The History
International Mother Earth Day, otherwise known as Earth Day, is commemorated on the 22nd of April every year, through resolution A/RES/63/278, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2009. However, its history dates back to the 1970s when the national political agendas hadn’t prioritized environmental protection.
The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972 ushered in a new era of global awareness among humans, living things, and the planet, as well as the establishment of the UN Environment Programme and World Environment Day on 5th June. More than 178 states signed the Agenda 21; the Statement of Principles for Sustainable Forest Management, and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. Since then, the United Nations has commemorated International Mother Earth Day through a platform dubbed ‘Harmony with Nature’ for global sustainable development.
Since then, all efforts to protect the environment have increased exponentially: the Earth Summit in Johannesburg in 2002; the declaration of 2008 as the International Year of Planet Earth; the UN official Mother Earth Day Declaration; Rio+20 – which resulted in a focused political outcome document containing clear and practical measures for implementing sustainable development – and, most recently, the Climate Action Summit 2019 and COP25, both focusing on the Paris Agreement achievement.
The Harmony with Nature programme is a platform for global sustainable development that hosts an annual interactive discourse on the day. Methods for fostering a holistic approach to nature harmony, as well as an exchange of national experiences on criteria and indicators for measuring sustainable development in harmony with nature, are among the topics covered. People all across the world commemorate the day and gather together to increase environmental awareness and address the global climate problem, which is worsening by the day.
The Theme of International Mother Earth Day 2022
The theme for this year’s Earth Day is ‘Invest in Our Planet.’ The focus of the theme will be on creating healthy cities, countries, and economies. The theme’s goal is to accelerate solutions to tackle the world’s greatest threat, climate change, and to encourage everyone to play a role. According to the Earth Day organization, what each of us does and how we do it has a significant impact on our ecosystems. As a result, the pace of business and government action is affected.
International Mother Earth Day is a chance to promote global public awareness about the threats to the planet’s well-being and the life it sustains. The Day also honors a common duty, as stated in the Rio Declaration of 1992, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth, as well as a just balance between the economic, social, and environmental demands of current and future generations of humanity.
The Significance of International Mother Earth Day
- The goal of the day is to bring attention to the growing worries about overcrowding, pollution, and other issues.
- International Mother Earth Day is observed to remind us that life and sustenance are provided by the Mother Earth and her ecosystems.
- It also acknowledges a societal duty, as stated in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth in order to establish a just balance between present and future generations’ economic, social, and environmental requirements.
- International Mother Earth Day is an occasion to increase public awareness about the issues facing the planet and all of the life it sustains all around the world.
Progress is built on the foundation of education. We need to educate a global citizenry on climate change concepts and the tremendous threat it poses to our world. We need to provide everyone with knowledge in order to motivate people to take action in support of environmental conservation. Environmental and climate literacy is the motor that propels not only green voters and environmental and climate legislation and policies forward but also green technologies and jobs forward.
Let’s all keep in mind that this earth is all we’ve got. May this day remind us of the importance of keeping it healthy and safe for our future generations. Happy Earth Day to you!
