Earth Day turns 50 amid lockdowns

UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged governments to use their economic responses to the coronavirus pandemic to tackle the "even deeper emergency" of climate change, in a message for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

With global battle lines emerging between investors backing "green stimulus" measures and industry lobbyists aiming to weaken climate regulations, Guterres cautioned governments against bailing out heavily polluting industries.

"On this Earth Day, all eyes are on the Covid-19 pandemic, the biggest test the world has faced since the Second World War," Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister, said in a statement.

"But there is another, even deeper emergency, the planet's unfolding environmental crisis."

A landmark in the emergence of the environmental movement when it first took place in 1970, Earth Day, which falls on Wednesday, has prompted calls from many companies, politicians, and economists for governments to pursue green recoveries.

So far, massive economic stimulus packages launched by the US, China and European governments have focused mainly on staunching the damage to existing industries and staving off the threat of a global depression.

Nevertheless, in the past week, ministers from Germany, France and other EU members have signalled their support for subsequent interventions to align with climate goals, a theme taken up by climate campaign groups around the world.

Guterres, who has made climate change his signature issue since he took over as UN secretary-general in January, 2017, said governments should use their fiscal firepower to drive a shift from "the grey to green" economy.

"Where taxpayers' money is used to rescue businesses, it needs to be tied to achieving green jobs and sustainable growth," Guterres said.

"Public funds should be used to invest in the future, not the past, and flow to sustainable sectors and projects that help the environment and the climate."

Earth Day goes online

With many nations having banned mass gatherings to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus, green activists are marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day online, urging environmental action through apps, webinars and digital campaigns.

The annual push to raise public awareness about the environment and inspire actions to protect it, held each April 22, this year comes amid a health crisis that has forced unprecedented shutdowns in countries around the world.

But organisers and environmentalists are pushing ahead with celebrations - this year with low-carbon digital tools.

One, Earth Challenge 2020, is a mobile phone app that allows users to take photos and upload them to provide local data on key environmental issues, from air quality to plastic pollution.

Its backers - the Earth Day Network, organiser of the original Earth Day, as well as the US Department of State and Washington-based think tank the Wilson Center - say the information can help create up-to-date assessments on the state of the environment around the world.

"An app by nature facilitates public participation," said Anne Bowser, the Wilson Center's director of innovation.