Celebration of the Earth Day 2024 – A Report

To celebrate Earth Day, the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), New Delhi has teamed up with the Geological Society of India (GSI), Bangalore to organize an event on 22nd April 2024.The venue for this event was Dronacharya Hall, located in NIDM, New Delhi.The primary objective of this event is to increase awareness and promote understanding regarding the theme of Planet Vs Plastic.The event was conducted incorporating a hybrid format-physical as well as online.Professor.Surya Parkash, Head GMR Division of NIDM, New Delhi, welcomed the dignitaries and informed the audience of the importance of the event.During his speech, he placed great emphasis on the origin of Earth Day, providing a detailed account of its inception in 1970.In addition to that, he went into great detail and conducted an extensive discussion about the urgent problem of plastic pollution, emphasizing its devastating impacts on the ecosystems of our planet.Additionally, he mentioned that Earth Day serves as a platform that brings together people and organizations worldwide, fostering awareness and encouraging participation in various activities aimed at addressing urgent environmental concerns.Additionally, he elaborated on the importance of a systematic approach to nature conservation for disaster risk reduction, emphasizing the pressing nature of tackling the issues associated with plastic pollution.In his discussion, he provided a detailed explanation of the numerous problems and disadvantages associated with plastic, highlighting its detrimental effects on ecosystems and biodiversity.In addition, he highlighted the government's ongoing efforts, which were initiated in May 2016, to tackle the issue of plastic pollution.He motivated and urged both individuals and communities to take proactive measures in order to significantly decrease their usage of plastic, emphasizing the importance of doing so for the well-being of the environment and human health.The message received from Padma Shree Prof. Harsh Gupta, President of the Geological Society of India, Bangalore was shared with the audience.Prof. Harsh Gupta commended the joint efforts of NIDM and the Geological Society of India in celebrating Earth Day in Delhi, with a focus on the theme 'Planet Vs Plastic'.During the Earth Day deliberations in Delhi last year, Professor Harsh Gupta emphasized the importance of building a society that is resilient to earthquakes.If another earthquake like the one that occurred on April 4, 1905 in Kangra were to happen again, it would result in a significant loss of human lives.One instance is the devastating 2005 earthquake in Muzaffarabad, which occurred on the India-Pakistan border and resulted in the loss of 87,000 lives.There are inspiring examples that demonstrate how a determined effort to build a society resistant to earthquakes has yielded outstanding outcomes.As an illustration, a