PURPOSE: The International Mother Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22nd to “raise global public awareness of the challenges to the well-being of the planet and all the life it supports’, “recognize a collective responsibility to promote harmony with nature and the Earth”, and “achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of the present and future generations of humanity”.

FORUM: "Planet vs.Plastics." Earth Day 2024. The campaign  this year aims to demand a 60% reduction in plastics by 2040. This year marks the 54th anniversary of Earth Day, a global celebration encouraging environmental stewardship in support of a healthy planet. First held on April 22, 1970, it now features a wide range of events coordinated globally by Earth Day Network, including one billion people in more than 193 countries. The official themeis “Planet vs. Plastics”. Earth Day is an opportunity for communities to come together and get outside to enjoy and help protect their favorite places. It can also inspire visitors to public lands to make a difference in the world by learning about and taking care of our natural resources. The public plays a vital role in helping to support a healthy planet with resilient national forests and grasslands, clean air and water, diverse wildlife habitats, and opportunities to recreate outdoors in a natural environment. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #EarthDay, #22april, #ClimateAction, #EarthDay2024 #PlanetvsPlastics .

EVENTS: Public support for plastic reduction target grows ahead of INC4.

• Public support for a comprehensive, legally-binding treaty to reduce the production of plastics is growing in the run up to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting in Ottawa, Canada, later this month. Around 100 organisations from across the world are calling on governments to introduce a Global Plastics Treaty setting out national targets to reduce plastic production. They cite the success of the Montreal Protocol of 1987, where governments agreed to protect the ozone layer by dramatically reducing the production of harmful chemicals such as CFCs and HCFCs.
  Tackling plastic pollution has always enjoyed popular support, but recent polling shows extremely high levels of public backing for reducing plastic production. A poll conducted across 19 countries in February this year shows eight in ten people support a reduction in plastic production, with similar levels of support for banning single-use plastics. Meanwhile, country delegates are facing pressure from more than two million people who have signed a petition calling for a global treaty to cut production.

• Damaging impacts, Environmental pollution and human health concerns are driving public support for tackling plastic production. Ecosystems across the world have been severely impacted by plastic, which causes habitat degradation, chemical contamination, and death and injuries through entanglement. Plastics break down into micro and nanoplastics, which are comprised of toxic chemicals and enter the food chain, causing health problems for wildlife and humans including weakened immune systems and reproductive issues. Equally important, however, is plastic’s impact on climate change. Ninety-nine per cent of plastic is made from fossil fuels. As a result, the full lifecycle of plastics is responsible for 4% of global greenhouse emissions. Indeed, plastics alone are expected to account for at least 13% of the world’s carbon budget before 2050 if we are to stay within the Paris 1.5C temperature limit. Plastic is, therefore, a key market for fossil fuel companies, which despite the dangers of climate change are keen to expand production at a time when their core businesses are coming under threat from renewable energy and electrification.

• Reduction targets: Governments across the world have introduced measures to address these serious environmental, climate and health problems by trying to reduce demand for plastics – for example more than 120 countries have introduced bans or taxes on single-use plastics. Massive efforts have also been made to increase recycling. These have had little impact. The world is now producing twice as much plastic as it did twenty years ago, with forecasts suggesting production will almost triple by 2050. Currently, only 9% of global production is successfully recycled, while 22% evades all waste management systems altogether and is simply dumped into the environment. The rest goes to landfill or is incinerated. Just 6% of total production is accounted for by recycled plastic. There is a massive disparity in the amount of plastic waste produced by different countries, but almost half comes from developed countries, which have the resources to tackle the problem.

• Fossil fuel lobbying: Despite the obvious shortcomings of recycling as a solution, the fossil fuel industry is keen to focus attention on it while increasing demand for plastics in the hope of continuing to increase production. Indeed, together with the chemicals industry, the fossil fuel industry sent more than 140 lobbyists to the INC3 session in Nairobi at the end of last year, more than the number of delegates attending from 70 countries. The focus for many others has now moved to cutting production. The Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is calling for at least a 70% reduction by 2050, with legally-binding rules for national targets to make sure that action is taken. Greenpeace is calling for a 75% reduction by 2040 to ensure the best chance of remaining within 1.5C. Academics at both Lund University and UC Berkeley have also called for restrictions on production. All eyes will now be on the negotiations in Ottawa to see if nations act on these recommendations and finally agree rules to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution that is causing untold damage to the climate, environment and health.

• LIVESTREAM: Watch the PANEL I PLENARY SESSIONS - PART II - PLENARY SESSION.

OTHER EVENTS: April 22nd marks the world’s 54th Earth Day; You are invited to join us virtually for a series of Earth Day Lives Debating Planet Earth's Urgent Issues or in person at one of major events happening across each time zone.

National Park Week usually coincides with Earth Day. For 2024, U.S. National Park Week will be observed from Saturday, April 20th through Sunday, April 28th. Park entry fees will be waived on April 20th to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy their national parks. The parks will Honor Earth Day 2024 by organizing or participating in a local clean up, and by exploring the Eearth Day Network to learn about efforts in plastic reduction and sustainability through the Green Parks Plan (GPP) and Plastics Elimination and Reduction Plan.

