The estimated number of plant and animal species on earth, more than 1 million of which are threatened with extinction.
Numbers in the News: Earth Day
Earth Day takes place every April 22. Learn more about the planet we call home—and why it needs protecting.
JOSE LUIS PELAEZ INC/GETTY IMAGES
8.7 MILLION
2050
Year by which 90 percent of countries have pledged to drastically cut their fossil fuel usage to fight climate change
MATTHIAS KULKA/GETTY IMAGES
1.75
The number of Earths needed to provide the natural resources people use each year. It takes 1 year and 8 months for Earth to regenerate the resources we currently use in 1 year.
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
2 Billion
Tons of trash produced globally each year, which could fill enough Olympic-sized pools to circle Earth
THINK ABOUT IT: What can governments, businesses, and individuals do to tackle environmental challenges?
SOURCES: EARTHDAY.ORG, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, GLOBAL FOOTPRINT NETWORK, 2019 GLOBAL ASSESSMENT REPORT ON BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, WORLD BANK
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