WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

We, humans, are creatures of the environment. With the advancement and accelerated growth of human race in terms of science and technology, humans have found enormous power and numerous ways to transform the environment on a larger scale. It is the environment in which we exist, gives us physical sustenance to grow and explore it. But with the long-term of tortures exploitation of the environment, the environment is threatened to some big extent. World Environment Day is, therefore, a major day for encouraging awareness among the people about the environment and actions to protect it. Every 5th of June, this day is celebrated around the world with active participation from around 143 countries. It was first celebrated in 1974. It raised awareness on emerging environmental issues like marine pollution, human overpopulation and global warming.

World Environment Day is the biggest annual event for environmental actions. Globally many people and organisations organised events like cleaning up of the surroundings, actions against wildlife crime, to stop deforestation and replanting forests. On this day people are invited to take care of the earth and be part of the good change.

Every year World Environment Day is given a theme. This year the theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution”. Plastic has always been threatening to the environment. Plastic pollution hampers marine life and is harmful to human health. Every year the world uses up to 5 trillion plastic bags. 13 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans. We buy 1million plastic bottles every minute. Plastic makes 10% of all the waste we generate. In the last decade, we produced more plastic than in the whole last century. We all must be aware and spread awareness to stop using plastics and look for better alternatives and make the environment healthier and better.

This year the World Environment Day 2018 aims to bring awareness to the people, communities and government to come together and go for alternatives in order to reduce plastic use as well as its production. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres says “On Environment Day, the message is simple: reject single-use plastic. Refuse what you can’t re-use. Together, chart a path to a cleaner, greener world”. To promote World Environment Day, many events and programmes are organised every year. This year, UK regional animation studio LoveLove Films has collaborated with the United Nations Environment Programme to produce an animated short film using characters from their children’s series “Bottle Island”. The Government of India has taken steps to combat plastic use and committed to promoting World Environment Day celebrations through a series of active events and participation like clean-up of beaches to national reserves and forests and public areas.