Misplaced Pages

#909090

123-466: Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection . First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco , peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor

246-405: A 10-minute visit with Senator Nelson (which stretched into two hours). Hayes returned to Harvard with the charter to organize Boston. After a few days of reference checks, he was asked to drop out of Harvard to become executive director of the national campaign. Because of the non-hierarchical tenor of the times, Hayes suggested that people be designated coordinators rather than directors. He became

369-476: A better exchange of information, development of conflict-resolution strategies and improved regional conservation. Religions also play an important role in the conservation of the environment: for example, the Catholic Church 's Compendium on its social teaching states that "environmental protection cannot be assured solely on the basis of financial calculations of costs and benefits. The environment

492-409: A day reviewing the letters Senator Nelson had received, and discovered that very few were from college students. Most were from women who appeared to be college-educated homemakers who wanted to do something to improve the world for their children. Another large share was from K–12 teachers. Hayes decided to shift the campaign's focus from colleges and universities to community organizing. Building off

615-446: A far-reaching decision. In those early days, it would have been easy to obtain trademark protection for Earth Day and force compliance with a set of standards by anyone using it. Hayes decided, however, that he wanted the name to be broadly used by anyone who planned to focus on environmental issues that spring. Although "Earth Day" swiftly replaced Environmental Teach-in, the second problem proved more complicated. College activists, for

738-620: A forum to assist in coordinating environmental and conservation policies between states and neighbouring countries. These councils have since been replaced by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) in 1991 and finally the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) in 2001. At a national level, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

861-534: A grassroots approach to organizing and relied largely on locally based groups like the National Toxics Campaign, a Boston-based coalition of 1,000 local groups concerned with industrial pollution. Earth Day 1990 employed strategies including focus group testing, direct mail fundraising, and email marketing. The Earth Day 20 Foundation highlighted its April 22 activities in George, Washington , near

984-592: A healthy and sustainable environment as a universal right. In the resolution 48/13, the Council called on States around the world to work together, and with other partners, to implement the newly recognized right. On 28 July 2022, the United Nations General Assembly voted to declare the ability to live in "a clean, healthy and sustainable environment" a universal human right. Discussion concerning environmental protection often focuses on

1107-527: A long history with some multinational agreements being in place from as early as 1910 in Europe, America and Africa . Many of the international technical agencies formed after 1945 addressed environmental themes. By the late 1960s, a growing environmental movement called for coordinated and institutionalized international cooperation. The landmark United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

1230-540: A national level, through the establishment of the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) and the development of an environmental act. Division of the biosphere is the main government body that oversees protection. It does this through the formulation of policy, coordinating and monitoring environmental issues, environmental planning and policy-oriented environmental research. The National Environment Management Council (NEMC)

1353-484: A national speaking tour to discuss conservation issues. Senator Nelson founded Earth Day , which began as a teach-in about environmental issues on April 22, 1970. During Congressional debate on air pollution and emissions from automobiles in 1970, Nelson also sponsored an amendment to the Clean Air Act which would have phased out gasoline-powered automobiles in favor of electric or steam-powered vehicles. The bill

SECTION 10

#1732776801910

1476-456: A national teach-in is held." Senator Nelson went on to encourage teach-ins at many more speeches. A November talk at Airlie House had a New York Times reporter in the audience. The resulting front-page article was a turning point. Letters of inquiry from across the country began to pour into Nelson's Senate office. The article piqued the interest of Denis Hayes, then a graduate student at Harvard. Hayes traveled to Washington, D.C., and arranged

1599-483: A new organization, Environmental Action, with a tax status that permitted lobbying and a more activist stance. EA immediately confronted a problem that had been looming in the background throughout the campaign. Some of the staff had been drawn to the movement through science and culture and felt that politics was inherently dirty and government was irredeemably compromised. This group believed that by living lives of voluntary simplicity, employing tools like those that filled

1722-655: A period of several months with Congressman Pete McCloskey (R-CA) to consult on the creation of the National Environmental Policy Act , the first of many new environmental protection laws sparked by the national outcry about the blowout/oil spill and on the Declaration of Environmental Rights. Both McCloskey (Earth Day co-chair with Senator Gaylord Nelson ) and Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes , along with Senator Alan Cranston , Paul Ehrlich , David Brower and other prominent leaders, endorsed

1845-633: A period of substantial environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Superfund, Toxics Substances Control Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. It had seen the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the banning of DDT and of lead in gasoline. Jimmy Carter was president. The 1980 Earth Day effort

1968-487: A progressive wedge issue that would position him as clearly distinct from President Nixon's ultra-conservative "Southern Strategy," in a struggle for the soul of the Republican Party. He became fully engaged in supporting the event, and he delegated many of the talented young staff who had been drawn to his administration to help as well. "The big break came when Mayor Lindsay agreed to shut down Fifth Avenue for

2091-507: A reaction to this disaster, activists were mobilized to create environmental regulation, environmental education, and Earth Day. Among the proponents of Earth Day were the people in the front lines of fighting this disaster, Selma Rubin , Marc McGinnes , and Bud Bottoms, founder of Get Oil Out. Denis Hayes , organizer of the first Earth Day, said that Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin was inspired to create Earth Day upon seeing an 800-square-mile (2,100 km) oil slick from an airplane in

