Earth Day 2023: 8 short videos you need to watch now

Earth Day is an annual declaration of global support for environmental protection. 53 years after it began, the future looks precarious, so Environment Journal rounds up a collection of clips to educate and inspire, emphasising that our future is not yet set. 

It’s a pivotal weekend in ecological circles. Yesterday, The Big One Climate Protest began in London, with tens of thousands taking to the UK capital to have their voices heard. Continuing until Monday, the mass gathering coincides with today’s Earth Day 2023 celebrations, and the music-focused after-dark counterpoint, Earth Night. 

This year’s theme is Invest In Our Planet, a key message that was conveyed in recent reports by both the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change and Britain’s own Climate Change Committee. Both of which paint a stark picture of how far off-track we currently when it comes to tackling the crisis.

To mark the occasion, we’ve collected a series of short videos from organisations and locations at the frontline of the climate crisis. The idea being not to lecture, but inspire readers, or in this case viewers, to approach the coming months and year ahead with a determination to learn, understand, and engage. From rivers drying up in Northern Ireland, to calls to action from the UNEP, footage from London’s direct action, and the launch of a new Climate Fanclub, the following films are alarming and empowering. 

The Big One Climate Protest begins in London

Lib Dem MP Tim Farron highlights the plight of farmers and inaccessibility of new Environmental Payment Schemes

The Government’s failure to invest sufficient funding in their new environmental payment schemes is leading to farmers telling me that they have no choice but to intensify their livestock farming.

Heartbreakingly, farmers are now opting out of these inaccessible new schemes. pic.twitter.com/Kc25HPwR9t

— Tim Farron (@timfarron) April 19, 2023

Volunteers go ‘hunting’ for nurdles — tiny plastic balls used in manufacturing

VIDEO: A group of volunteer environmental hunters scour a beach in Cornwall for tiny plastic balls, or “nurdles”, used by industry to manufacture plastic products. pic.twitter.com/YOSjPhtSLD

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 19, 2023

The Fish Legal campaign spotlights the plight of species in the River Crumlin 

We’ve referred environmental regulators in N.Ireland to the OEP on behalf of Crumlin & District Angling Association. @daera_ni & @nidirect are now under investigation for not acting to stop abstraction that reduces part of the River Crumlin to a trickle.https://t.co/8eBtD3ZGFX

— Fish Legal (@FishLegal_) April 12, 2023

Music Declares Emergency launch the Climate Fanclub

FAN CLUB FOR CLIMATE! Our new community for music lovers who care about the planet. Sign up to take part in monthly challenges, receive up to date information on climate issues and ticket giveaways! Sign up: https://t.co/3fxChYgKbw #fanclubforclimate #NOMUSICONADEADPLANET pic.twitter.com/8Pa91aN2eK

— MUSIC DECLARES EMERGENCY (@musicdeclares) April 17, 2023

Game of Thrones stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie challenge major UK banks on greenwashing 

15-year-old Ridhima Pandey – ranked as one of the BBC’s 100 most influential people — talks to Net Zero Speaks about the role of young people in climate activism 

UNEP showcases the incredible work underway to reverse 500 years of South American deforestation 

Head to EarthDay.org for full details of official events, download packs, and more

Head to EarthNight.org for full details of official events, download packs and more

Images: NASA (Top) / Earth Day (Bottom)