More than 190 countries on Tuesday will mark the 44th Earth Day celebration, which honors the modern environmental movement.
{mosads}Countries will recognize the day with events promoting conservation, environmental friendly initiatives, and climate policies. In India, the Earth Day Network will host a book fair to raise awareness about the waste plaguing the country, while Kuwait’s Chemical Engineering Society will host a beach cleanup event. States across the U.S. will hold nature walks, gardening events, animal rehabilitation presentations, and more.
Green groups and administration officials are reaching out on Earth Day and throughout the week to promote ways individuals can shrink their carbon footprint.
Here’s a breakdown of Earth Day by the numbers:
• Established April 22, 1970, to mark anniversary of modern environmental movement
• Roughly 120 countries joined in 1990 when the day became international
• Today 190 countries participate in Earth Day, accounting for nearly every United Nations recognized country
Population growth
• World population in 1970: 3 billion
• World population in 2014: 7 billion
Air pollution estimates for the United States
• Greenhouse gas emissions fell 3.4 percent in 2012 from 2011 levels
• Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen a total of 10 percent since 2005
• 2012 greenhouse gas emissions were equivalent to 6,526 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
• Carbon emissions from power plants declined 10 percent last year from 2010 levels
• The drop in emissions was attributed to a decrease in coal production
• Carbon dioxide makes up roughly 82 percent of emissions
Global emissions
• China is the No 1. emitter of greenhouse gas emissions; the U.S. is second
• European Union, India, Russia, Japan and Canada, are all in the top 10 for emissions
• Fossil fuel use is primary source of carbon dioxide
• Carbon dioxide makes up 57 percent of greenhouse gas emissions
• 4.3 million deaths were attributable to household air pollution in 2012
• Greenhouse gas emissions grew faster between 2000-2010 than the three previous decades