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22 April: what is celebrated today
There are dates that serve as a necessary pause. 22 April does not invite celebration, but listening: looking at the planet as a living organism we are part of and depend on. It is a day to become aware of limits, open wounds and also the collective capacity to repair and care for what sustains life.
International Mother Earth Day
International Mother Earth Day is commemorated every 22 April as an official observance proclaimed by the United Nations. Although it received formal recognition in 2009, the spirit of this date has its roots in the environmental movements of the late 1960s, when the impact of human development on ecosystems began to become visible.
Speaking of “Mother Earth” is not a naïve metaphor. It is a way of reminding ourselves that the planet is not merely an exploitable resource, but a complex system in which biodiversity, climates, soils, oceans and human communities coexist. Overpopulation, pollution, accelerated species loss and climate change have made clear that the model of unlimited growth has consequences that can no longer be ignored.
Throughout its history, this day has been the setting for symbolic actions and collective gestures: mass clean-ups, environmental protests, human chains and reforestation projects. But it has also served to drive public policies, international agreements and a global awareness that understands that environmental problems recognise no borders.
In recent years, Earth Day slogans have stressed the urgency of acting. From the need to invest in a sustainable planet to the direct call to confront plastic pollution, the message is clear: human health is closely linked to the health of the environment. Restoring the Earth is not an abstract cause, but a condition for the future.
Celebrating this day does not require great heroic gestures. It starts close to home: caring for a natural space, reducing waste, educating people to respect nature, supporting environmental initiatives. Because every action, however small it may seem, is part of a shared responsibility. 22 April reminds us that we do not inherit the Earth from past generations: we borrow it from those to come.