The Philippines is taking part in this year's biggest Earth Day event yet as at least one billion people in 190 countries worldwide are expected to participate in the 40th Earth Day celebration this Thursday.

Yearly celebrations of Earth Day continue to highlight environmental issues, as well as activities to encourage environment-friendly lifestyles.

American Senator and conservationist Gaylord Nelson started the Earth Day celebration in 1970 in the United States to boost the awareness of people of key environmental issues at that time.

Nelson shook up the political establishment and forced the issue on environment onto the national agenda. The Earth Day in 1970 was successful in calling the attention of over 20-million Americans to the plight of their environment and to challenge them to take action.

The event became a worldwide celebration on April 22, 1990, to lift the status of environmental issues to the global level. The activity attracted 200 million participants from 141 countries all over the world.

In 2008, President Arroyo formally declared April 22 as the “Philippines’ Earth Day” through Presidential Proclamation No.1481, amending Presidential Proclamation Nos. 553 and 1276 making Earth Day a permanent environmental holiday in the country.

According to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Center for Biodiversity Executive Director Rodrigo Fuentes, the event has provided an opportunity for all sectors in society to draw attention to issues such as biodiversity conservation, climate change, and global warming, deforestation, pollution, species extinction, and others, while calling for more participation in recycling, renewable energy, reforestation, environmental protection, and conservation.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local Earth Day organizer Earth Day Network Philippines (EDNP) called the country’s celebration of Earth Day celebration as “Hamon ng Panahon: Climate Change; Sampung Milyung Solusyon Kilos na! Ngayon na! (Challenge of the Times: Climate Change, 10-Million Solutions, Act Now!)”