Since 1970, April 22 has been Earth Day, sponsored by the UN. Citizens of the world are invited to multiply actions for the environment in their daily lives. Thousands of actions, initiatives and events are thus organized around the world to encourage people to commit to the planet. Watchword ? Let’s celebrate the Earth through action!
The blue planet is our only home and it’s what feeds us… We have to take care of it, it really needs it!
For more than 50 years, April 22 has been dedicated to combat operations for the preservation of the planet. It’s Earth Day. Thus, the date of the first celebration of this particular day, April 22, 1970, is considered by many to be the birth of the environmental movement.
How to celebrate Earth Day?
This special day invites us collectively to appreciate and celebrate the uniqueness of our planet. The UN seeks in particular to raise awareness of the major challenges facing the Earth, starting with global warming and the disastrous decline of biodiversity.
This is for citizens, associations and companies to participate in actions to protect ecosystems and fight against global warming.
Various national actions and international events are carried out to take better care of biodiversity and find ideas and solutions to protect our nature, plants, animals and all ecosystems.
Some of the initiatives are basic. They consist of encouraging the purchase of more ecological products, the reduction of waste, the recycling and reuse, or promoting the fight against climate change.
Earth Day is above all an additional opportunity to raise public awareness of major issues such as fundamental rights, sustainable development and health. It is also an opportunity for public authorities and organizations to mobilize resources.
A suffering planet
Nature has been suffering for several decades and has been sending us strong signals. The reports of the IPCC may follow one another, the awareness of the rulers is still as little visible.
The oceans are filling up with plastic and becoming more acidic. Extreme heat, wildfires and flooding have affected millions of people around the world. We lived the season of all records as far as hurricanes in the Atlantic are concerned…
And as if that weren’t enough, the pandemic linked to Covid-19 has created an unprecedented global health crisis. Clearly, nothing is right.
Yet it is the Earth that feeds us, protects us and shelters us. This is what this Earth Day reminds us of: theinterdependence that exists between human beings, other living species and the planet.
However, this interdependence has never been in such bad shape. Two examples among many: it is estimated that approximately a million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.
Every year, the planet loses 4.7 million hectares of forest – an area larger than Denmark. Deforestation, land use change, intensive agriculture and animal husbandry are all factors that accelerate the deterioration of the environment.
What can you do for the planet?
The UN wanted to place this 2022 edition of Earth Day under the seal of ” mother earth and the ecosystem restoration“. The healthier our ecosystems are, the more likely the planet and its inhabitants are to remain healthy. Restoring our ailing ecosystems will help end poverty, fight climate change and prevent mass extinctions of species.
It is important to mobilize collectively, and individually, each with their means, to move towards a more sustainable economy, which benefits both humanity and the planet. Living in harmony with the Earth and the nature that surrounds us has today become a question of survival for Humanity.
On this particular day, do not ask yourself what the Earth can do for you, but ask yourself what you can do for the planet.
