Earth Day 2018 LIVE Updates: This year’s Earth Day is dedicated to spreading awareness about plastic pollution and the need to tackle it. Earth Day 2018 LIVE Updates: This year’s Earth Day is dedicated to spreading awareness about plastic pollution and the need to tackle it.
People around the globe will on Sunday come together to celebrate the Earth Day, a day meant to emphasise on the need to protect the planet and preserve its environment. First celebrated in the United States in 1970, the idea of commemorating such a day was propounded by Gaylord Nelson, a US senator from Wisconsin. Nelson, who had been a witness to the devastation caused by an enormous oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969, felt the urgency of the matter.
According to Earth Day Network, this year’s Earth Day is dedicated to spreading awareness about the pollution caused by plastic and the need to eventually end its use. The Earth Day went global by the 1990s and is now celebrated by at least 192 countries.
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Earth Day has now reached its 48th year, and according to the Earth Day Network (EDN) over one billion people in 192 countries are thought to have taken part in this year’s event.
Celebrated every year on Aprill 22, the global day of environmental action is thought to be the largest secular observance in the world.
Each Earth Day, individuals and organisations from across the globe participate in action intended to world towards a healthier environment for future generations.
10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change
10 show all 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change
1/10 A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris
2/10 Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid
3/10 Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella
4/10 Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali
5/10 Smoke – filled with the carbon that is driving climate change – drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon
6/10 A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain
7/10 Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. “Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals,” says the photographer. “Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow.” Rizwan Dharejo
8/10 A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati
9/10 A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a “public health emergency”. Leung Ka Wa
10/10 Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan
When did Earth Day get started?
The celebration marks the anniversary of the birth of the environmental movement in 1970.
Modern environmentalism is largely credited as starting with the publication of Rachel Carson’s bestselling book Silent Spring – documented the effects of the indiscriminate use of pesticides – in 1962.
After selling 500,000 copies in 24 countries, the book sparked a growing public awareness of environmental matters that crystallised in the first Earth Day.
The initial concept came to US senator Gaylord Nelson after witnessing the impact of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
Nelson wanted to channel the energy of the anti-war movement into action for the environment, and this culminated in 20 million Americans taking to the streets to demonstrate for a environment
What has Earth Day achieved over the years?
The first Earth Day united Americans from across the political spectrum, and within a year the action had led to the formation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.
Earth Day 1990 was credited with giving a significant boost to recycling efforts worldwide, paved the way for the 1992 UN Earth Summit.
At another milestone, Earth Day 2000 chose to address the growing issue of global warming and the switch to clean energy sources.
For the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010, the network behind the celebration launched a campaign to plant one billion trees, a target that was achieved in 2012.
In 2016, leaders from 175 countries used Earth Day as the backdrop for signing the historic Paris climate agreement, which aims to stop the planet from warming 2C above pre-industrial levels.
What does Earth Day look like today?
Earth Day has turned its attention to big environmental issue of the moment: plastic pollution.
Its goals include supporting efforts around the world to eliminate single-use plastics, and drive support for tighter regulations concerning plastic disposal.
“EDN will educate millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans, water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that decomposing plastics are creating serious global problems,” said trhe organisation’s president Kathleen Rogers, in a statement.
“EDN has built a multi-year campaign to End Plastic Pollution.
“Our goals include ending single-use plastics, promoting alternatives to fossil fuel-based materials, promoting 100 per cent recycling of plastics, corporate and government accountability and changing human behaviour concerning plastics.”
In the lead up to the events 50th anniversary, EDN is also launching an “ambitious set of goals to shape the future of 21st century environmentalism”.
“It is so important in the world today that we feel hopeful and do our part to protect life on Earth. I am hopeful that this Earth Day Google Doodle will live as a reminder for people across the globe that there is still so much in the world worth fighting for...With all of us working together, I am hopeful that it is not too late to turn things around, if we all do our part for this beautiful planet.”
- Dr. Jane Goodall
In 1970, 20 million Americans came together to deliver a message: our environment sustains us, and so we too must work to sustain it. Since then, Earth Day has spawned a movement of millions across the globe working towards a sustainable future. This day of solidarity sheds light on ways everyone can contribute to a better planet.
Today’s annual Earth Day Doodle was created in partnership with one of the planet’s most influential advocates: Ethologist (animal behavior expert), conservationist, activist, and animal-lover Dr. Jane Goodall, who has dedicated her life to studying and protecting our environment.
Born April 3, 1934, in London, England, Dr. Goodall always dreamt of living among wildlife in Africa. At 26, she followed her passion for animals and Africa to Gombe, Tanzania, where she began her landmark study of chimpanzees in the wild by immersing herself in their habitat as a neighbor, rather than a distant observer. Her discovery in 1960 that chimpanzees make and use tools rocked the scientific world and redefined the relationship between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom. As a UN Messenger of Peace, Dame Commander of the British Empire, and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, Dr. Goodall travels the world nearly 300 days a year, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees, environmental crises, and her reasons for hope.
In today’s Doodle, Dr. Goodall shares her personal message to the world on Earth Day 2018, including some of her inspiration and what we can all do to have a positive impact on our planet. She shares: “It is so important in the world today that we feel hopeful and do our part to protect life on Earth. I am hopeful that this Earth Day Google Doodle will live as a reminder for people across the globe that there is still so much in the world worth fighting for. So much that is beautiful, so many wonderful people working to reverse the harm, to help protect species and their environments. And there are so, so many young people, like those in JGI’s Roots & Shoots program, dedicated to making this a better world. With all of us working together, I am hopeful that it is not too late to turn things around, if we all do our part for this beautiful planet.”
About the Jane Goodall Institute
After discovering that the survival of the chimpanzee species was threatened, Dr. Jane Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which uses a breakthrough approach to species conservation that improves the lives of people, animals, and the environment by honoring their connectedness to each other. JGI continues the field research at Gombe, and builds on Dr. Goodall's innovative approach to conservation, education, and advocacy. In 1991, she created Roots & Shoots, JGI’s global youth program that guides young people in nearly 100 countries in becoming conservation activists and compassionate citizens in their daily lives.
To check out what JGI has in store for Earth Day and beyond, read their blog here.
A behind-the-scenes look at today’s Doodle!
Filming on a beautiful afternoon in Los Angeles, CA with Dr. Jane Goodall!
A message from the lead Doodler on the project, Matthew Cruickshank:
“We met Dr. Goodall in LA earlier this year to collaborate on a personal message for Earth Day. We interviewed & recorded her many remarkable experiences with a view to animating sections of them. It became clear to me this was an extraordinary woman, with a steely glint of determination in her eye that still burns bright. The mandate was clear- The Earth is a miracle and we all have a duty to care for it.
I tried my best to bring her stories of childhood, chimpanzees, rainforests, and wisdom to life. I couldn't think of anything more important than celebrating life through color, design, and movement - attributes also found in the natural world which continue to amaze every day.
Thank you, Dr. Goodall."
Art Lead Matthew Cruickshank chats with Dr. Jane Goodall
Marketing Lead Perla Campos takes a selfie with Dr. Goodall :)
Earth Day 2018 Team
ART
Art Lead: Matthew Cruickshank
Art support: Cynthia Cheng
ENGINEERING
Eng Lead: Kris Hom
PRODUCTION
Partnerships & Marketing Lead: Perla Campos
Production Lead: Colin Duffy
Team Lead: Jessica Yu
Sound Design: Silas Hite
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Dr. Jane Goodall
The Jane Goodall Institute Team
