Earth Day & UN Global Goals

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Earth Day is celebrated annually on the 22nd of April throughout the world. An assortment of activities are held to demonstrate the protection of our environment. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, now there are over 193 nations involved in the celebration of Earth Day. They’re coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.

On the date of January 28, 1969, A by Union Oil Platform off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, exploded. Over three million gallons of oil spewed, murdering more than 10,000 dolphins, seabirds, seals, and sea lions. This disaster caused activists to create regulations for the environment, environmental education, and a day dedicated to the environment. Denis Hayes, an environmental advocate is responsible for organizing Earth Day. According to Hayes, Gaylord Nelson–the founder of Earth Day–was inspired by the Santa Barbara oil spill. Senator Nelson announced his idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media. Hayes constructed a national staff composed of 85 to promote events across the nation. The date of April 22nd was chosen as it falls between Spring Break and Final Exams.

Earth Day raised awareness of environmental concerns. During this time period Americans were slurping lead infested gas through large V8 engines. This phenomena led to excess air pollution, but at the time Americans were not aware of this air pollution.

I believe the creation of Earth Day played a significant role in encouraging Americans to take care of the environment. Furthermore with the Earth Day Network many other countries are also taking part in earth day, helping keep the planet safe.  The United Nations; an international organization composed of 193 States was originally formed in 1945 after WWII to promote world peace. The goal of the United Nations is to protect world peace and security. In the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 17 global goals were set, 4 of them were directly related to protecting our environment.

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnerships/

The History of Earth Day