In the blink of our daily scramble, it’s too simple to fail to remember that we are sharing our planet with lots of other living things. World Environment Day, held annually on June 5th, is a global initiative to encourage us to stop and think about our environment and to take actions to protect it.
Initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1972, this day has become so much more than a day on the calendar.It is now a sprawling global movement that brings together people from all walks of life — students, activists, business and political leaders — all working together to protect and save our planet.
It’s held in a different country each year based on a central theme which focuses different one of the world’s growing number of environmental problems. A focus on beating plastic pollution and correcting nature’s balance, the themes are designed to motivate action at personal as well as collective stages.
The delicate balance of our environment is experiencing a level of stress that has never previously been exerted by humanity. Mounting pollution, disappearing forests, melting glaciers, and the extinction of scores of species are signal warnings that it is time to act–not in the future, but now. World Environment Day is a global wake-up call or message that asks us to rethink how we live, consume, and manage wastes.
In recent years, the signals issued by nature have become more strident: vast, devastating wildfires; immense floods; dwindling forests; temperatures on the march toward unprecedented highs. These challenges aren’t on the horizon — they are right at our door.
This is what World Environment Day offers us. It’s the hope-tinged jolt I needed to wake up and recognize that there’s still a window of opportunity to effect change if we act with urgency now. Whether that’s in the form of recycling, buying eco-friendly products, lobbying for green policies, or simply continuing to spread the word on these issues — every bit counts!
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