Earth Day: What is it all About?

Today is the 52nd Earth Day: is it still a celebration of our planet, highlighting ways to protect it, or has it fallen to greenwashing?

• Earth Day is a global event which aims to celebrate environmental diversity and platform methods to protect our planet. The day initiates discussions which makes climate action feel more accessible.
• The climate crisis can feel overwhelming; focusing on individual and community action to address this highly complex set of issues allows people to overcome and take control of this.
• What started in 1970, when 20 million Americans united to mark the importance of protecting the planet, is now an environmental day of awareness celebrated worldwide by 1bln people.
• Earth Day has always been seen as cohesive. It is a day that has, in the past, had key political implications - just think back to Joe Biden’s 2021 Earth Day Proclamation.
• There are a handful of queries around Earth Day. Has the day been adopted by the corporate world for greenwashing? If yes, then there are certain things to look out for to avoid buying into it.
• How effective are awareness days in general? Whether or not Earth Day has an impact on the global environmental climate is also a serious factor to be considered.