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. The event, organised by the United Nations, is the largest international initiative dedicated to the environment and provides a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of the most pressing issues of our time, from air pollution to the depletion of non-renewable resources, to the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of animals and plants.
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.
This year, the theme of Earth Day is Planet vs. Plastics, a global challenge to the invasive presence of plastics in our environment and in the organisms of living beings, including humans. Plastic has a large number of positive properties. It has changed and made our lives easier in many ways, but it has now become a huge problem, as we produce too much and cannot dispose of it in an environmentally-friendly way. Earth Day is intended to help people think about this issue and offers initiatives and insights.
