Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated every year on April 22 and the effects can be perceived. Thanks to the policies applied by world governments, there has been an important increase towards the conservation of the planet, as emission regulations and fuel efficiency take part in the most important global discussions, however, there are still companies and countries that have yet to make a shift towards a cleaner environment.
In celebration of Earth Day, leaders of 160 countries are expected to sign the binding Paris Climate Agreement today in New York. The general objective of the treaty is to limit the warming of global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius or less.
2015: The hottest year in history
Although there have been improvements, we are yet to face a significant drop in global warming, as the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated, 2015 managed to surpass 2014 as the hottest year ever, but there is still great concern because the first months of 2016 have already exceeded expected temperatures.
The agreement will feature the leading greenhouse gas emitters (being the most prominent China, U.S., Russia and India) and every five years starting on 2018 a review of every signing party’s progress will be issued to the United Nations.
Most of the countries will be represented by their head of state at the signing of the Paris Agreement, showing a true commitment among the signing parties to ensure that the policies are quickly taken into account.
Earth day has had an important impact on politics, specially in America. It reminds politicians about the issue of environmental care, an area in which worldwide leaders must take action towards directing less-developed nations into following the example of promoting a greener industry and public policies concerning emission regulations and related issues.
Over 192 countries celebrate Earth Day, and in honor of its 50th anniversary in four years, the Earth Day Network has set its goal towards planting 7.8 billion trees worldwide, which corresponds to one tree for every human living on Earth. Although it is ambitious, Earth Day Network representatives argue that it is one of the few methods that will truly help into fighting against climate change, rather than just regulating harmful atmospheric emissions.
Google and Apple have joined the celebration, Apple displaying “Apps for the Earth” on their App Store and Google sharing new Google doodles.
Source: CBC News