Earth Day 2021: Climate activists dump manure on Biden White House as Greta hits out with Twitter bio

Follow the latest updates on day of global environmental talks

Extension Rebellion put noses out of joint across both sides of the pond on Earth Day. While the climate activists were smashing windows on Canary Wharf in London others were dropping off, well, droppings, as they dumped wheel barrels full of methane-emitting cow poop near the White House to protest Joe Biden’s “bullshit” climate plan.

As Earth Day 2021 was observed around the world, climate activist Greta Thunberg taking aim at both the US and the UK. She told the US House Oversight Committee in Washington, DC, that fossil fuel subsidies are “a disgrace”, while taking an apparant dig at prime minister Boris Johnson for supporting carbon reductions as not some “politically-correct green act of bunny-hugging”.

White House climate envoy John Kerry denounced former president Donald Trump for withdrawing the US from the landmark Paris treaty, which the former Secretary of State signed in 2015.

The GOP, meanwhile, said the Biden administration’s “zeal for costly climate policy” will destroy jobs and industry in the US while competitors like China won’t be bound by the “toothless” Paris climate agreements.

Prince Harry remembered his late grandfather as a "conservation champion" in a message for Earth Day, and said he was proud to continue that work with his organization African Parks.

"I reflect on generations of conservation champions, including my late grandfather, and feel proud and energised to continue doing my part in this legacy," he said.

While the prince was paying tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh, world leaders were doing the opposite to the former president of the United States.

German Chancellor began her comments at the White House climate summit with a not-so-subtle dig at Trump, who pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accords in 2020.

“I’m delighted to see that the United States is back, is back to work together with us in climate politics," she said.

• Greta Thunberg urges US Congress to ‘use your common sense’ on climate crisis
• Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro points finger at developed countries for historic fossil-fuel burning
• Biden to cut US carbon emissions by half of 2005 levels by 2030
• Elon Musk trolled with giant billboard saying ‘Mars Sucks’
• Extinction Rebellion activists smash HSBC windows
• Five ways to help save the planet
• The ‘revenge of nature’ in fiction, from Day of the Triffids to Godzilla

Key Points

• Extension Rebellion protests in DC a little on the nose
• ‘Bunny hugger’ Greta Thunberg owns ‘Bunny hugger’ in Twitter bio
• John Kerry criticises Trump for pulling out of Paris accord ‘without any facts, without any science’
• Mitch McConnell says Biden will kill US industries for ‘toothless’ Paris climate goals
• GOP governors question Biden’s executive order that could acquire land for conservation

[22 April 2021 20:30 · Justin Vallejo]

WATCH: Putin says Russia 'genuinely interested' in climate crisis cooperation

“I’m convinced that the fight for preserving our climate should certainly unite the efforts of the international community as a whole… Russia is genuinely interested in galvanizing international cooperation so as the look further for effective solutions to climate change.”

[22 April 2021 20:45 · Justin Vallejo]

Poems to celebrate Earth Day 2021, curated by The Independent

Though this year’s Earth Day is also on the same day as the beginning of the US climate summit, it is worth remembering that Earth Day is a celebration of our planet, and not merely an opportunity to remind us how badly we are abusing it.

So to emphasise that what we have is worth taking concerted action to protect, Independent writers have chosen their favourite poems which relate in some way to the natural world.

Making this year’s list is The Sick Rose by William Blake, Ghosts on My Tongue by Kat Lyons, Wild Geese by Mary Oliver, Instructions on Not Giving Up by Ada Limón, The Tree Agreement by Elise Paschen, and The Stone Skimmer by Alice Oswald.

Enjoy.

[22 April 2021 21:00 · Justin Vallejo]

World leaders take digs at Trump at White House summit as Xi and Putin pledge action

World leaders took shots at ex-president Donald Trump as they participated in Joe Biden’s Earth Day climate summit.

Mr Biden convened 40 leaders from the world’s most powerful countries to galvanise a global effort against the climate crisis, even securing commitments from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And Mr Trump, who pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement, denied the science of climate change and worked to undermine environmental regulations during his one-term presidency, was the target of implicit criticism from some.

Graeme Massie has the wrap up from this morning’s summit.

[22 April 2021 21:15 · Justin Vallejo]

Republican governors vow to block Biden’s environmental plans on Earth Day

Fifteen Republican governors have vowed to block President Joe Biden’s environmental plans on Earth Day.

The group in a joint letter challenged the president to give them exact details on his executive order on climate change, which they claim would harm their economies.

Their letter came as the president hosted a virtual climate summit for 40 world leaders from the White House, aimed at urgently tackling climate change.

At the summit, the president pledged to cut US green house emissions in half by 2030 with the goal of being a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

Now the GOP governors have taken aim at Mr Biden’s January executive order on climate change, and his promise to conserve at least 30 per cent of US lands and waters by 2030.

Graeme Massie has more.

[22 April 2021 21:30 · Justin Vallejo]

Watch: Astronaut captures stunning timelapse of Earth from space

Earth Day 2021 is being observed around the world today, with heads of state joining a virtual climate summit hosted by President Joe Biden to discuss reining in greenhouse gases.

But the occasion is not just being marked here on Earth, as British astronaut Tim Peake has demonstrated by posting a spectacular timelapse of our planet from space.

Writing on Twitter, the former International Space Station crew member said: “Here it is - our beautiful home and the only one we have. Let’s look after it. Happy #EarthDay”.