With support of more than one billion people across the world would mark the event by showing support for environmental protection and safeguards.
- Encourages people being environmentally friendly to look after the world
Aims:
- Bring attention to environmental issues to spark changes that will result in a healthy, sustainable environment
- Includes addressing climate change
- Finding ways to protect the world for future generations
Focus: First focus would be planting trees to make a “significant and measurable 
impact” on the planet.
Theme for 2016 – Trees for the Earth
Goal: To plant 7.8 billion trees over the next five years
Important:
- Trees are hugely important resources that serve the planet in a host of ways and they absorb excess CO2 from the atmosphere.
- Nations across the world sign the Paris Agreement on climate change, set out in COP21
- Swear to limit global warming to below 2C on pre-industrial levels
- The agreement will come into effect in 2020.
About Earth Day:
First celebrated in 1970. The idea for it was first proposed at a UNESCO conference, when activist John McConnell initiated a day to honour the planet and the idea of peace.
Record number of countries to sign historic Paris agreement on Climate Change on Earth Day
India will sign the Paris Agreement on climate change in New York inaugurated by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
- Adopted by more than 190 countries in Paris, will be signed by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on behalf of India
- The ceremony has set a new record for International diplomacy as many countries signed the agreement.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan celebrates Earth Day by inaugurating India’s first Cellulosic Alcohol Technology Demonstration Plant at Kashipur, Uttarakhand
Signed by: Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Inaugurated: India’s 1st Second-Generation (2G) Ethanol plant – Indigenously developed Technology.
Venue: Kashipur in Uttarakhand
Features:
- Well suit to both Indian & Global needs
- Capacity of converting all types of agricultural residues like Bagasse, Rice Straw, Wheat Straw, Bamboo, Cotton Stalk, Corn Stover, Wood chips etc. to ethanol in less than 24 hours, with optimum product yields
- Technology provider in the features of renewables and reduction in carbon-emissions, besides effecting considerable savings in import of crude-oil
Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, expressed his views
- Lowest capital and operating costs
- 2G-Alcohol to be Generated and sold at globally-competitive price