Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22nd to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
In 2021, this occasion was marked with the following events happening globally and in the U.S. Embassy in Portugal:
Leaders Summit on Climate
President Biden made sure the United States rejoined the Paris Agreement on his first day in office, and announced one week later that he would convene a su
mmit of world leaders to accelerate global efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
At the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate (April 22-23), President Biden leads 40 Heads of State in discussions highlighting the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to help vulnerable countries cope with unavoidable climate impacts.
The Summit is live-streamed so citizens around the world can watch and hear leaders outline how their countries are ramping up their climate efforts. Our aim is to galvanize efforts by the world’s major economies to keep within reach the Paris Agreement target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Events across both days feature remarks by President Biden and more than 40 Heads of State, the Major Economies Forum on Climate and Energy, panel discussions hosted by multiple U.S. cabinet secretaries, and remarks by business, non-governmental and multilateral leaders.
Follow the live streams on www.whitehouse.gov.
Earth Day Roundtable
At the U.S. Embassy in Portugal, the celebrations for Earth Day 2021 continued with discussions on what the U.S. and Portugal can do side by side to promote environmental preservation, during our Earth Day roundtable with local leaders.
We spoke to representatives from Quercus Lisbon and Azores, Ponto Parágrafo, Movimento Claro and Dark Sky Alqueva, having a great discussion on the U.S. renewed commitment to climate change action, as well as local challenges, opportunities, and Embassy resources.
Visit to the Oceanarium
We were thrilled that a couple of members from the U.S. Embassy in Portugal could visit Lisbon’s Oceanário with Oceano Azul Foundation’s Sam Collins to celebrate Earth Day and the important role of oceans.
Our planet’s oceans are inextricably tied to climate change. They at once bear the brunt of the negative impacts of human activity, and yet at the same time through innovation can be leveraged for solutions to climate change.
See more from this visit on our Instagram and Flickr pages.
