International Mother Earth Day, established by the United Nations in 1970, highlights that each one of us is responsible for living harmoniously with nature and the Earth in order to achieve a balance between economic, social and environmental needs. The oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and plays a fundamental role in the well-being of the planet, absorbing 93% of the heat generated by the greenhouse effect.

International Mother Earth Day, which calls for the transition to a more sustainable and functional economy for people and for the planet, also emphasizes the importance of biodiversity on land and in the sea.

The phenomenon is largely attributed to the consequences of global warming due to carbon dioxide emissions generated by human activity. The oceans absorb about 30% of this, transporting it toward the seabed thanks to the action of phytoplankton (more).

Even the slowdown in human activity over the past year has not stopped the increase in heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, raising temperatures and causing more extreme weather conditions, melting ice and raising sea levels.

It also leads to the progressive acidification of the sea (more), with knock-on effects such as the bleaching of coral reefs (more), and significantly damages the balance between man and nature that International Mother Earth Day calls on us to protect.

“We must act decisively to defend our planet from the threat of climate change”, said António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations.

Learn more at

https://www.un.org/en/observances/earth-day

World Earth Day was the inspiration behind Earthday.org, which is organizing a program of online workshops, round tables and shows from April 20 to 22, including the “Teach for the Planet: Global Education Summit” the digital event “We Shall Breathe” and an Earth Day Live that will take place in parallel with the global climate summit by the Biden administration.

Click here to see the full program.