The United Nations(UN)’s International Mother Earth Day (also known as World Earth Day) is annually observed across the globe on 22nd April to honour the Earth and the concept of peace. The day also reminds the need for a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.
- Earth Day (22nd April) marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
- 22nd April 2022 marks the observance of the 52nd Earth Day.
- This is the first Mother Earth Day celebrated within the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030).
The theme of Earth Day 2022 is “Invest In Our Planet”.
- The theme highlights the need to close the USD 4.1 trillion financing gap in nature by 2050 to meet the world’s climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation targets.
Objective:
To focus the attention on the environment and raise awareness about threats to its well-being, from air pollution to climate change.
- The day recognises the harm humans are capable of causing while showing the massive amounts of support across the globe for protecting the Earth and the environment.
Background:
i.Peace activist John McConnell proposed to observe the Earth Day, at the 1969 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) Conference held in San Francisco, United States of America (USA).
ii.22nd April has been observed as Earth Day since 1970 by the EARTHDAY.ORG in more than 190 countries.
iii.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/63/278 on 22nd April 2009 and proclaimed the 22nd April of every year as International Mother Earth Day.
iv.It was first observed in the United States, when people took to the streets to protest against the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill in Santa Barbara, California (USA), which killed thousands of sea birds, dolphins, seals, and sea lions.
Key Points:
The UN celebrates the observance of Earth Day through the Harmony with Nature initiative, a platform for global sustainable development that celebrates annually an interactive dialogue on International Mother Earth Day.
UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030):
The UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/73/284 and proclaimed 2021–2030 the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration with the aim of supporting and scaling up efforts to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide and raise awareness of the importance of successful ecosystem restoration.
Earth Anthem:
i.Earth Anthem, penned in 2008 by Indian poet-diplomat Abhay Kumar (Abhay K), was launched in 2013 at the Indian Council of Cultural Relations on the occasion of World Environment Day.
ii.The anthem which is used across the world has been translated into around 150 languages.
iii.The anthem was also played at the UN during the celebration of 50th Earth Day (2020).
Karnataka to get the World’s Largest Electric 3-wheeler Plant
On the occasion of World Earth Day, Omega Seiki Mobility(OSM), based in Faridabad, Haryana, plans to set up the world’s largest electric three-wheeler manufacturing unit spread across an area or 250 acres in Karnataka with an investment of USD 250 million.
- The 250 acres facility will be built in 3 phases with a capacity to produce 1-million electric three-wheelers annually. The facility is expected to commence production by the next fiscal.
