22nd April is the International Mother Earth Day
Talking about Artificial Intelligence or Instagram or any other social media has been an integral part of our life these days. We have been able to make progress around the world but the planet has become an innocent bystander. Countries are fighting the war but the planet is in threat. Apart from current wars there are many other factors that are directly affecting our mother earth.
We should know that the planet is losing 10 million hectares of forests every year – an area larger than Iceland. A healthy ecosystem helps to protect us from diseases and biological diversity makes it difficult for pathogens to spread rapidly. It is estimated that around one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.
Our mother earth is sending us a message and reminding us that we need to take action. There is no doubt that mother earth is clearly urging a call to action. We know that nature is suffering, oceans filling with plastic and turning more acidic, extreme heat, wildfires and floods, have affected millions of people around the world.
We are already worried due to climate change as it is bringing more questions than answers. Our negative actions or man-made changes to nature as well as crimes that disorder biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade, can accelerate the speed of destruction of the planet.
The answer is to recover and regenerate our environment .Our ecosystems support all life on earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet – and its people. Restoring our damaged ecosystems will help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent mass extinction. These all are possible when we invest positively for the planet.
One of the biggest international events being observed around the world is ‘Earth Day’. The International Mother Earth Day is observed on 22nd April and let’s remind ourselves – more than ever – that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. The United Nations General Assembly designated 22nd April as International Mother Earth Day through a resolution adopted in 2009.
Since then, the United Nations celebrates this observance through the Harmony with Nature initiative, a platform for global sustainable development that celebrates annually an interactive dialogue on International Mother Earth Day but the original roots go back to the 1970s when environmental protection was not yet a priority of the national political agendas.
The UN Conference on the Human Environment 1972 in Stockholm marked the beginning of a global awareness of the interdependence between people, other living species and our planet. In 1992, Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the first major conference in which Sustainable Development was the main issue discussed by member states.
From then on, all efforts to conserve the environment experienced an exponential growth: from the 1994 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 2002 follow-up to the Earth Summit, held in Johannesburg, to the declaration of 2008 as the International Year of Planet Earth and the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.More recently, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals strikes a greener, cleaner, fairer path forward for all.
This year’s celebrations affirm that the capacity to address environmental challenges is firmly established. Progress is happening across communities through local leadership, pragmatic solutions, and cross-sector collaboration. This year’s theme ‘Our Power, Our Planet’ is not a mere political statement but it is a commitment to stewardship, resilience, and shared accountability — a call for every individual, community, and sector to exercise their power in service of the planet we all depend on.
It is a clear issue that protecting the planet is everyone’s responsibility and we must get involved and invest in a better future. Together we can make a difference and also heal the planet. Every small contribution of individuals in a positive way is counted. This earth day lets us commit ourselves and contribute positively towards the planet for a sustainable future.
Ranjan K Baruah
(With direct inputs from the UN publication and feedback may be sent to bkranjan@gmail.com)