New Delhi (NVI): The food we eat, the air we breathe, the sun rays that reach us and the water we drink every day, are all gifts from the environment and it becomes important that they are respected.
World Environment Day, which is celebrated every year on June 5, is one of the United Nations (UN) most important days celebrated worldwide to spread awareness on the protection of our environment.
According to the UN, the theme for the year 2020 is – ‘Celebrate Biodiversity’. Last year’s theme was ‘Air pollution’.
The theme reflects the context of biodiversity – which is important for the survival of all living things big or small, on land or in water, a concern that is both urgent and existential.
The day also raises awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.
In 1974, the day was first celebrated with the theme “Only One Earth” during the first day of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.
The major objective of this day every year is to spread awareness and to remind people that they have a role to play in preventing the loss of biodiversity and preserving nature for our future.
The Day is observed in over 100 countries and each year, it has a new theme that governments, corporations, communities, NGOs and celebrities adopt to advocate environmental causes.
Every year, World Environment Day is hosted by a different country, in which official celebrations take place. This year the day will be hosted in Colombia, in partnership with Germany.
“Recent events, from bushfires in Brazil, the United States and Australia to locust infestations across East Africa – and now, a global disease pandemic – demonstrates the interdependence of humans and the webs of life, in which they exist,” the UN said in a statement.
This year, millions of people will be celebrating digitally, worldwide due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of going to the field to plant saplings, countries are expected to conduct online activities to promote environmental protection and awareness.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted, “On World Environment Day, we reiterate our pledge to preserve our planet’s rich biodiversity. Let us collectively do whatever possible to ensure the flora and fauna, with whom we share the earth, thrive. May we leave an even better planet for the coming generations.”
On #WorldEnvironmentDay, we reiterate our pledge to preserve our planet’s rich biodiversity. Let us collectively do whatever possible to ensure the flora and fauna with whom we share the Earth thrive. May we leave an even better planet for the coming generations. pic.twitter.com/nPBMthR1kr
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 5, 2020
He also shared a clip from his most recent Mann Ki Baat programme, in which he had referred to World Environment Day.
