Laraib Nisar
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 every year to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The general public and major stakeholders participate in civic activities and work together for raising awareness about perilous issues that the Earth is facing.
Global warming, pollution and deforestation are some of the major problems which are regularly discussed as they pose a major threat to environment. The participation of such a he number of people and countries in the event year makes the day as the largest civic observance in the world.
For 2021, the theme for World Earth Day is “Restore Our Earth” and its focus is on natural processes, developing green technologies and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. Moreover, the theme rejects the belief that only mitigation and adaptation are the methods to tackle the issue of climate change. The major topics discussed in the three-day events are raising climate literacy, inventing climate restoration technologies, finding new ways to accelerate reforestation, raising awareness about latest terms including regenerative agriculture, and highlighting the significance of equity and environmental justice. The event also encouraged young people from around the world to share their ideas on the restoration of earth through The Global Youth Summit held on April 20, 2021.
The event is an eye opener for the world population to understand the lethality of the emerging climate disaster, and hence make imperative efforts to tackle the issue. It is extremely important for the global community to understand that climate change is a collective threat, which will influence all of the countries equally. So it is essential that the whole world makes joint efforts in this regard. Progress is underway as the new US President, Joe Biden will be hosting the Global Climate Summit, with 40 leaders from around the world today in a virtual session. The session will highlight the urgency – and the economic benefits – of robust climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) planned for November 2021 in Glasgow.
The author Laraib Nisar is a Defense and Strategic Studies’ graduate, working as a Research Associate at Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) Islamabad.
