50th Anniversary of Earth Day
Today, 22 April 2020, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. When the movement started in 1970, 20 million Americans — 10 percent of the U.S. population at the time — took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest against environmental ignorance and to demand a new way forward for our planet.
The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and continues to hold major international significance. In 2016, the UN chose Earth Day as the day when the historic Paris Agreement opened for signature.
The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. The enormous challenge — but also the vast opportunities — of action on climate change have recognized the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th anniversary. The world is facing two crises, one is immediate from a pandemic and the other is slowly building as a disaster for our climate and ultimately humankind. We can, will, and must solve both challenges. The world was not prepared for a coronavirus. Leaders partly ignored hard science and delayed critical actions. We still have time to limit, in every part of the world, the detrimental effects of a deep climate crisis.
EQT is actively contributing to solving the climate crisis, most recently by ensuring 100 percent renewable energy in all offices and, where it is currently not possible to reduce emissions, EQT ensures they are 100 percent offset in a positive manner. EQT is also committed to transition all the portfolio companies to using renewable energy, a strong statement which hopefully will have positive ripple effects throughout the financial community.
Read more about this and EQT's other Clean & Conscious actions, including the amazing local efforts in all offices, in the EQT Annual Report 2019.