2214-497: A vehicle. Teach-ins had been held on hundreds of college campuses to debate the war in Vietnam . They generally reflected the divide between those who thought of Vietnam as a bulwark to stop additional countries falling to communism like dominos , versus those who believed that the war was the latest stage of a nationalist, anti-colonialist campaign by Vietnamese who had fought against China, then France, Japan, France again, and now

2337-601: A young activist, Denis Hayes , to be the National Coordinator. Nelson and Hayes renamed the event "Earth Day". Denis and his staff grew the event beyond the original idea for a teach-in to include the entire United States. Key non-environmentally focused partners played major roles. Under the leadership of labor leader Walter Reuther , for example, the United Auto Workers (UAW) was the most instrumental outside financial and operational supporter of

2460-462: Is active in the field of environmental policy, issuing directives such as those on environmental impact assessment and on access to environmental information for citizens in the member states. The Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland (EPA) has a wide range of functions to protect the environment, with its primary responsibilities including: The environmental movement in Switzerland

2583-515: Is an institution that was initiated when the National Environment Management Act was first introduced in year 1983. This council has the role to advise governments and the international community on a range of environmental issues. The NEMC the following purposes: provide technical advice; coordinate technical activities; develop enforcement guidelines and procedures; assess, monitor and evaluate activities that impact

SECTION 20

#1732776801910

2706-704: Is considered an integral part of national safety . The Federal Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology is the authorized state body tasked with managing environmental protection. However, there are a lot of environmental issues in Russia . Environmental protection has become an important task for the institutions of the European Community after the Maastricht Treaty for the European Union ratification by all of its member states. The EU

2829-423: Is good environmental policy and the nature of environmental problem is the economic structure, production form and develop model." Since around 2010 China appears to be placing a greater emphasis on environmental and ecological protection. For example, former General Secretary Hu Jintao 's report at the 2012 Party Congress added a section focusing on party policy on ecological issues. Xi Jinping 's report at

2952-777: Is one of those goods that cannot be adequately safeguarded or promoted by market forces ." Many of the earth's resources are especially vulnerable because they are influenced by human impacts across different countries. As a result of this, many attempts are made by countries to develop agreements that are signed by multiple governments to prevent damage or manage the impacts of human activity on natural resources. This can include agreements that impact factors such as climate, oceans, rivers and air pollution . These international environmental agreements are sometimes legally binding documents that have legal implications when they are not followed and, at other times, are more agreements in principle or are for use as codes of conduct. These agreements have

3075-666: Is represented by a wide range of associations ( non-governmental organisations ). The environmental protection in Switzerland is mainly based on the measures to be taken against global warming. The pollution in Switzerland is mainly the pollution caused by vehicles and the litteration by tourists. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has identified 17 megadiverse countries . The list includes six Latin American countries: Brazil , Colombia , Ecuador , Mexico , Peru and Venezuela . Mexico and Brazil stand out among

3198-676: Is that non-transmittable diseases among Chinese, which cause at least 80% of 10.3 million annual deaths, are worsened by air pollution. China has taken initiatives to increase its protection of the environment and combat environmental degradation: Rapid growth in GDP has been China's main goal during the past three decades with a dominant development model of inefficient resource use and high pollution to achieve high GDP. For China to develop sustainably, environmental protection should be treated as an integral part of its economic policies. Quote from Shengxian Zhou, head of MEP (2009): "Good economic policy

3321-728: Is the primary environmental protection legislation for the Commonwealth of Australia. It concerns matters of national and international environmental significance regarding flora, fauna, ecological communities and cultural heritage. It also has jurisdiction over any activity conducted by the Commonwealth, or affecting it, that has significant environmental impact. The act covers eight main areas: There are several Commonwealth protected lands due to partnerships with traditional native owners, such as Kakadu National Park , extraordinary biodiversity such as Christmas Island National Park , or managed cooperatively due to cross-state location, such as

3444-510: Is used to catch illegal fishing, and in some cities not recycling results in negative social credit points. It is unclear in some of these instances if citizens have any potential routes for recourse. News in 2023 has found that the Chinese Communist Party's recent war on pollution has already brought substantial and measurable impacts, including China's particulate pollution levels dropping 42% from 2013 levels and increasing

3567-1016: The Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves . At a state level, the bulk of environmental protection issues are left to the responsibility of the state or territory. Each state in Australia has its own environmental protection legislation and corresponding agencies. Their jurisdiction is similar and covers point source pollution , such as from industry or commercial activities, land/water use, and waste management. Most protected lands are managed by states and territories with state legislative acts creating different degrees and definitions of protected areas such as wilderness, national land and marine parks, state forests, and conservation areas. States also create regulation to limit and provide general protection from air, water, and sound pollution. Gaylord Nelson Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916 – July 3, 2005)

3690-510: The Columbia River with a live satellite phone call with members of the historic Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb who called from their base camp on Mount Everest to pledge their support for world peace and attention to environmental issues. The Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb was led by Jim Whittaker , the first American to summit Mt. Everest (many years earlier), and marked the first time in history that mountaineers from

3813-589: The Convention on Biological Diversity 1996. The Environmental Management Act, 2004, is the first comprehensive legal and institutional framework to guide environmental-management decisions. The policy tools that are parts of the act include the use of environmental-impact assessments, strategics environmental assessments, and taxation on pollution for specific industries and products. The effectiveness of shifting of this act will only become clear over time as concerns regarding its implementation become apparent based on

