Nature is a miracle on which we depend on. World environment day is celebrated on 5th June every year, having to be found since 1974 to emphasize the environmental issue in all occupational sectors worldwide. But what is the environment?
The environment is the natural world, as a whole or in a specific geographical region, especially as affected by human activity. It can also be defined as the surroundings or conditions in which any living being functions. It includes the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. The primary components are soil, water, air, organisms and solar energy.
Environments can further be classified into 3 kinds of environments, namely natural, industrial, and social environment. The natural environment includes light, land, air and all organisms that live in nature.
Environmentalism refers to concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment. It can also be described as a social movement or as an ideology focusing on the wellbeing of the environment. Environmentalism aims to conserve the elements of the planet’s ecosystem, including water, air, land, animals, and plants, along with all habitats such as rainforests, deserts and oceans.
History of the World environment day
The United Nations highlighted the issue of the world environment and health on the first day of the Stockholm conference regarding the human environment in 1972, and the decision was soon followed by a celebration of the first environmental day globally in 1972. The theme of the first environmental day was ‘One Only Earth’. The day was hosted in the United Nations itself, in the city of Spokane.
Why Do We Need World Environment day?
The conversation is a state of harmony between man and land. It is evident that humans in both voluntary and involuntary ways are abusing the world environment and by the record, the mishappenings have accelerated rapidly as years pass by. Just about a century ago, The total population was less than one-seventh of what it is today, i.e. Just a billion which now has exploded to a staggering 7.7 billion. We can look it up in a way as to a hundred years ago.
Global warming, Toxic Water, Land, air and water pollution, acid rain, decreasing energy levels are a few of the several most frightening threats to humans and the planet in the 21st century which are a ringing alarm that people now have been finally acknowledging.
How to Contribute to the environment?
Several environmentally friendly practices are being widely followed by some part of the population to make a more sustainable living out of the resources left for us. Some of those practices include Recycling, Carpooling or bike-riding, Avoidance of plastic usage, Use of recycled paper or no paper, Riddance of bottled water, etc.
As mentioned earlier, We are exploiting the earth seven times more intensely than a hundred years ago, which makes it faster for natural resources like fossil fuel to exhaust. Hence sustainability is the only way we can ease up on our environment to decrease to already overpowered exploitation of resources.
Also, read Oil Conservation towards Healthy and Better Environment.
Environmental crisis in 2020.
Apart from the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 has been scarring to the world environment in numerous ways. The year itself started with Wildfires in Australia. It is claimed to have added a 2% and the largest ever increase in atmospheric carbon die oxide on record.
Further in January, storm Gloria takes over pain, and hence the seawater drowns 30 sq km of rice and causes power cuts, roadblocks, and deaths. On January 25, Eastern Turkey was hit with an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 which caused 20 and more deaths. Furthermore, The amazon rainforest had several wildfires and severe or almost twice than before deforestation.
In February, Europe was hit by the storm Ciara, known as Else in Norway and Sabine in Germany. The storm stopped aviation and blocked trains and traffic in several parts of Europe due to the winds being 30m/s. The great reef barrier was warned to be under the threat of massive coral bleaching by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration. The storm Dennis hit the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
Later in May, July, and August, several huge oil spills occurred.
The world environment day in 2020.
The theme for the world environment day in 2020 is allotted as ‘Time for nature’ and is hosted by Colombia, In partnership with Germany since Colombia is said to withhold the largest portion of biodiversity of the planet, rounded up to 10% with its Amazon rainforest. It has a variety of orchids, butterflies, amphibians, and freshwater fishes.
The emergence of COVID-19 has highlighted the fact that, when we disrupt the planet’s biodiversity, we disturb the structure that supports human life. It is estimated that about one billion cases of sickness and deaths occur every year from Covid-19 diseases. About 75 per cent of all infectious diseases being found in humans are zoonotic, which means transmitted to people by animals.
The environment that we live in plays a crucial part in our mental, physical and psychological health. A clean, diverse, and healthy environment naturally motivates us to fulfil our tasks more efficiently.
Social media and positive environmental responsibilities.
An average teenager spends about 4 hours per day on social media which is a platform for all things one can learn, and recently, a few trends have been saving the light for spreading awareness about sustainability.
Trends like ‘Not using plastic straws’ or ‘A week with no waste’ or tips and tricks on how to recycle or reuse non-biodegradable material encourage the viewers to live move on a sustainable way of living. Tutorials on Compost bins, Guides on Veganism, and Home plants are great initiatives to follow to take the first steps for a sustainable life.
Conclusion
It is important to understand that the resources we have are limited, and we are not the last species on earth. Co-existence is the key to a healthy environment. The recent technology may make it easier to extract the necessities from all that’s left, but we are in an era where if we don’t stop draining the earth, The earth will drain us all off. It is for us to remember that the resources are not our inheritance; they’re a privilege to be respected.
F.A.Q
Q1. Which country has hosted the most global environmental days?
Ans: Bangladesh has hosted World environment day from 1977-1984.
Q2. When did India host a world environment day?
Ans: India hosted the world environment day in 2018 with the theme ‘Beat plastic pollution’.
Q3. What are some government initiatives taken for the environment?
Ans: The Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP), Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) under the ENVIS Scheme are the recent initiatives from the ministry of forest, environment, and climate change.
Q4. What is the difference between Earth day and Environment day?
Ans: World Environment Day is an annual event organized by the United Nations Environment Programme on June 5, whereas Earth day falls on April 22.
Q5. Who is an environmentalist?
Ans: It is a person who is concerned about the protection and wellbeing of the world environment.
Q7. Which is the cleanest city in India and the world?
Ans: The cleanest city in India in Indore and the cleanest city in the world is Calgary, Canada.