EARTHDAY.ORG Announces Global Theme for EARTH DAY 2025: Our Power, Our Planet™
07 September 2024: EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO), the global organizer of Earth Day, observed annually on April 22, announces the global theme for Earth Day 2025: Our Power, Our Planet.
2025 marks the 55th anniversary of EARTH DAY and to honor this milestone, we are inviting our one billion supporters in 192 countries to unite behind renewable energy, with the goal of tripling the global generation of clean electricity by 2030. We urge everyone to explore smart energy choices for their families and to advocate for an expedited and rapid deployment of renewables from local and national governments, industries and businesses.
“For years we have been fed the lie that only fossil fuels can power the planet, that is not true,” said Denis Hayes, the organizer of the very first Earth Day, and Board Chair Emeritus of EARTHDAY.ORG. “By the 2030s, the largest source of electricity generation on the planet will be solar power.”
Renewable energy represented 25% of the electricity generated in the United States alone in the first 6 months of 2023, with some researchers predicting that within ten years, renewable energy could account for 90% of US energy needs. We have the technology to meet our global energy needs with clean, affordable, renewable power from solar, wind, geothermal, tidal and hydro resources – all of which can be stored using batteries and fuel cells.
Forty-nine nations already generate more than half of their electricity from solar, wind, water, and geothermal resources, including Canada, Switzerland, Austria, New Zealand, Brazil, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Iceland obtains a full 99.99 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.
Grassroots power has always driven positive change – from the civil rights movement to advances in gender equality and Indigenous rights. The 20 million people who marched on Earth Day in 1970 sparked the modern environmental movement, leading to cleaner air, water, and wildlife protections. In 2024, EARTHDAY.ORG’s campaign for a reduction in global plastic production helped to win U.S. government support.
“Switching to renewables also represents a humanitarian revolution – for the first time in human history, we have a path to provide virtually unlimited, low-cost energy for everyone,” said Aidan Charron, Associate Director, Global Earth Day. “Improving the lives of billions of people around the world.”
3.8 billion people do not reach the Modern Energy Minimum (MEM), meaning their per capita electricity usage is under 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh), which is the threshold for mitigating poverty. Renewable energy can transform this situation, improving living standards and enhancing health outcomes. For example, cutting greenhouse gas emissions slashes the health risks associated with climate change, such as heatwaves, floods, and the spread of infectious diseases. Reduced air pollution decreases respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma and strokes.
Renewable energy is not only cleaner and healthier – it represents a huge economic opportunity and will create 14 million new jobs globally. In 2023 renewable energy, worldwide, was worth $1.21 trillion and is projected to grow 17.2% annually from 2024 to 2030.
www.earthday.org