Earth Day - Misplaced Pages Continue

3936-481: The Hot Country Songs chart dated May 5, 1990. As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focusing on global warming and pushing for clean energy . The April 22 Earth Day in 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990. For 2000, Earth Day had the internet to help link activists around

4059-671: The Okinawa campaign during World War II . He rose to the rank of first lieutenant. In 1948, Nelson was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate . He remained there until 1958 , when he was elected governor of Wisconsin. He served for four years as governor, in two two-year terms, before being elected to the United States Senate in 1962 . He served three consecutive terms as a senator from 1963 to 1981. In 1963 he convinced President John F. Kennedy to take

4182-895: The Presidential Medal of Freedom in September 1995 in recognition of his environmental work. Nelson was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 1986. The Wisconsin Conservation Hall of fame is located at the Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The visitor center is maintained by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point . Nelson viewed the stabilization of

4305-670: The University of Wisconsin–Madison is named after him in recognition of his love for nature. In addition, the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore –comprising more than 80% of the land area of the park – was named after him in honor of his efforts to have the park created. Governor Nelson State Park near Waunakee, Wisconsin , is also named after him. The elementary school in Clear Lake, Wisconsin

4428-643: The megadiverse countries of the world, having between 15%-20% of the 1.5 million globally described species. The organization in charge of environment protection is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (in Portuguese: Ministério do Meio Ambiente, MMA). It was first created in the year 1973 with the name Special Secretariat for the Environment (Secretaria Especial de Meio Ambiente), changing names several times, and adopting

4551-909: The 1960s and 1970s with major international programs such as the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, the Environment Committee of the OECD in 1970, and the United Nations Environment Programme of 1972. These events laid the foundations by increasing public awareness and support for regulation. State environmental legislation was irregular and deficient until the Australian Environment Council (AEC) and Council of Nature Conservation Ministers (CONCOM) were established in 1972 and 1974, creating

4674-602: The 1970s, the Law to Prevent and Control Environmental Pollution was created (Ley para Prevenir y Controlar la Contaminación Ambiental). In the year 1972 was the first direct response from the federal government to address eminent health effects from environmental issues. It established the administrative organization of the Secretariat for the Improvement of the Environment (Subsecretaría para el Mejoramiento del Ambiente) in

4797-412: The 19th CPC National Congress in 2017 noted recent progress in ecological and environmental conservation and restoration, the importance of ecologically sustainable development and global ecological security, and the need to provide ecological goods to meet people's growing demands. Most importantly, Xi Jinping has suggested clearly identifiable methods to meet the ecological demands of the country. Some of

4920-534: The Declaration and spoke about it at the Environmental Rights Day conference. According to Francis Sarguis, "the conference was sort of like the baptism for the movement." According to Hayes, this was the first giant crowd he spoke to that "felt passionately, I mean really passionately, about environmental issues." Hayes also thought the conference might be the beginning of a real movement. Nash, Garrett Hardin , McGinnes and others went on to develop

5043-528: The Department of Health and Welfare. The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, SEMARNAT ) is Mexico's environment ministry. The Ministry is responsible for addressing the following issues: In November 2000 there were 127 protected areas ; currently there are 174, covering an area of 25,384,818 hectares, increasing federally protected areas from 8.6% to 12.85% of its land area. In 2008, there

Earth Day - Misplaced Pages Continue

5166-705: The Earth Day Ad providing the donor's name and address. Larry Rockefeller persuaded Robert Rauschenberg to create and donate a batch of Earth Day lithographs, but the Earth Day staff lacked contacts in the art world who were able to sell them for their $ 2,000 market value, so they were provided to donors for much less. The sale of standard posters and especially pins brought in additional revenue. The staff refused to sell bumper strips because they would be attached to cars. The staff of Environmental Teach-In resigned immediately after Earth Day, and most moved directly to

5289-547: The Earth and the concept of peace, to first be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. A month later, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970. He hired

5412-663: The Environmental Action newsletter emphasized the need for broad structural change, interest in the event began to mount among college student activists. One place where the interest in a teach-in was robust from the beginning was the University of Michigan . The first teach-in on the Vietnam War had been held at the University of Michigan in March 1965, and a group of students, led by Doug Scott, decided to mark

5535-562: The German occupation of East Africa (1884–1919)—colonial conservation laws for the protection of game and forests were enacted, whereby restrictions were placed upon traditional indigenous activities such as hunting, firewood collecting, and cattle grazing. In 1948, Serengeti has officially established the first national park for wild cats in East Africa. Since 1983, there has been a more broad-reaching effort to manage environmental issues at

5658-516: The House, the odds were long. To improve the odds, the group selected candidates who not only had lousy environmental records—which were plentiful—but who also had won their most recent race by a narrow margin; who were on the wrong side of an important environmental issue in their districts; and who lived in areas where talented Earth Day organizers resided. In the end, seven of the original Dirty Dozen were defeated—five Republicans and two Democrats. And

5781-600: The National Science Teachers Association to enlist their members; he provided materials to thousands of educators who wrote to the group directly; and he distributed the most creative ideas he received from anyone to everyone else. In April, more than 10,000 primary and secondary schools engaged in Earth Day activities, mostly education and service actions like beach clean-ups, tree planting, and recycling. Walt Kelly created an anti-pollution poster featuring his comic strip character Pogo with

