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

Good morning and welcome toThe Independent’s live coverage of Earth Day 2021, where we’ll be keeping you up to date on Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit from the White House and all other news of climate action taking place around the world.

Here’s Emma Snaith with everything you need to know about the world’s largest secular observance.

With the pandemic raging, this year’s Earth Day will look a little different to previous years.

The theme for 2021’s day of observance is “Restore Our Earth”, with participants urged to focus not only on how we can reduce our impact on the planet but also on how we might actively repair the world’s fragile ecosystems.

Are you looking for ways to take part in Earth Day this year? Here, The Independent offers some ideas for tackling the climate crisis on 22 April - or any other day of the year. 

Earth Day 2021 is upon us, with the need for unified action to address the climate emergency more urgent than ever.

But how much do you know about the threat posed by global warming? Take our quiz below.

Delivering the opening address at Joe Biden’s climate summit, British prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to warn world leaders not to “throw away the chance to preserve our planet”.

Unless they “get serious” now about global warming, the current generation of leaders will be remembered for failing to protect the earth against rising temperatures, Johnson will say.

Speaking days after he announced a new target for cutting UK carbon emissions by 78 per cent from 1990 levels by 2035, the PM will tell his counterparts that they need to commit to equally ambitious goals by the time of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November in order to limit the rate of the global temperature rise to 1.5C.

Read details below.

All eyes today will be on US president Joe Biden, who is leading a two-day virtual summit of 40 world leaders from countries that, collectively, account for 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Here’s Louise Boyle on what we can expect.

Woah, here’s a dramatic start to the day.

The Earth Day protest was staged to draw attention to the banking giant’s links to the fossil fuel industry, activists said.

Nine women took part in the protest, wearing patches with the words “better broken windows than broken promises” in reference to the Suffragette movement of the early 20th century.

In a statement, the group said: “Despite HSBCs pledge to shrink its carbon footprint to net zero by 2050, their current climate plan still allows the bank to finance coal power, and provides no basis to turn away clients or cancel contracts based on links to the fossil fuel industry.”

Here’s the very latest.

This year’s theme for Earth Day is “Restore Earth”, with the UN’s secretary-general seizing the moment to issue a video message reminding people the planet is at “a tipping point” and saying that the pause the Covid-19 pandemic has given society “is a chance to set the world on a cleaner, greener, more sustainable path”.

He has also been writing for The Independent, calling on the world’s wealthiest countries to help out developing nations in reducing emissions for the greater good.

Our own Louise Boyle is conducting an AMA event tomorrow answering your queries about the environmental crisis and Joe Biden’s gathering of heads of state to try to secure bolder commitments towards addressing it.

You can find all the details you need below.

Here’s the latest from Canary Wharf:

We’ve already heard from Antonio Guterres, now here’s his predecessor.

Ban Ki-moon’s open letter in The Independent congratulates President Biden on convening his summit but urges him to ensure no nation is left behind in the fight for the planet’s future.