By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:00am PDT, Apr 24, 2024
_
In the days leading up to Earth Day 2024 on April 22, hundreds of thousands of people around the world came together to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our planet. This year's theme was Planet vs. Plastics, according to EarthDay.org, which coordinated educational events, performances, art installations and more in nearly 200 countries this year.
Unofficial Earth Day activities — like this stunning demonstration by the Extinction Red Rebels in Bath, England — also took place ahead of April 22.
Keep reading for more details and incredible photos from Earth Day celebrations around the world…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
_
A giant painting by artists Sand In Your Eye adorns a hill overlooking Hebden Bridge in Hebden Bridge, England, on April 19, 2024.
The painting was created to highlight Earth Day as the U.K. prepares for its upcoming general election. Jamie Wardley, an artist from the Sand In Your Eye collective, says the painting is meant to encourage voters to "Vote for Climate, Vote for OUR Future."
_
Hundreds of Extinction Red Rebels performed a Funeral for Nature in Bath, England, in the lead up to Earth Day.
Citing the U.K. as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, BBC nature presenter Chris Packham joined the procession as a mourner.
_
TV presenters Megan McCubbin and Chris Packham stood together with the mourners during a Funeral for Nature ceremony held in Bath, England, by Extinction Rebellion on April 20, 2024.
_
Mexican folklore dancers performed at the Healthy Port Communities Coalitions Earth Day event in Houston's Hidalgo Park on April 21, 2024.
_
Students gathered to show off the environment-themed paintings and models they created while marking Earth Day at a school in Amritsar, India, on April 22, 2024.
_
People from various Indonesian environmental organizations marched and performed street theater to commemorate Earth Day in Medan City, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on April 22, 2024.
_
Artist Hilary Jack's Earth Day-inspired piece, "Seaview (2024)," was photographed in Salisbury, England, on April 21, 2024. The installation depicts a house precariously perched on a steep slope as a reminder of how coastal erosion and adverse weather impact our homes ahead of World Earth Day.
Jack's creation is part of a major new exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral, on view from April 20 through Oct. 6, 2024. Works displayed inside and outside the historic cathedral tackle issues involving the air we breathe, the changing landscapes around us and how the environment can impact our mental wellbeing.
_
Environmental activists explored an underground cavern near Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, on April 22, 2024.
_
Here's another view of activists exploring one of the cenotes near Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, on April 22, 2024.
_
President Joe Biden delivered remarks to commemorate Earth Day at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, on April 22, 2024.
_
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York City also spoke at an Earth Day event at Prince William Forest Park in Virginia on April 22, 2024.
_
In honor of Earth Day in Seoul, South Korea, on April 22, 2024, environmental activists displayed placards reading "Let's end plastic pollution!" alongside plastic waste and an Earth balloon.
_
"Sweeney Todd" star Ruthie Ann Miles was among the performers who sang during the third annual Broadway Celebrates Earth Day concert in New York City's Times Square on April 20, 2024.
The concert was staged as part of the NYC Department of Transportation's "Car-Free Earth Day" event.
_
Members of the environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion held an Earth Day rally in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 2024. The group marched to the office of Mayor Muriel Bowser to demand the city phase out the use of methane gas and to meet the goals of the Mayor's "Carbon Free D.C." plan.
_
More of the 400 Extinction Red Rebels were photographed during their Funeral for Nature procession in Bath, England, in the lead up to Earth Day on April 20, 2024.
_
Protesters participated in a march outside the IMF – World Bank Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2024.
Activists with the Glasgow Actions Team and other groups protested outside the meetings all week, calling on the World Bank Group and its shareholders to stop funding fossil fuels, to break the cycle of debt distress and to significantly increase funding for clean energy and justice.
_
Protesters in Jakarta, Indonesia, marched while calling for environmental awareness on April 21, 2024.
_
Protesters reminded passers-by that "another world is possible" while demonstrating outside the IMF – World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2024.
_
President Joe Biden discussed his commitment to addressing climate change at an Earth Day event at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, on April 22, 2024.
