Celebrating Earth Day 2021
Nature is suffering. Oceans are filling with plastic and turning more acidic. Extreme heat, wildfires and floods have affected millions of people.
Now we face Covid-19, a worldwide health pandemic influencing the health of our ecosystem.
Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life support systems that make our world habitable.
Today, April 22, is Earth Day, an international event celebrated around the world to pledge support for environmental protection. The year 2021 marks the 51st anniversary of the annual celebrations.
This year’s theme ‘Restore Our Earth’, focusing on natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovative thinking to restore the world’s ecosystems.
Earth Day was first observed in 1970, when 20 million took to the streets to protest against environmental degradation. The event was triggered by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, as well as other issues such as smog and polluted rivers. Over the next half century, Earth Day continued to play an important role in environmental activism.
In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 as International Mother Earth Day.
WATCH: Video message by António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, on International Mother Earth Day:
Over one billion people spread across 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities each year. According to Earthday.org, Earth Day aims to “build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and the planet.”
The movement’s mission is “to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.”
For the occasion, Google published a Doodle on its homepage of a woman reading a book under a large tree while her daughter carries a sapling to plant.
A video of the Doodle shows people teaching their young ones to plant trees, a lesson passed from one generation to the next. “This year’s annual Earth Day Doodle highlights how everyone can plant the seed to a brighter future – one sapling at a time!” Google wrote.
“The planet we call home continues to nurture life and inspire wonder. Our environment works hard to sustain us, which calls for us to return the favour. Today’s video Doodle shows a variety of trees being planted within natural habitats, one of the many ways we can do our part to keep our Earth healthy for future generations.
ALSO READ: SPAR Lowveld helps fill young tummies donating porridge to PCA
“This Earth Day – and everyday – we encourage everyone to find one small act they can do to restore our Earth. It’s bound to take root and blossom into something beautiful,” the company said.
Did you know?
• The planet is losing 4,7 million hectares of forests every year – an area larger than Denmark.
• A healthy ecosystem helps to protect us from diseases. Biological diversity makes it difficult for pathogens to spread rapidly.
• It is estimated that around one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.
Mother Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.
Happy Earth Day!
