Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 every year. The day is also known as International Mother Earth Day
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The aim is to raise awareness about issues that threaten the environment and the planet, such as the rapidly rising levels of pollution, deforestation, and global warming
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Thousands of people worldwide organise campaigns and make commitments to improve the planet's health
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Gaylord Nelson, a US senator and environmentalist, and Harvard University graduate student Denis Hayes organised it for the first event
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They planned the event because they were worried about environmental damage in the US, following a significant oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969
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The planet will commemorate the 54th Earth Day this year, at a time when pollution is at never-before-seen levels and temperatures are breaking records every year
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The theme is "Planet vs. Plastics," which aims to increase public awareness of the detrimental effects that plastic pollution has on human and environmental health
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The theme was selected with the historic UN plastics convention in mind, which is anticipated to be adopted by the end of 2024
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The UK is one of the more than 50 nations that have demanded that plastic pollution be ended by 2040