Across more than 190 countries, communities are gathering today to mark the 56th Earth Day under the theme “Our Power, Our Planet”: a call to accelerate the shift to clean energy, strengthen grassroots sustainability efforts, and unite individuals and governments behind collective climate action, with numerous events. The 56th anniversary also highlights reforestation through the Canopy Project, as organizers respond to record heat and forest loss worldwide.

Events Around the World

In New York City, Extinction Rebellion is staging the Earth Day Uprising, a march and rally in Midtown Manhattan running from noon until 3:00 PM. The group is calling government decisions to accelerate climate breakdown “criminal” and the refusal to address it equally so. The call to action is defiant but festive: “March; Rally; Spread Joy. Let New York know: the only fools here are the fossil failures.” Extinction Rebellion also marches in London.

In Padova, Italy, a Climate Action Week is bringing together organisations, institutions, and citizens to share knowledge and turn local and global climate expertise into practical solutions. Events include a panel discussion on urban climate adaptation, and a community bike ride followed by a screening and discussion on sustainable mobility.

In Mumbai, India, a Floating Maritime Climate Discovery Exhibition was launched, developed in partnership with the Indian Coast Guard.

In the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, residents are gathering at the Funafuti Lagoon Beach for a rally calling for urgent action on climate change, as the country faces an existential threat from rising sea levels.

In Southern California, Earth Day is being marked with community cleanups, tree plantings, educational programs, and free public transit systemwide on buses, trains, and bike-share services to encourage residents to leave their cars at home.

A Grim Backdrop

The urgency behind this year’s celebrations is backed by a warning. The 2025 UNEP Emissions Gap Report states that without a rapid and large-scale transformation of global energy systems, the world is on track for up to 2.8°C of warming by 2100, a level that risks triggering climate tipping points with severe consequences for food security, ecosystems, and global stability. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 finds that environmental risks dominate the long-term outlook, accounting for half of the top 10 global risks over the next decade, with extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and critical changes to Earth’s systems ranked as the three most severe threats.

56 Years of Earth Day

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, launched by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and coordinated nationally by a young activist, Denis Hayes. What began as an environmental “teach-in” drew an estimated 20 million Americans into the streets. By 1990, Hayes took the event global. Today, it is recognized as the world’s largest civic observance, with over 1 billion participants across 193 nations. As Denis Hayes once said: “Earth Day is now the largest secular day of protest in the world.”

The name “Earth Day” was coined by a copywriter, Julian Koenig, who noted that “Earth Day” rhymes with “birthday” and that April 22 happened to be his own.