By Shadia Haq
Earth Day 2025 focuses on the theme “Our Power, Our Planet” and urges a global shift to renewable energy.
We look at this year’s goals, standout events, key participants, and the growing debate about its real impact.
Earth Day timeline: key milestones
| Year | Milestone |
| 1970 | First Earth Day held in the United States, with 20 million participants. |
| 1990 | Earth Day expanded globally to 141 countries. |
| 2016 | The Paris Climate Agreement was signed on Earth Day. |
| 2020 | Earth Day went digital due to Covid-19, reaching over 100 million online viewers. |
| 2025 | The theme “Our Power, Our Planet” calls for tripling renewable energy by 2030. |
What is Earth Day 2025 about?
Earth Day takes place on 22 April and marks its 55th anniversary in 2025.
The global energy transition
The theme promotes a global transition to clean, renewable energy.
Reduce the dependency on fossil fuels
It urges governments, companies, and individuals to reduce fossil fuel dependency and scale up sustainable alternatives.
Unlimited energy for all
The shift to renewable energy also represents a humanitarian revolution:
“For the first time in human history, we have a pathway to provide low-cost, virtually unlimited energy for all”, commented Aidan Charron, Associate Director of Global Earth Day.
Objectives of this year’s campaign
- Core focus: Accelerating the transition to renewable energy – solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and tidal power
- Global objective: Tripling renewable energy generation by 2030 to limit global temperature rise and reduce fossil fuel reliance
- Hashtag: #RenewableEnergyNow
- Economic upside: The shift could create 14 million green jobs worldwide
Renewable energy showcases worldwide
- China: Leads the world in installed wind and solar capacity
- India: Aims to source 50% of its energy from renewables by 2030
- Uruguay: 98% of electricity comes from renewable sources
- Kenya: Nearly half of its power is derived from geothermal energy
- Australia: Around one-third of homes are fitted with rooftop solar panels
- Brazil: Generates 68% of its electricity from hydroelectric sources
- Denmark: Over 50% of its electricity comes from wind energy
- US: Clean energy surpassed fossil fuels for electricity generation in March 2025
Key events and campaigns in 2025
Earth Action Day
Cities worldwide are holding local events in collaboration with ICLEI and EarthDay.org.
Municipalities like St Helens (UK), Turku (Finland), and Riverside (USA) are hosting community planning sessions on clean energy.
Earth Aid Live
A global concert series, held in cities such as London, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Nairobi, and Mumbai. It brings together artists and activists to inspire climate action through music.
Canada’s Cleantech Expo
Hosted by LumeSmart, this event in Toronto showcases green technology and youth-led innovation.
Corporate and organisational engagement
ScottishPower (Scotland, UK)
“In the UK we are investing £12bn in renewable power and the electricity network to connect homes and businesses across the country to clean electricity” – Dr. Sam Gardner, Head of Climate Change & Sustainability.
CSL (Australia)
“We are reducing our carbon emissions to lower our operating costs and improve our competitive advantage while also reducing our climate change impact and preserving natural resources” – Jeffrey Ball, Chief Sustainability Officer & Senior Vice President.
Earth Day’s continued relevance
Earth Day remains one of the most widely observed environmental movements, involving over one billion people across 192 countries.
It promotes:
- Climate education and public awareness
- Policy engagement and grassroots mobilisation
- Corporate accountability and innovation in sustainability
However, the initiative also faces increasing criticism.
Greenwashing and symbolic gesture concerns
Some environmental activists argue Earth Day has become more about marketing than meaningful action:
- Greta Thunberg (2022): “Earth Day has turned into an opportunity for leaders to express their ‘love’ for the planet while continuing to destroy it”
- Kristen Hostetter of Outside Magazine: Described it as a “massive marketing opportunity” with minimal long-term effect
- Extinction Rebellion UK: Warns of performative greenwashing and advocates for direct, systemic change
Is Earth Day relevant in 2025?
Earth Day 2025 calls for urgent global cooperation to scale up renewable energy and combat the climate crisis.
Questions raised
Some individuals have raised questions over the effectiveness of Earth Day.
As relevant as ever
However, organisers argue that the momentum behind renewable energy innovation and widespread participation in Earth Day highlight that the pivotal event, which is celebrating its 55th year this year, is as effective as ever.
Are you taking part in Earth Day 2025?
Are you planning to take part in Earth Day 2025, or do you belong to the group that questions its effectiveness?
Either way, we would love to hear from you. Comment below or get in touch.
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