Green sea turtle, San Diego, California
© Ralph Pace/Minden Picture
What are we shell-ebrating?. Earth Day
Today is Earth Day—a day dedicated to celebrating the planet we call home and raising awareness of environmental problems. The seeds of this day were planted back in 1969 when Gaylord Nelson, the then-senator of Wisconsin, USA, witnessed events like the Cuyahoga River catching fire and the Santa Barbara oil spill and decided that the world needed an environmental initiative. A year later, the first Earth Day event was held. Now, it has grown into an annual event with more than a billion people in over 193 countries taking part.
This year, the campaign's focus is on plastics, which are a particularly serious form of pollution on land and in the oceans. Many species—including this green sea turtle—eat the plastic waste they find in the ocean, mistaking it for food. These same plastics pose an entanglement risk and can also break down to become microplastics. Every year some 25 million tonnes of plastic enter aquatic ecosystems. So, whether you're planting trees, cleaning up beaches or simply spreading the word, let's remember to promote sustainable living. After all, there's no planet B!
A Julia butterfly on the nose of a yellow-spotted river turtle, Amazon Region, Ecuador
Marine iguanas, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Young black caiman, Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
Thorny devil, Watarrka National Park, Australia
Indian star tortoise, Sri Lanka
Red lechwe herd crossing marshy plain of Okavango Delta, Botswana
Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises, Isabela Island, Galápagos, Ecuador
West Indian manatee mother and baby, Three Sisters Spring, Crystal River, Florida