5904-533: The Robert Kennedy, Gene McCarthy, and various congressional campaigns before Earth Day. They believed that lasting progress could only come through institutional change. The year 1970 was a congressional election year. They had just organized the largest demonstration in the nation's history to support environmental values. Former Lindsay organizer, Steve Haft, summed up this faction's attitude at an Environmental Action staff meeting, "We had 20 million people in

6027-511: The Santa Barbara Channel. On the first anniversary of the oil blowout, January 28, 1970, Environmental Rights Day was created, and the Declaration of Environmental Rights was read. It had been written by Rod Nash during a boat trip across the Santa Barbara Channel while carrying a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. The organizers of Environmental Rights Day, led by Marc McGinnes , had been working closely over

6150-533: The UAW also funded telephone capabilities so that the organizers could communicate and coordinate with each other from all across the United States. The UAW also financed, printed, and mailed all of the literature and other materials for the first Earth Day and mobilized its members to participate in the public demonstrations across the country. According to Denis Hayes, "The UAW was by far the largest contributor to

6273-573: The United Auto Workers (UAW) since 1946, and he was a progressive supporter of civil rights, opposed the war, and championed the environment. He was a founding member of the Coalition for Clean Air, which successfully lobbied for the Clean Air Act of 1970. Walter Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers, made the first donation to support the first Earth Day in the amount of $ 2,000 (equivalent to $ 15,692 in 2023). Under his leadership,

SECTION 50

#1732776801910

6396-523: The United States, Soviet Union , and China had roped together to climb a mountain, let alone Mt. Everest. The group also collected more than two tons of trash (transported down the mountain by support groups along the way) that was left behind on Mount Everest from previous climbing expeditions. The master of ceremonies for the Columbia Gorge event was the TV star, John Ratzenberger , from Cheers , and

6519-401: The United States. These debates elevated arguments over the war in the public consciousness and enlisted a generation of student activists. Nelson asked public interest lawyer Anthony Roisman to establish a non-profit, Environmental Teach-In, Inc., to manage the campaign, and recruited a small board of directors. He asked Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey to co-chair the board to ensure it

6642-405: The announcement of "Ecology Day," "Environment Day," "Earth Day," and "E Day." Koenig said that his personal favorite was Earth Day – in part because April 22 happened to be his birthday, and "birthday" rhymes with "Earth Day." Hayes immediately agreed. Koenig offered to prepare a fully refined ad. Hayes insisted that it include a small coupon soliciting funds for the threadbare operation. Koenig's ad

6765-477: The average lifespan expectancy of citizens by an estimated 2.2 years. The Constitution of India has a number of provisions demarcating the responsibility of the Central and State governments towards Environmental Protection. The state's responsibility with regard to environmental protection has been laid down under article 48-A of the constitution which stated that "The states shall endeavor to protect and improve

6888-483: The best local leadership in major metropolitan areas. For instance, Hayes flew to Chicago to help organize a subtle coup, replacing a pro-business Earth Day organization with a Saul Alinsky affiliated group called Campaign Against Pollution. CAP abruptly shifted the focus away from recycling to focus on two issues: opposition to a massive proposed freeway program, the Crosstown Expressway , and protesting

7011-598: The best possible anchor for national coverage from their reporters throughout the country. U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie was the keynote speaker on Earth Day in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. Other notable attendees included consumer protection activist and presidential candidate Ralph Nader , landscape architect Ian McHarg , Nobel prize-winning Harvard biochemist George Wald , U.S. Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott , and poet Allen Ginsberg . The 1970s were

7134-461: The complex interrelationships of an entire ecosystem in decision-making rather than simply responding to specific issues and challenges. Ideally, the decision-making processes under such an approach would be a collaborative approach to planning and decision-making that involves a broad range of stakeholders across all relevant governmental departments, as well as industry representatives, environmental groups, and community. This approach ideally supports

7257-405: The concept of "teach-ins" had become passé. Moreover, teach-ins generally involved debates, and no one was pro-pollution. Second, and more troubling, leading activists on college campuses were deeply involved in the anti-war and civil rights movements. They tended to view the environment as a distraction. The solution to the first problem came from an unexpected direction. Shortly after the turn of

7380-625: The consequences associated with being the world's largest mercury polluter. All these factors contribute to climate change and habitat loss. In 2022 China was ranked 160th out of 180 countries on the Environmental Performance Index due to poor air quality and high GHG emissions. Ecological and environmental degradation in China have health related impacts; for example, if current pollution levels continue, Chinese citizens will lose 3.6 billion total life years. Another issue

7503-694: The constitution is a fundamental right, which states that "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law". The Middle Eastern countries become part of the joint Islamic environmental action, which was initiated in 2002 in Jeddah . Under the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization , the member states join the Islamic Environment Ministers Conference in every two years, focusing on

SECTION 60

#1732776801910

7626-641: The economic loss from water pollution (6.1%) began to exceed that caused by air pollution. China has been one of the top performing countries in terms of GDP growth (9.64% in the past ten years). However, the high economic growth has put immense pressure on its environment and the environmental challenges that China faces are greater than most countries. In 2021 it was noted that China was the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, while also facing additional environmental challenges which included illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, plastic waste, ocean pollution, environmental-related mismanagement, unregulated fishing, and

7749-439: The end, the national staff had a hard time merely keeping up with the colleges that called to register events. The delicate line straddled by organizers was to attract seasoned activists who would demand far-reaching change without alienating the middle class whose active participation and political support were seen as essential. The greatest environmental insults were visited on the poor. Factories and power plants were located in

