The history of Earth Day—and why it still matters

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🗞️ Driving the news: More than five decades after the first Earth Day, historians say the environmental movement’s founding moment still offers lessons for tackling today’s climate and ecological crises

🔭 The context: The first Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970, was organised by Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin who believed environmental protection would become one of the defining challenges of the century
• The event drew 20 million Americans — about one-eighth of the U.S. population at the time — into demonstrations, teach-ins and debates across universities, schools and public spaces
• The movement emerged during a turbulent period marked by civil rights protests, the Vietnam War and major social movements of the late 1960s

🌍 Why it matters: The environmental mobilisation sparked by Earth Day helped drive some of the most significant environmental legislation in modern history, including the creation of agencies and regulations that improved air and water quality across the United States
• Today, however, many observers say Earth Day has become more symbolic than transformative, often marked by local events rather than mass political mobilisation

💬 One quote: “We need to do things that make us feel more powerful. We can’t solve any problem if we all feel powerless.” — Adam Rome, environmental historian at the University at Buffalo

📈 One stat: The first Earth Day in 1970 mobilised around 20 million Americans, making it one of the largest civic demonstrations in U.S. history

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