22 Apr Earth Day
Earth Day
This article covers “Daily Current Affairs” and the topic details “Earth Day”. The topic “Earth Day” has relevance in the Environment section for the UPSC CSE exam.
Relevance of Earth Day
For Prelims:
What is Earth Day?
When is it celebrated?
For Mains:
GS 3: Environment
What is the purpose of celebrating Earth Day?
Why in the news?
On 22nd April 2023, the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day was celebrated.
About Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22nd to raise awareness and support for environmental protection.
The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and since then it has grown into a global movement with more than one billion people participating in Earth Day activities each year.
What is the purpose of celebrating Earth Day?
- Raise Awareness: The purpose of Earth Day is to raise awareness and promote action toward environmental protection and sustainability. It serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting our planet and its natural resources and encourages individuals, communities, and governments to take steps toward a more sustainable future.
- Educate people: Earth Day aims to educate people about the impacts of human activities on the environment, such as climate change, pollution, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity. By increasing awareness, Earth Day seeks to inspire people to take action toward protecting the environment, whether through small individual actions or larger collective efforts.
- Promote Sustainable development: The purpose of Earth Day is to promote a more sustainable and equitable world, where people and nature can thrive together. It is a call to action for all of us to take responsibility for our impact on the planet and work towards a more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.
What are the challenges being faced by the planet Earth?
The earth faces a range of challenges that threaten the health and well-being of its ecosystems and inhabitants. Some of the key challenges facing the earth include:
- Climate Change: The earth’s climate is changing at an unprecedented rate due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial activities. This is causing rising temperatures, more frequent and severe weather events, sea level rise, and other impacts that threaten the stability of ecosystems and human societies.
- Biodiversity Loss: The earth is experiencing a mass extinction of plant and animal species due to habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and other human activities. This loss of biodiversity threatens the stability and resilience of ecosystems and the services they provide, such as clean air and water, food, and medicine.
- Pollution: The earth is being polluted by a range of sources, including industrial activities, transportation, agriculture, and waste disposal. This pollution threatens the health of humans and other animals, and can cause long-term damage to ecosystems and the services they provide.
- Resource Depletion: The earth’s resources, such as freshwater, forests, and minerals, are being depleted at an unsustainable rate. This threatens the ability of ecosystems and human societies to function and thrive in the long term.
- Social and Economic Inequality: The earth’s challenges are not distributed equally, with some communities and countries facing greater impacts and fewer resources to address them. This creates social and economic inequality, which can exacerbate environmental problems and threaten the well-being of vulnerable populations.
Way Forward
The challenges being faced by Earth are many and there is a need for a concerted and collaborative effort to work for a better future. In his regard, it is important for all the stakeholders to build an integrated approach. These challenges are complex and interconnected, requiring coordinated and sustained action at the local, national, and global levels to address them.
Plutus IAS current affairs 22nd April 2023
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