Today we celebrate World Environment Day
On June 5th, we celebrate the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually since 1973, the event is now the largest global platform to raise awareness on the environment and inspiring positive change with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet.
Everyone is part of this celebration. With over 150 countries participating, this day engages governments, businesses, civil society, schools, celebrities, cities and communities, raising awareness and celebrating environmental action.
Each World Environment Day focuses on a particular theme, covering issues like marine pollution, global warming, sustainable consumption, and wildlife crime. This year the theme is living sustainably in harmony with nature aiming to encourage collective action. While our individual choices are extremely important, it’s key to engage everyone to take action.
UNEP says that despite all the climate agreements, progress is still too slow to generate a change towards climate change and that individuals and civil society must play a key role in raising awareness and urge governments to generate large scale change.
World environment events that took place this weekend and showcase the important role we can play in protecting the earth
Cyclothon, India: The Bhamla Foundation organized a cyclothon in Mumbai to promote greener forms of transport. In India, the different types of transport rely on fossil fuels which contributes to air pollution and therefore, it’s a threat to public health.
Electric motorcycle tour, Egypt: Ali Abdo, a sustainability and environmental activist campaigning for greater development of electric vehicles, ride his electric motorcycle through Egyptian cities around the River Nile to meet students and government officials and deliver talks focused on the impacts of the climate crisis.
E-waste collection campaign, Romania: In the month leading up to World Environment Day, The Green Project has provided free collection of electronic waste and set up community drop-off points around Maramureș County. In addition, the company raised awareness on the importance of proper e-waste recycling and the need to adopt circular economy model.
Minecraft Sustainable Design Competition, Australia: Childrens from ages 5 to 17 are using the popular video game Minecraft to re-envision their local community and incorporate sustainable living aspects to embody the idea of living in harmony with nature. Some of their creations included expanded green spaces featuring plenty of trees and flowers, communal gardens for fresh produce, and buildings with solar panels. This is a great way to educate the future generations on the importance of protecting our planet.
Nature is in emergency mode
Environmental emergencies of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution need to be addressed more than ever and this is only possible if we all take action.
Organizers from this big event passed an important message: The Earth cannot keep up with our demands. We are running out of time to save the planet.
Global average temperatures are on the rise and predicted to exceed 3°C this century and this can generate catastrophic consequences. The world needs to cut emissions by 30 gigatonnes annually by 2030 in order to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C and avoid the worst impact. Hence the importance of collective action to generate the change the world needs.
Did you know?
According to the United Nations every three seconds, the world loses enough forest to cover a football pitch and over the last century we have destroyed half of our wetlands. As much as 50% of our coral reefs have already been lost and up to 90% of coral reefs could be lost by 2050, even if global warming is limited to an increase of 1.5°C.
We invite you to check more information on https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/ website and learn more about this initiative. Taking action is more important than ever.