World Environment day has been held annually on the 5th of June since 1973, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, and it is used to promote environmental action and tackle the decline of the natural world that has increased dramatically in recent years.
The executive director of the UNEP, Inger Anderson said in a video message for this years world environment day that “we are running against the clock, today as we look to a future of heatwaves, droughts, floods, wildfires, pandemics, dirty air, wars and plastic ridden oceans, actions is more important than ever”.
This day has been used for the last 49 years to highlight to the world the environmental problems that we as a species have created through our greenhouse gasses, from dramatic habitat destruction to holes in the ozone layer.
Although World Environment Day has been around for nearly half a decade it is now more important than ever that this day is celebrated with full force as recent reports from the United Nations show that the climate crisis is advancing at a significantly faster pace than previously thought. It is predicted that in the next five years the temperature rise will reach 1.5 degree celsius above pre industrial levels, making the earth almost uninhabitable.
This year's theme is “living sustainably in harmony with nature” and over 150 countries from around the world hosted events, raising awareness and promoting environmental action. Some of the events that took place to help protect our planet included;
- ‘A concert for climate’ in Sweden. Musician from all across the world gathered in Stockholm for a concert to raise both awareness and money for the critical need to stop deforestation by 2030
- An electric vehicle rally in Ciario
- A mega cyclothon in Mumbai
- An e waste drive in Bucharest
These are just a few of the events which showcase the important role we can play in protecting the earth and they emphasize that the earth is our only home and it is fragile so it must be treated gently.
#OnlyOneEarth
Although World Environment Day is brilliant for prompting environmental action, it is about more than a day. It is not enough to just check the calendar and care about the environment one day of the year, it has to be a daily focus.
There has to be the same energy and commitment to highlighting and offering solutions to the danger that the world is in every other day otherwise it will become too late to repair the damage that has been done.
It’s the everyday changes that make the big difference.
It’s about how we all take more responsibility for our carbon emissions.
But also how we find easier ways to integrate being more sustainable.
From using Green Navigation, to Eco Dining (eating less meat, paying an eco service charge), to using simple carbon calculators to understand our carbon footprint.
Visit SKOOT.eco to learn more about how to make the world a cleaner and greener place.
