Koko News | Environment | 21 Apr 2026

A Brief History of Earth Day and Its Global Impact

MillionsofpeoplearoundtheworldwillpauseWednesday, atleastforamoment, tomarkEarthDay.

週三，世界各地數以百萬計的人們將停下手中的活，至少短暫地，來紀念世界地球日。

It’sanannualeventfoundedbypeoplewhohopedtostiractivismtocleanupandpreserveaplanetthatisnowhometosome8billionhumansandassortedtrillionsofotherorganisms.

這是一個年度活動，由一些希望激發人們積極行動起來，清理和保護地球的人們創立。如今，地球是大約 80 億人類和數兆其他生物的家。

HereareanswerstosomecommonquestionsaboutEarthDayandhowitcametobe:

以下是一些關於地球日及其由來常見問題的解答：

EarthDayhasitsrootsingrowingconcernoverpollutioninthe1960s, whenauthorRachelCarson’s1962book'SilentSpring,' aboutthepesticideDDTanditsdamagingeffectsonthefoodchain, hitbestsellerlistsandraisedawarenessaboutnature’sdelicatebalance.

地球日起源於 20 世紀 60 年代人們對污染日益增長的關注。當時，作家蕾切爾卡森 (Rachel Carson) 於 1962 年出版的《寂靜的春天》一書，講述了殺蟲劑 DDT 及其對食物鏈的破壞性影響，該書登上暢銷書榜單，提高了人們對自然界微妙平衡的認識。

Butitwasa U.S. senator fromWisconsin, DemocratGaylordNelson, whohadtheideathatwouldbecomeEarthDay.

但提出「地球日」這個想法的，是來自威斯康辛州的美國參議員、民主黨人蓋洛德·尼爾森。

NelsonhadlongbeenconcernedabouttheenvironmentwhenamassiveoffshoreoilspillsentmillionsofgallonsontotheSouthernCaliforniacoastin 1969.

納爾遜一直很關注環境問題，1969 年，一場大規模的近海漏油事件導致數百萬加侖原油洩漏到南加州海岸。

Nelson, aftertouringthespillsite, hadtheideaofdoinganational'teach-in'ontheenvironment, similartoteach-insthatwerebeingheldonsomecollegecampusestoopposethewarinVietnam.

納爾遜在參觀了洩漏現場後，萌生了在全國範圍內開展環境「教育研討會」的想法，類似於一些大學校園裡為反對越南戰爭而舉辦的教育研討會。

Nelsonandothers, includingactivistDenisHayes, workedtoexpandtheideabeyondcollegecampuses, witheventsacrossthe U.S., andcameupwiththeEarthDayname.

納爾遜和包括活動家丹尼斯·海耶斯在內的其他人，努力將這一理念推廣到大學校園之外，在美國各地舉辦活動，並最終確定了地球日的名稱。

Ahistoryofthemovementby EarthDay.org, whereHayesremainsboardchairemeritus, saysthedateofthefirstEarthDay— April 22, 1970 —waschosenbecauseitfellonaweekdaybetweenspringbreakandfinalexamsandtheaimwastoattractasmanystudentsaspossible.

EarthDay.org（海耶斯仍是該網站的榮譽董事會主席）對該運動的歷史記載稱，第一個地球日——1970 年 4 月 22 日——之所以選擇這個日期，是因為它恰逢春假和期末考試之間的工作日，目的是為了吸引盡可能多的學生。

It’snotafederalholiday.

這不是聯邦假日。

Butmanygroupsusethedaytoputtogethervolunteereventswiththeenvironmentinmind, suchascleanupsofnaturalareas.

但許多團體利用這一天組織以環境保護為主題的志工活動，例如清理自然區域。

Youcanseealistofeventsworldwide, orregisteryourownevent, at EarthDay.org.

您可以在 EarthDay.org 上查看全球活動列表，或註冊您自己的活動。

TheoverwhelmingpublicresponsetothefirstEarthDayiscreditedwithaddingpressureforthe U.S. Congresstodomoretoaddresspollution, anditdid, passinglandmarklegislationincludingtheCleanAirActandCleanWaterAct.

第一個地球日獲得了公眾的熱烈響應，這促使美國國會採取更多措施來解決污染問題，而國會也確實這樣做了，通過了包括《清潔空氣法》和《清潔水法》在內的具有里程碑意義的立法。

Morebroadly, it’sseenasthebirthofthemodernenvironmentalmovement.

更廣泛地說，它被視為現代環保運動的誕生。

Inlateryears, EarthDayexpandedtobecomeatrulyglobalevent.

後來，地球日發展成為一項真正的全球性活動。

Itnowclaimstohavemotivatedactioninmorethan192countries.

它現在聲稱已在超過 192 個國家/地區激發了行動。

In 2000, EarthDaybegantakingaimatclimatechange, aproblemthathasgrownmoreurgentinrecentyears.

2000年，地球日開始關注氣候變遷議題，這個問題近年來變得越來越迫切。

Thisyear’sEarthDaycentersaroundtheslogan'OurPower, OurPlanet'andencouragescollectiveactionagainstenvironmentalimpacts.

今年的地球日以「我們的力量，我們的星球」為主題，鼓勵人們採取集體行動來應對環境影響。

Millions of people around the world will pause Wednesday, at least for a moment, to mark Earth Day.

It’s an annual event founded by people who hoped to stir activism to clean up and preserve a planet that is now home to some 8 billion humans and assorted trillions of other organisms.

Here are answers to some common questions about Earth Day and how it came to be:

Earth Day has its roots in growing concern over pollution in the 1960s, when author Rachel Carson’s 1962 book 'Silent Spring,' about the pesticide DDT and its damaging effects on the food chain, hit bestseller lists and raised awareness about nature’s delicate balance.

But it was a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, Democrat Gaylord Nelson, who had the idea that would become Earth Day.

Nelson had long been concerned about the environment when a massive offshore oil spill sent millions of gallons onto the Southern California coast in 1969.

Nelson, after touring the spill site, had the idea of doing a national 'teach-in' on the environment, similar to teach-ins that were being held on some college campuses to oppose the war in Vietnam.

Nelson and others, including activist Denis Hayes, worked to expand the idea beyond college campuses, with events across the U.S., and came up with the Earth Day name.

A history of the movement by EarthDay.org, where Hayes remains board chair emeritus, says the date of the first Earth Day — April 22, 1970 — was chosen because it fell on a weekday between spring break and final exams and the aim was to attract as many students as possible.

It’s not a federal holiday.

But many groups use the day to put together volunteer events with the environment in mind, such as cleanups of natural areas.

You can see a list of events worldwide, or register your own event, at EarthDay.org.

The overwhelming public response to the first Earth Day is credited with adding pressure for the U.S. Congress to do more to address pollution, and it did, passing landmark legislation including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

More broadly, it’s seen as the birth of the modern environmental movement.

In later years, Earth Day expanded to become a truly global event.

It now claims to have motivated action in more than 192 countries.

In 2000, Earth Day began taking aim at climate change, a problem that has grown more urgent in recent years.

This year’s Earth Day centers around the slogan 'Our Power, Our Planet' and encourages collective action against environmental impacts.