22nd April is the International Earth Day

The International Earth Day is one of the important and large-scale environmental events, which is focused on the protection of our planet and mitigation of current adverse processes. Over 190 countries all over the world celebrate this day each year, and different organizations and millions of people participate in these events. Besides, many unions and organizations observe the Earth’s Week. These activities are devoted to the solution of global problems faced by our planet and raising of public awareness.

The Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, after the protest of around 20 million people concerned about oil spills, air and water pollution. These people responded to the appeal of the US Senator and environmentalist Gaylord Nelson, and arranged incredibly powerful protest campaigns against ecological crises. This social activity forced governments to listen to public requests and make steps toward protection of the environment. In 2009 the General Assembly of the United Nations officially declared 22nd April as the Earth Day. Noteworthy to mentioned that the well-known Paris Agreement, which aims at the mitigation of climate change, was adopted on the same day. Under this agreement, the world’s countries committed to keep the rise in global temperature below 2°C, and to implement actions to mitigate climate change.

Georgia has celebrated the Earth Day since 1990. Various environmental activities organized on this day are of great importance to address existing issues and challenges, and raise public awareness.