7872-419: The environment and to safeguard the forest and wildlife of the country". Environmental protection has been made a fundamental duty of every citizen of India under Article 51-A (g) of the constitution which says "It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures". Article 21 of

7995-569: The environment but not for limiting immigration." He also rejected the suggestion that economic development should take precedence over environmental protection: The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around. In 2002, Nelson appeared on To Tell the Truth as a contestant, with his founding of Earth Day highlighted. Nelson died of cardiovascular failure at age 89 on July 3, 2005. The Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies (or Nelson Institute) at

8118-558: The environment; promote and assist environmental information and communication; and seek advancement of scientific knowledge. The National Environment Policy of 1997 acts as a framework for environmental decision making in Tanzania. The policy objectives are to achieve the following: Tanzania is a signatory to a significant number of international conventions including the Rio Declaration on Development and Environment 1992 and

8241-552: The environmental issues that the world faces. On Earth Day 2020, over 100 million people around the world observed the 50th anniversary in what is being referred to as the largest online mass mobilization in history. On January 28, 1969, a well called Platform A, drilled by Union Oil 6 miles (10 km) off the coast of Santa Barbara, California , blew out . More than 3 million U.S. gallons (2.5 million imperial gallons; 11 million liters) of oil spilled, killing more than 10,000 seabirds, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. As

8364-624: The event. A giant cheer went up in the office on that day," according to Kristin Hubbard (now Kristin Alexandre ). "From that time on we used Mayor Lindsay's offices and even his staff. I was Speaker Coordinator but had tremendous help from Lindsay staffer Judith Crichton." Mayor Lindsay completely closed down Fifth Avenue to traffic from E. 14th Street to West 59th Street (Central Park)—more than 2 miles—and 14th Street between 3rd and 7th Avenues. An estimated one million participants took part—right in

8487-843: The extent of the environmental impact of human activity , so protection measures are occasionally debated. In industrial countries, voluntary environmental agreements often provide a platform for companies to be recognized for moving beyond the minimum regulatory standards and thus support the development of the best environmental practice. For instance, in India, Environment Improvement Trust (EIT) has been working for environmental and forest protection since 1998. In developing countries, such as Latin America, these agreements are more commonly used to remedy significant levels of non-compliance with mandatory regulation. An ecosystems approach to resource management and environmental protection aims to consider

8610-478: The fact that, historically, there has been a lack of capacity to enforce environmental laws and a lack of working tools to bring environmental-protection objectives into practice. Formal environmental protection in China House was first stimulated by the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden. Following this, they began establishing environmental protection agencies and putting controls on some of its industrial waste. China

8733-520: The famous 1968 Earthrise NASA photograph of the Earth from the Moon, the saturation news coverage given to the Santa Barbara oil spill and the Cuyahoga River catching fire in early 1969 led Nelson to think the time was ripe for an environmental initiative. As a result of interactions with his staff and with Fred Dutton , a prominent Democratic operative who had been Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign manager, Nelson became convinced that environmental teach-ins on college campuses could serve as such

8856-466: The final name in the year 1999. The Ministry is responsible for addressing the following issues: In 2011, protected areas of the Amazon covered 2,197,485 km (an area larger than Greenland), with conservation units, like national parks, accounting for just over half (50.6%) and indigenous territories representing the remaining 49.4%. With over 200,000 different species, Mexico is home to 10–12% of

8979-408: The financially strapped group. But Hayes declined the check, convincing the board that it would destroy the credibility of the nascent organization. He said that he would be delighted to accept money from clean sources, but no other corporate money was ever raised for the national organization. Individual donations were a significant source of funding, generally accompanied by a contribution slip from

9102-587: The first Earth Day" and "Without the UAW, the first Earth Day would have likely flopped!" Hayes further said, "Walter's presence at our first press conference utterly changed the dynamics of the coverage—we had instant credibility." At a meeting of the Environmental Teach-In board of directors, the finance committee chair arrived with a check for $ 20,000 (equivalent to $ 156,915 in 2023) from Standard Oil of New Jersey (now ExxonMobil). That would have provided an effective measure of financial relief for

9225-399: The first Earth Day. According to Hayes: "Without the UAW, the first Earth Day would have likely flopped!" Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in recognition of his work. The first Earth Day was focused on the United States. In 1990, Denis Hayes, the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international and organized events in 141 nations. On Earth Day 2016,

9348-706: The first modern White House Conference on Small Business, create the system of Small Business Development Centers at U.S. universities, and improve the way that federal agencies regulate small businesses and other small entities, the Regulatory Flexibility Act . In 1973, Nelson was one of the three senators who opposed the nomination of Gerald Ford to be Vice President . (The other two were Thomas Eagleton and William Hathaway .) After Nelson's 1980 defeat for re-election, he became counselor for The Wilderness Society in January 1981. He received

9471-541: The first to fall was George Fallon, chairman of the hugely powerful House Public Works Committee. Representative Pete McCloskey, Earth Day co-chair, credits the Dirty Dozen's defeat of key congressional leaders with the unstoppable wave of environmental legislation that immediately followed: the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and others. As the tone of major planned Earth Day activities shifted to become less academic and more confrontational, and

9594-539: The first undergraduate Environmental Studies program of its kind at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The seeds that grew into the first Earth Day were planted by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson . An ardent conservationist and former two-term governor of Wisconsin, Nelson had long sought ways to increase the potency of the environment as a political issue. The extraordinary attention garnered by Rachel Carson 's 1962 book, Silent Spring ,

