Date, meaning and activities you can get involved in

More than a billion people will be getting involved with this year’s Earth Day as the world’s biggest climate movement aims to tackle one factor that threatens the health of our planet.

Today marks eight years since Earth Day in 2016, when more than 120 countries signed the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change, including the UK, United States and China.

Even Google has switched up its homepage for the occasion, with today’s Doodle featuring aerial photos of earth, highlighting six areas where “progress has been made towards a more sustainable future”.

Here is everything you need to know about when Earth Day is, the meaning behind it, and how you can get involved, explained.

When is Earth Day 2024?

This year, and every year, Earth Day takes place on 22 April, a day which for 54 years, since the first Earth Day in 1970, exists to demonstrate global support for the protection of our planet.

On Monday, the event includes a range of events all over the world, co-ordinated by Earthday.org involving a billion people in more than 193 countries.

Governments and NGOs will negotiate the terms of the United Nations Global Plastic Treaty this Earth Day in Ottowa.

Earth Day said in a statement: “Let’s unite in our efforts to protect the earth today and for generations to come. Together, we can make a meaningful impact and create a more sustainable world.”

What is the meaning of Earth Day?

Peace activist John McConnell initially proposed the concept at a 1969 Unesco conference in San Francisco, and was originally planned to be on 21 March, the first day of spring.

A month later US senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a nationwide environmental teach-in on 22 April, an event which consumed McConnell’s plan.

It was named Earth Day, and its purpose grew, culminating in it becoming the largest single-day protest in human history.

Earth Day captured the media’s attention and inspired 20 million Americans to take to the streets and protest the effects of 150 years of industrial development.

What is this year’s theme?

The official theme this year is “Planet vs Plastics” and the organisation is demanding a 60 per cent reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.

It said: “Our theme, Planet vs Plastics, calls to advocate for widespread awareness on the health risk of plastics, rapidly phase out all single-use plastics, urgently push for a strong UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution, and demand an end to fast fashion.”

The organisation aims to achieve this by publicising the health risks of plastics, passing a UN treaty that aims for the end of plastic pollution, and encouraging innovative methods to “build a plastic-free world”.

It comes after wet wipes containing plastic are set to be banned from sale in the UK under legislation expected to be confirmed on Monday.

The law would make it illegal to sell or supply wet wipes containing plastic in England, with the rest of the UK set to follow by the autumn.

Kathleen Rogers, president of Earthday.org, said: “The word environment means what surrounds you. In the case of plastics we have become the product itself – it flows through our blood stream, adheres to our internal organs, and carries with it heavy metals known to cause cancer and disease.”

How can I get involved in Earth Day activities?

You can sign the plastics petition calling for UN to ban all plastic-related tobacco products. This petition calls for the banning of items such as tobacco filters and e-cigarettes, banning the export of plastic waste, and ending the incineration of plastic waste.

EarthDay.org also offers a toolkit which emphasises rejecting fast fashion, due to their business model which attempts to “produce the greatest number of garments at the lowest price”.

You can also try the #PlasticDetoxChallenge, by avoiding single-use items, as well as educating yourself on the risk plastics pose to the environment.

Its social media toolkit also offers educational videos, with posts, cover photos and stickers you can share online to promote the cause.

You can also find your nearest Great Global Clean Up event using Earth Day’s interactive map.