International Mother Earth Day

International Mother Earth Day

International Mother Earth Day, on 22 April, promotes harmony with nature and reminds us of the importance of protecting all the different ecosystems and species on our planet.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the article and do the exercises.

What is International Mother Earth Day?

It's a special celebration that brings together people from around the world to remember that planet Earth is our home and we want to live in harmony with nature. We are all responsible for protecting our planet and looking after all the species that live here. April 22 was first established by the UN as International Mother Earth Day in 2009, joining groups that had previously celebrated Earth Day on the same date. The UN website explains that the idea of 'Mother Earth' is used because it 'reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit'.

Why is it important? 

On this day, environmental organisations from all over the world come together to highlight the urgent need to protect the many ecosystems that make up our environment. These ecosystems are under attack from climate change and the natural disasters caused by rising temperatures: forest fires, floods and terrible storms. More than a million animal and plant species are in danger of extinction through loss of habitat, mainly due to human activity. This, in turn, is leading to outbreaks of deadly diseases that spread from wildlife to humans. On International Mother Earth Day, environmentalists call for action to reverse this damage.   

How did it start? 

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 in the USA after a decade of local protests about air and water pollution in the United States. In 1969, people were angry about a terrible oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, and the damage it caused. US Senator Gaylord Nelson called for a national 'teach-in', bringing together students and teachers to discuss key issues of pollution and conservation. 

On 22 April 1970, 20 million people, approximately ten per cent of the total population of the States at the time, joined the 'teach-in' and met in streets, parks and universities across the land to call for a healthy, clean, sustainable environment. Some people think of that day as the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Twenty years later, in 1990, Earth Day went global. More than 200 million people in 141 countries came together to call for environmental issues to be discussed on the world stage. In 1995, Senator Nelson was given an award for his work for the environment. 

Today more than one billion people all over the world come together each year to celebrate International Mother Earth Day and remind politicians that action needs to be taken to move towards a more sustainable way of life that works for both people and the planet.  

Discussion

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Average: 4 (7 votes)

Submitted by Thinthinmyoe on Thu, 03/06/2021 - 13:32

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I think we must stop cutting woods from the forests.We must plant as many trees as we can.

Submitted by PARIMALA MADIAZHAKAN on Tue, 09/03/2021 - 03:16

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There are a lot of things that we can do for protect our environment. In my opinion, firstly I will stop using plastics. Because plastics are the main reason which bring damage for our environment. If we stop using plastics we can reduce 50% damage on our environment.
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Submitted by danisep on Sun, 24/01/2021 - 18:26

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There are a lot of things that we can do to protect our environment. I think that it is important to support those activities and lift the voice to make governments build laws that help and reduced the terrible footprint that human beings are leaving on the planet. but we can help with our consumption, by stopping buy unnecessary things, likewise consuming less meat and saving water.

Submitted by cittàutopica on Mon, 11/01/2021 - 18:50

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I think the individual behaviours are very important for conserving and protecting our environment. The single governments and the international organisations can do a lot of actions, but these must be taken by all the people in the world.
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Submitted by Rafaela1 on Tue, 01/09/2020 - 13:27

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One thing is not to destroy our environment for our convenience but to live side by side. ;)

Submitted by Adriana Villarreal on Sun, 16/08/2020 - 22:33

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As human beings, we mustchange our behavior in order to avoid the destruction of our planet. Also the resto of the animal species are in danger because the contamination that we produce, don't have any type of control or adecuate awareness systems.
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Submitted by Rafaela1 on Sun, 19/04/2020 - 14:20

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Did you know that a jaguar hunts a crocodile? Scary...!

Submitted by ellytran on Sun, 19/04/2020 - 11:49

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environment can really benefit from very simple activities of us everyday like do not littering, joining the environmental movements, planting trees,... and so forth :))