9717-526: The five-year anniversary with an environmental teach-in on March 11–14, 1970. The Michigan teach-in presented a series of speeches dealing with various environmental problems, along with some debate over the best tactics and solutions. No one, including the president of Dow Chemical, argued for more environmental destruction. After the University of Michigan teach-in, there was an explosion of interest on other college campuses. Upwards of 2,000 universities, colleges, and junior colleges ultimately put on events. By

9840-452: The greatest biodiversity of any African country. Almost 40% of the land has been established into a network of protected areas, including several national parks. The concerns for the natural environment include damage to ecosystems and loss of habitat resulting from population growth, expansion of subsistence agriculture , pollution , timber extraction and significant use of timber as fuel. Environmental protection in Tanzania began during

9963-473: The group were Fred Kent , Pete Grannis , and Kristin and William Hubbard. This group agreed to head up the New York City activities within the national movement. Fred Kent took the lead in renting an office and recruiting volunteers. The liberal Republican mayor of New York, John Lindsay, saw the environment as an issue that could help unite his then-troubled city. Moreover, he viewed the environment as

10086-703: The headlining musician was the "Father of Rock and Roll", Chuck Berry . Warner Bros. Records released an Earth Day-themed single in 1990 entitled "Tomorrow's World", written by Kix Brooks (who would later become one-half of Brooks & Dunn ) and Pam Tillis . The song featured vocals from Lynn Anderson , Butch Baker , Shane Barmby, Billy Hill , Suzy Bogguss , Kix Brooks, T. Graham Brown , The Burch Sisters , Holly Dunn , Foster & Lloyd , Vince Gill , William Lee Golden , Highway 101 , Shelby Lynne , Johnny Rodriguez , Dan Seals , Les Taylor , Pam Tillis, Mac Wiseman , and Kevin Welch . It charted at number 74 on

10209-749: The importance of environment protection and sustainable development . The Arab countries are also awarded the title of best environment management in the Islamic world. In August 2019, the Sultanate of Oman won the award for 2018–19 in Saudi Arabia , citing its project "Verifying the Age and Growth of Spotted Small Spots in the Northwest Coast of the Sea of Oman". In Russia , environmental protection

10332-462: The issue of ecological protection, sometimes with negative consequences for the citizens. For example, a prefecture in the Shanxi province imposed bans, and potential legal detentions or steep fines for violations, on coal-burning by villagers. Although the government provided free gas-heaters often the villagers were unable to afford to run them. In Wuhan , automated surveillance technology and video

10455-623: The landmark Paris Agreement was signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and 120 other countries. This signing satisfied a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Numerous communities engaged in Earth Day Week actions , an entire week of activities focused on

10578-431: The most part, viewed anything other than ending the war as a distraction. A majority of the Earth Day staff had cut their teeth as organizers against the war and saw no conflict. The war appeared to be winding down, and they felt it was prudent to start paying attention to the far more profound changes needed to produce a healthy, sustainable America. But time was short, and college activists were not responding. Hayes spent

10701-468: The nation's population as an important aspect of environmentalism. In his words: The bigger the population gets, the more serious the problems become ... We have to address the population issue. The United Nations, with the U.S. supporting it, took the position in Cairo in 1994 that every country was responsible for stabilizing its own population. It can be done. But in this country, it's phony to say "I'm for

10824-457: The national coordinator, and he quickly hired various regional coordinators, a press coordinator, a K–12 coordinator, a volunteer coordinator, etc. At its peak, the national office had a few dozen paid staff, each earning a flat $ 375/month (equivalent to $ 3,116 in 2023), plus more than 100 regular volunteers. As the talented regional coordinators fanned out across the country, however, they immediately encountered two problems. First, by 1970,

10947-514: The nerve center of the nation's communications complex. In addition to shutting down Fifth Avenue , Mayor John Lindsay made Central Park available for Earth Day. In Union Square , the New York Times estimated crowds of up to 20,000 people at any given time and, perhaps, more than 100,000 over the course of the day. Since Manhattan was also the home of NBC , CBS , ABC , The New York Times , Time , and Newsweek , it provided

11070-419: The nonprofit Earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network). According to Denis Hayes, the first Earth Day 1970 organizer and current Board Chair Emeritus of Earthday.org, Earth Day is now "the largest secular day of protest in the world, and more than a billion people participate in Earth Day actions every year." By far the largest source of funding for the first Earth Day was organized labor. Walter Reuther had led

11193-605: The original founder of Earth Day, was honorary chairman for both groups. The two did not combine forces over disagreements about leadership of combined organization and incompatible structures and strategies. Among the disagreements, key Earth Day 20 Foundation organizers were critical of Earth Day 1990 for including on their board Hewlett-Packard , a company that at the time was the second-biggest emitter of chlorofluorocarbons in Silicon Valley and refused to switch to alternative solvents. In terms of marketing, Earth Day 20 had

11316-634: The ozone layer, organic food, whales and endangered species, oil spills, the military use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, overpopulation, peeling lead paint in ghetto housing, opposition to the supersonic transport, and myriad other topics. At one event, college students would pound an automobile apart with sledgehammers, or, wearing gas masks, would block traffic on a freeway. At other events, grade-school students would plant trees, pick up litter in city parks, or identify birds. Earth Day welcomed them all. Regional coordinators focused heavily on finding and enlisting

