Earth Day, one of the major events dedicated to environmental protection is celebrated on 22 April. Each year, events and initiatives aimed at raising awareness on environmental issues are held worldwide. Instituted by the United Nations, this day serves as a reminder that we need to re-establish the original equilibrium of the planet, since this is the only one we have got and it is our duty to defend it.
Earth Day is celebrated on this date to mark the anniversary of the first Earth Day held on 22 April 1970 in the United States. Answering the plea of Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson, millions of US citizens, various organisations that until then had waged specific battles, thousands of colleges and universities joined in a large, nationwide demonstration dedicated to the preservation of the planet. This major event not only gave significant impetus to environmental initiatives around the world, but was also decisive in the organisation of the 1992 United Nations Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where the Declaration on Environment and Development and the Declaration of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 governments.
As in previous years, this 53rd edition networks some 150,000 partners in more than 190 countries to raise awareness of people on the enormous impact they have on the planet, the consequences of this impact and how we can remedy it. The theme of World Earth Day 2023: 'we invest in our planet' is linked to this last point. The focus of Earth Day 2023 is the green revolution, understood as the only way to guarantee us a sustainable and fair future. World Earth Day 2023 comes on the heels of the publication of the latest Assessment Report by the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shows how humans are changing the Earth's climate and the environment in which we live. It is imperative that we change now.
