Earth Day
April 22nd, 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the Earth Day. The theme for the 2020 event is climate change.
About
The Earth Day is an annual event to create awareness about environmental protection, observed on April 22nd. The observance started in 1970 after 20 million people took to the streets to protest the environmental degradation. The day was chosen to mark the signing of the Paris Agreement into force.
1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill
The 1969 oil spill disaster is said to have been the inspiration behind the observance of Earth Day. The incident occurred in Southern California where a blow-out had caused nearly 10,000 barrels of crude oil being spilled into Santa Barbara Channel. The incident had resulted in the death of thousands of sea birds and other marine organisms like sea lions, seals, dolphins, etc.
Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is an international agreement on environmental protection signed in 2016. It is a component under the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). One of its goals is to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degree Celsius.
