22nd April is celebrated as Earth Day which is an international event that is celebrated around the world to pledge support for environmental protection. This year 2021 marks the 51st anniversary of the celebration. The best theme of Earth Day this year is to “Restore Our Earth.”
In the year 2009, the United Nations designated 22nd April as the “International mother earth Day.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement said, “Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is a chance to set the world on a cleaner, greener, more sustainable path.”
“Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Let’s remind more than ever on this International Mother Earth Day that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet”.
Significance of Earth Day 2021
Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, around 20 million people protested against environmental degradation. This event was triggered by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill along with other issues like smog and polluted river. In the next half-century, Earth Day play an important role in environmental activism.
Well, the Paris Agreement brought almost 200 countries together and crafted a common target to reduce global greenhouse emissions. This was signed on 22nd April 2016.
Earthday.org mentioned, “build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and the planet.” This movement’s mission is “to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.”
As per the United Nations, International Mother Earth Day is celebrated to keep each of them that the Earth and its ecosystems for providing them with life and sustenance. However, this day is highly recognized as the collective responsibility that is called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration. This helps in promoting harmony with nature and the Earth for achieving balance among the economic, social, and environmental requirements of the present and the future generations of humanity.
However, this day provides an opportunity for raising public awareness all over the world to overcome the challenges regarding the well-being of the planet and the life it supports.
Theme of Earth Day 2021
As of 2021, earthday.org mentioned that this year’s theme focused on the natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems.
It mentions, “In this way, the theme rejects the notion that mitigation or adaptation are the only ways to address climate change. It is up to each and every one of us to Restore Our Earth not just because we care about the natural world, but because we live on it. We all need a healthy Earth to support our jobs, livelihoods, health & survival, and happiness. A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity.”
In this year seven major climate-related events are taking place parallel to 22nd April. This involves the Leaders’ Summit on Climate hosted by the United States and the Exponential Climate action Summit on Financing the Race to Zero emissions.
