RIFKA ZIYARD
COLOMBO: Earth Day is observed on April 22 every year. Earth Day is an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first held on April 22, 1970, and it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG
Earth Day gains significance with each passing year as the global climate crisis worsens. Earth Day brings millions of people together as it gives an opportunity for all stakeholders to create awareness and work together on critical issues like global warming, pollution and the vanishing forest cover among others.
The theme this year is Restore Our Earth. The theme – Restore Our Earth – ”focuses on natural processes and emerging green technologies that can restore the world’s ecosystems. In this way, the theme rejects the notion that mitigation or adaptation are the only way to address climate change.”
Earthday.org elaborates on the theme ‘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. We have the ability to make a difference in every industry, but that can only happen when we all work together to ‘Restore Our Earth’.
More than 1 billion people in 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
22 April is also International Mother Earth Day, as proclaimed by the United Nations in 2009. In a statement to mark the Day, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said “We must act decisively to protect our planet from both the coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption”. In his message he further claimed that “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”.
Refer for more information https://www.earthday.org/toolkit-earth-day-2021-restore-our-earth/
and https://www.un.org/en/observances/earth-day