11439-600: The personal thoughts from Xi Jinping, it's a product of a long process of compromise and negotiation among competing party officials and leaders. Additionally, the Third Plenum of the CCP in 2013 included a manifesto that placed extreme emphasis on reforming management of the environment, promising to create greater transparency of those polluting, and placing environmental criteria above GDP growth for local official evaluations. Reform has not come cheap for China. In 2016, it

11562-485: The poorest neighborhoods. Freeways were plowed through the poorest neighborhoods. Toxic waste dumps were situated in the poorest neighborhoods. But these problems tended not to affect the middle class. The solution was to promote an overarching concern with air and water pollution, which affected everyone, while encouraging each community to pay attention to whatever other issues were of most concern to it. Earth Day included events that focused on fighting freeways, protecting

11685-407: The pressures of overconsumption , population growth and technology, the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently. This has been recognized, and governments have begun placing restraints on activities that cause environmental degradation . Since the 1960s, environmental movements have created more awareness of the multiple environmental problems . There is disagreement on

11808-409: The quotation " We have met the enemy and he is us " to promote the 1970 Earth Day. Environmental groups have sought to make Earth Day into a day of action to change human behavior and provoke policy changes. On the first Earth Day an estimated 20 million Americans took part in rallies, marches, and teach-ins calling for environmental reform. Earth Day is now observed in 192 countries, and coordinated by

11931-439: The resolutely-nonpolitical Whole Earth Catalog , they could force the world to adapt to them. Their theory of change was modeled loosely on the southern African Americans who sat at segregated lunch counters, drank from segregated lunch counters, and sat in the front of the bus, it ignored the role of strategic litigation federal legislation , and electoral politics in cementing lasting change. Other staff members had worked in

12054-445: The rest because they have the largest area, population and number of species. These countries represent a major concern for environmental protection because they have high rates of deforestation, ecosystems loss, pollution, and population growth. Brazil has the largest amount of the world's tropical forests, 4,105,401 km (48.1% of Brazil), concentrated in the Amazon region. Brazil is home to vast biological diversity, first among

12177-608: The role of government, legislation, and law enforcement. However, in its broadest sense, environmental protection may be seen to be the responsibility of all the people and not simply that of government. Decisions that impact the environment will ideally involve a broad range of stakeholders including industry, indigenous groups, environmental group and community representatives. Gradually, environmental decision-making processes are evolving to reflect this broad base of stakeholders and are becoming more collaborative in many countries. Many constitutions acknowledge Tanzania as having some of

12300-562: The safety and efficacy of their marketed drugs in 1971. His office received a memorandum in 1975 stating that both Sominex and its competitor Compoz had been shown ineffective when compared to placebos , in spite of the US$ 34 million spent on sleeping aids in 1974. Nelson was also a noted advocate of small business. While chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, he led successful efforts to authorize

12423-422: The safety of combined oral contraceptive pills , which were famously called "The Nelson Pill Hearings ." As a result of the hearings, side-effect disclosure in patient inserts was required for the pill – the first such disclosure for a pharmaceutical drug. Nelson further attempted to overhaul how pharmaceuticals were marketed, proposing a bill that would require drug manufacturers to prove both

12546-429: The solutions he notes are the need for the development and facilitation of: ecological corridors, biodiversity protection networks, redlines for protecting ecosystems, market-based mechanisms for ecological compensation in addition to afforestation, greater crop rotation, recycling, waste reduction, stricter pollution standards, and greener production and technology. The report at the 19th CPC National Congress isn't simply

12669-456: The streets in an election year, and you plan to sit out the election? Are you nuts?" To square the circle, Hayes proposed that the group not endorse any candidates but that it try to defeat 12 of the worst. If having a terrible environmental record became a political liability, it would inevitably lead to better environmental legislation. Haft was selected to coordinate the Dirty Dozen campaign. With just $ 50,000 to defeat 12 incumbent members of

12792-579: The successful strategies of the anti-war movement and the civil rights movement, he decided to promote large urban rallies, focused on major environmental issues, while also encouraging environmental education at the K–12 level. Bryce Hamilton, who had been Midwest coordinator, was shifted to K–12 coordinator, and it proved to be a great choice. Hamilton reached out to the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, and

12915-403: The uncontrolled air pollution Commonwealth Edison was pouring into Chicago's air—more sulfur pollution than all other companies combined. Although mailings went out to thousands of communities of all sizes, the campaign focused especially hard on large cities. In the winter of 1969–1970, a group of students met at Columbia University to hear Denis Hayes talk about his plans for Earth Day. Among

13038-486: The upcoming event. The ad generated more than enough revenue to repay its cost, and thousands of potential organizers sent in their names and addresses along with their checks. In future months, magazines and alternative newspapers ran the ad for free, generating still more names and more financial support. The national office started using Environmental Action, rather than Environmental Teach-in, on its letterhead and publications to promote Earth Day. At this point, Hayes made

13161-572: The way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Unlike the first Earth Day in 1970, this 20th Anniversary was waged with stronger marketing tools, greater access to television and radio, and multimillion-dollar budgets. Two separate groups formed to sponsor Earth Day events in 1990: The Earth Day 20 Foundation, assembled by Edward Furia (Project Director of Earth Week in 1970), and Earth Day 1990, assembled by Denis Hayes (National Coordinator for Earth Day 1970). Senator Gaylord Nelson ,

