Mother Earth takes center stage for today’s global celebration of World Environment Day.
World Environment Day is celebrated on the 5th of June every year, which falls on a Tuesday for 2018. Although still not a public holiday, it is an environmental awareness day organized by the United Nations. It aims to raise awareness of the environment and issues affecting it.
World Environment Day (WED) was established in 1972 but first held in 1974, and will be celebrating its 44th Anniversary in 2018. 143 countries take part in World Environment Day, focusing on environmental concerns ranging from pollution to global warming and sustainable food production to protection of wildlife.
A Platform for Action
WED is the UN’s most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in 143 countries.
Above all, World Environment Day is The People’s Day for doing something to take care of the Earth. That “something” can be focused locally, nationally or globally; it can be a solo action or involve a crowd. Everyone is free to choose.
Humans are both creatures and molders of their environment, which gives them physical sustenance and affords them the opportunity for intellectual, moral, social and spiritual growth.
In the long and tortuous evolution of the human race on this planet a stage has been reached when, through the rapid acceleration of science and technology, humans have acquired the power to transform their environment in countless ways and on an unprecedented scale.
The United Nations, aware that the protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue, which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world, designated 5 June as World Environment Day.
The celebration of this day provides us with an opportunity to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises and communities in preserving and enhancing the environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in more than 100 countries.
“Beat Plastic Pollution”
Each World Environment Day is organized around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern.
The theme for 2018, Beat Plastic Pollution, is a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time. The theme invites us all to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural places, our wildlife – and our own health. While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become over-reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences.
“On World Environment Day, the message is simple: reject single-use plastic. Refuse what you can’t re-use. Together, we can chart a path to a cleaner, greener world,” noted UN Secretary General António Guterres.
This World Environment Day UN Environment is asking you, companies and civil society groups, to take a concrete action to Beat Plastic Pollution. Let’s all help to clean up our environment. You can register your #BeatPlasticPollution activity.
India, the host country
Every World Environment Day has a different global host country, where the official celebrations take place. The focus on the host country helps highlight the environmental challenges it faces, and supports the effort to address them. This year’s host is India, while last year Canada hosted with the theme ‘Connecting People and Nature’.
The environment and the Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development states our resolve “to ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources”. In particular, Goals 14 and 15 focus on protecting under water and on land ecosystems, as well as on sustainably using marine and terrestrial resource
WED participants include NGOs, governments, communities, individuals, charities, organizations and celebrities, who together raise awareness of environmental issues.
World Environment Day can be celebrated in many ways, activities such as clear up campaigns are popular and will be prominent this year, also concerts, conventions and parades, tree planting, and lectures. Promotional materials for the day tend to be created using natural environmental colors.
Registration In recent years, millions of people have taken part in thousands of registered activities worldwide. Please sign up so we can keep you updated on various activities.
For more details, visit the World Environment Day website. (Collated by BWM/MD Online)
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