AT U.S. FOREST SERVICE - The Middle Fork Earth Day cleanup event is open to the public. Volunteers will be collecting and removing non-hazardous litter from the Forest. Participants will meet at the C.T. Beach Picnic Area on Hills Creek Reservoir at 11 a.m. before dispersing to pick up trash in surrounding locations. Families are welcome and encouraged to attend; minors must be accompanied by an adult. Tools, trash bags, and personal protective equipment (PPE) will be provided. Restrooms are available in the day use area. Participants should wear weather-appropriate attire and bring water, lunch, sunscreen, work gloves, hats, and boots with ankle support. The Middle Fork Earth Day Cleanup event was held on Saturday, April 20th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at C.T. Beach Picnic Area on Hills Creek Reservoir, Oakridge, Oregon.

AT THE U.S. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE - The event will be an awareness campaign on the new recommendations adopted on forests like (the plastic use and garbage storage) and the Waste Management in Remote Locations. This year’s Earth Day 2024 "Planet vs. Plastics" campaign encompasses the 4 goals highlighted below:

Widespread Awareness - The first goal is to bring widespread awareness to the importance of ending plastic pollution by helping everyone understand the impacts of plastic pollution. Plastic is everywhere and the impact on human health is not yet fully understood. However, we know through emerging research that plastic has made its way into our bodies. Read more about the health implications of plastics here.Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, has issued a Secretary’s Order (SO) calling for a department-wide approach to reducing plastic pollution and calling for a reduction in the amount of plastic waste produced by the Department. In response to the SO, the NPS has developed a Plastics Elimination and Reduction Plan that includes actions for concessioners, commercial use authorization (CUA) holders, and partners of the NPS.

• Phasing out Single-use Plastics - Plastics are the most common type of marine debris. More than 200 species have been documented consuming plastic and it is estimated that at least 14 million tons end up in the ocean annually. The breakdown of larger plastics in our environment leads to microplastics that are found nearly everywhere in our world including in the human body. The impacts of single use plastics on the environment and public heath are widespread. Concessionners can support the efforts to phase out single-use plastics by identifying alternatives and participating in the initiatives outlined in the Plastic Elimination and Reduction plan like sales of reusable water bottles and water in aluminum bottles and paper cartons; installation of water bottle refilling stations; elimination of plastic utensils and Styrofoam products; elimination of single-use toiletry products in plastic containers in lodging; and new and improved electronic/battery recycling. The U.S National Park Service discontinued the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam containers several years ago. Drinking straws should not be made out of plastic and available only on request at food and beverage outlets. Receipts should be electronic unless a paper receipt is requested. Read more about microplastics in drinking water.

• Demanding Policies Ending Fast Fashion - The clothing and apparel industry is one of the most polluting industries. Nearly 70% of clothing is made using crude oil. During the manufacturing process, toxic dyes, microfibers, and heavy metals are released into water streams. Clothing production has doubled since 2000 and shows no signs of slowing down as demand continues to grow and clothing items are not produced to last. Synthetic textiles contribute 60% of the microplastics in the environment. Concessioners can help reduce textiles in landfills by offering clothing made of 100%  cotton, hemp, and other natural fibers, and using natural fiber linens in lodging (sheets and towels) and restaurants (napkins and tablecloths). Offer high quality items that can be reused for years to come.

• Investing in Innovative Technologies - Implementing innovated technology can drastically reduce our environmental impact and has the power to reduce our plastic use too. Consider purchasing items packaged in bioplastics made from renewable sources like vegetable fats, corn, food waste, when possible. Microplastic filters can be installed on laundry machines. In Golden Gate National Recreation area, the first hybrid ferries are carrying visitors to and from Alcatraz. These are just three examples of innovative technology transforming environmental impact. The NPS is using new technologies to adopt a zero-emission fleet, transitioning all eligible vehicles to zero emission vehicles. Read more about the park’s Green Our Rides objectives in the GPP. Vehicle tire ‘dust’ contributes 40% of microplastics in the environment; consider investing in longer wear tires that are less likely to shed dust. Although digitalization is not at the forefront of innovation, eliminating the production and use of paper products using technology is easy and has a big impact. Eliminating paper receipts alone has the potential save around 12 billion pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), the equivalent of one million cars on the road. Most paper receipts are not recyclable due to a thin coating of plastic. Consider providing email receipts or only upon request and finding other ways to reduce paper use in your operations.

STATEMENT: “On Earth Day, we must stand for our planet. A planet threatened by climate change, by pollution, by biodiversity loss. A planet that needs to be rescued. So we must unite. And we must mobilize all our efforts for Climate Action.” Statement by the United Nations Secretary-General on behalf the observance of the International Mother Earth; April 22nd. Read also the Statement of the Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the International Mother Earth Day 22 April 2024.

PODCASTS: Our world needs transformational change. It’s time for the world to hold sectors accountable for their role in our environmental crisis while also calling for bold, creative, and innovative solutions. Listen to the audio-podcasts!

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: Change starts with action. Better yet, an action that affects the world around you. A Billion Acts of Green are happening across the planet. From students in classrooms to organizers in their communities to officials in government there are ways for anyone of any background to make a difference. Make a splash with the 2024 Earth Day poster - “Water touches everything”.. Get the communication materials!