13284-515: The world's biodiversity, ranking first in reptile biodiversity and second in mammals —one estimate indicates that over 50% of all animal and plant species live in Mexico. The history of environmental policy in Mexico started in the 1940s with the enactment of the Law of Conservation of Soil and Water (in Spanish: Ley de Conservación de Suelo y Agua). Three decades later, at the beginning of

13407-575: The world. By the time April 22 came around, 5,000 environmental groups worldwide were on board, reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184 countries. Events varied: A talking drum chain traveled from village to village in Gabon , Africa, for example, while hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., US. Google's first Earth Day doodle

13530-481: The year, Julien Koenig stopped by the national offices and volunteered to help. Koenig was a Madison Avenue giant. His campaign for Volkswagen, "Think Small," was later cited by Advertising Age as the "greatest advertising campaign of the 20th century." Over coffee, Hayes confided that the "teach-in" moniker was not working and asked whether Koenig had any ideas. Koenig asked for a few days. A week later, he returned with an assortment of mock-ups for ads, laid out around

13653-466: Was 98,487,116 ha of terrestrial protected area, covering 12.8% of the land area of Australia . The 2002 figures of 10.1% of terrestrial area and 64,615,554 ha of protected marine area were found to poorly represent about half of Australia's 85 bioregions. Environmental protection in Australia could be seen as starting with the formation of the first national park, Royal National Park , in 1879. More progressive environmental protection had it start in

13776-552: Was a staunch Republican. Although known primarily for his environmental work, Nelson also was a leading consumer advocate, strong supporter of civil rights and civil liberties, and one of the early outspoken opponents of the Vietnam War . In 1969, Nelson was one of four senators to introduce a bill to establish the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness . In 1970, Nelson called for Congressional hearings on

13899-473: Was an American politician from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor . He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day , which launched a new wave of environmental activism . Nelson was born in 1916 in Clear Lake, Wisconsin , the son of Mary (Bradt), a nurse, and Anton Nelson, a country doctor. He had Norwegian and Irish ancestry. He grew up and

14022-421: Was bipartisan and bicameral. On September 20, 1969, Senator Nelson first announced his plans for an "environmental teach-In" in a little-publicized talk at the University of Washington. "I am convinced that the same concern the youth of this nation took in changing this nation's priorities on the war in Vietnam and on civil rights can be shown for the problem of the environment. That is why I plan to see to it that

14145-721: Was defeated due to lobbying from automotive manufacturers. During his 1968 re-election campaign, Nelson was praised by Vince Lombardi , the General Manager and former coach of the Green Bay Packers , as the "nation's #1 conservationist" at a banquet in Oshkosh . Nelson's campaign turned Lombardi's banquet speech into a radio and television campaign commercial, infuriating Lombardi, the Wisconsin Republican Party , and Vince's wife, Marie, who

14268-636: Was educated in the local public schools. In 1939, he received a bachelor's in political science at what is now San Jose State University in San Jose, California . In 1942, he received an LL.B . degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison and was admitted to the bar. He practiced as a lawyer before serving in the United States Army , during which time he saw action in

14391-667: Was held in Stockholm in 1972, establishing the concept of a right to a healthy environment . It was followed by the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme later that year. Some of the most well-known international agreements include the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and the Paris Agreement of 2015. On 8 October 2021, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution recognizing access to

14514-759: Was in 2001. The theme for Earth Day 2003 was the Water for Life Campaign. This year, Earth Day Network developed a water quality project called "What's in Your Water?" Water-related events were held on every continent, including water workshops, exhibitions, concerts, and more in Togo , Egypt , the Cook Islands , Jordan , Palestine , Japan , Venezuela , Slovenia , Nigeria , and Canada . Educational curricula, teacher's guides, water testing kits, and posters focused on water. Environmental protection Due to

14637-549: Was led by Mike McCabe and Byron Kennard, and the general mood was festive and celebratory. The principal Washington, D.C., event was a festival held in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House. Mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting the status of environmental issues onto the world stage, Earth Day activities in 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave

14760-632: Was noted that in response to pollution and oversupply, China laid off around six million workers in state-owned enterprises and spent $ 23 billion to cover layoffs specifically for coal and steel companies between 2016 and 2019. While expensive, other benefits of environmental protection have been noticed beyond impacting citizens' health. For example, in the long run, environmental protection has been found to generally improve job quality of migrant workers by reducing their work intensity, while increasing social security and job quality. Different local governments in China implement different approaches to solving

14883-455: Was now being implemented at a ministerial level. In 2008, SEPA became known by its current name of Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China (MEP). Environmental pollution and ecological degradation has resulted in economic losses for China. In 2005, economic losses (mainly from air pollution) were calculated at 7.7% of China's GDP. This grew to 10.3% by 2002 and

15006-775: Was one of the first developing countries to implement a sustainable development strategy. In 1983 the State Council announced that environmental protection would be one of China's basic national policies and in 1984 the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) was established. Following severe flooding of the Yangtze River basin in 1998, NEPA was upgraded to the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) meaning that environmental protection

15129-482: Was visually arresting, and perfectly summed up the issues and values, the feisty-but-welcoming tone that the campaign had adopted. Hayes loved it and decided to bet the farm. He committed about half of all the money in the campaign's bank account to buy a full page in the Sunday New York Times opinion section. The ad was a huge success. Overnight, "Earth Day" became the almost-universally-used name for

#909090