It all started from students and theirs protest for a better planet and pointing out problems environment more than half a century ago.
On April 22, 1970, millions of people took to the streets of American cities and towns in mass protests over the damage done to the planet and its resources.
Amid the demonstrations, protesters brought New York's normally busy Fifth Avenue to a standstill, while students in Boston staged a protest at Logan Airport.
The environmental impact of the post-war consumer boom began to be felt at this time. Oil spills, factory pollution, and other environmental threats were on the rise, with little or no law to prevent them.
The protests brought together people from all walks of American life to demonstrate and demand sustainable change. Many organizations consider this moment the birth of the modern environmental movement.
The observance of Earth Day soon spread throughout the planet, and the United Nations officially recognized it only in 2009. April 22 was declared International Mother Earth Day by the resolution of the UN General Assembly.
Today in more than 150 countries around the world, the day of the third planet in the solar system is celebrated.
Our energy, our planet
This year's 56th Earth Day is celebrated under this slogan.
The topic was chosen in order to mobilize as much support as possible for renewable energy sources, in order to triple their use by 2030 at the latest, writes Balkan green energy news.
The focus of Earth Day 2025 is on renewable energy sources as a key solution to combating climate change, reducing pollution and improving public health.
The non-profit organization dedicated to Earth Day Earthday has called for the global production of renewable energy to triple by 2030 at the latest.
That organization points out that the transition to clean energy is not only possible, but also necessary.
Sun, wind, water, geothermal energy and waste are available everywhere. The Earthday organization points out that countries like Iceland, Norway, Brazil and Sweden today get most of their electricity from renewable sources and that this shows that the transition is possible.
The World Economic Forum's Global Risks 2025 report reveals that environmental risks account for half of the top 10 risks in the next 10 years.
Advantages of using renewable energy sources
Green energy leads to better health of the population. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions suppresses health risks from the consequences of climate change, such as heat waves, floods and the spread of infectious diseases, writes Balkan green energy news.
Less air pollution means fewer cases of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma and strokes, as well as improved mental health. In addition to environmental benefits, the use of renewable resources also has numerous economic benefits. It is expected that by 2030, thanks to the development of renewable technologies, 14 million new jobs will be created.
Earthday points out that, as before, at the center of this initiative is the power of citizens who, with their own choices, voice and activism, can influence politics, the economy and the communities themselves.
Global developments: Record production of solar energy
According to the latest report of research center Ember Global Electricity Review 2025, clean energy — including renewable sources (RES) and nuclear energy — for the first time exceeded 40 percent of total global electricity production in 2024, according to the Association of Renewable Energy Sources of Serbia.
This historic shift, they say, is primarily attributed to the strong growth of solar energy, while wind farms and hydropower plants have also made significant contributions.
Last year's heat waves led to increased energy consumption, which caused a slight increase in production from fossil fuels, indicating how vulnerable the energy system remains and dependent on coal and gas in times of crisis.
According to data from November 2024, Elektroprivreda Srbije managed to significantly increase the share of electricity it receives from renewable sources, which is apparently getting closer to achieving green goals in electricity production. But according to experts, the catch in the apparently good numbers is the fact that the EPS reduced the production of electricity from coal, and thus the percentage of energy obtained from renewable sources increased sharply, wrote Nova eknomi at the time.
According to RERI data, in 2023, Serbia received 41,48 percent of the produced electricity from RES.
A large share in the generation of energy from renewable sources has the large hydroelectric plants Đerdap and Bajina Bašta, while only a few percent comes from the wind and the sun, since the total power of wind farms and solar power plants is less than one gigawatt.
Source: Balkan green energy news/New economy/BBC
