Earth Day: A Global Call to Protect the Planet

Earth Day is an international event dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of protecting our environment. It takes place every year on April 22.

The first Earth Day was held in 1970, founded by U.S. Senator and environmentalist Gaylord Nelson, along with Harvard graduate student Denis Hayes. Their concerns were sparked by growing environmental damage across the U.S., including a major oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969. Together, they created Earth Day as a way to rally public support and push environmental issues onto the national agenda.

That first event drew an estimated 20 million people across the United States. Large gatherings took place in cities like Philadelphia, where crowds came together to demand action for the planet.

By 1990, Earth Day had gone global. Today, it involves over a billion participants of all ages across nearly 200 countries, according to Earthday.org.

“Celebrating Earth Day is often the first environmental action for a lot of people,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earthday.org.

The theme for Earth Day 2025 is “Our Power, Our Planet,” focusing on the urgent need to shift to renewable energy. Organisers are calling for global electricity generation from renewable sources—such as wind and solar—to triple by 2030. This aligns with a commitment made at the COP28 climate summit in 2023.

While the use of renewable energy is growing, the International Energy Agency noted in October that progress still needs to accelerate to meet that goal.

Over the years, Earth Day has spotlighted many pressing environmental issues, from climate change and plastic pollution to the protection of endangered species. As the world faces mounting environmental challenges, Earth Day remains a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to care for the planet.