

There are many ways to participate this year - here are a few:

Plant trees
Reduce plastic consumption
Advocate for change
Sustainable fashion
Donate

The Earth Day Network has also created a space for people to add and attend events around the world.

'Raise our collective voice to call for action'

Bronwen Smith-Thomas, Co-Director at The Climate Coalition, told Sky News that participating in Earth Day is "a great way for people who are worried about climate change and the state of our natural world to take meaningful action".

Ms Smith-Thomas said the best way to get involved would be organising climate and nature events in the community, writing letters and asking for progress from local decision-makers or taking action online.

"The important thing for this Earth Day, and each day after, is to raise our collective voice to call for action to ensure every generation to come has a safer, fairer, greener future to look forward to," Ms Smith-Thomas added.

Earth Day 2024: This year's theme, the story of how it started and what it's all about

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