The
prolonged lockdown in most of the countries in the wake of COVID 19 has shown some good news as well. Experts from
various news agencies and research institutions have reported that that the
global air pollution level has declined in the period of lockdown. Though the
COVID 19 has impacted the global economies negatively, but the environmental
impacts is positive.
Why world environment day is celebrated?
The
first major conference to address environmental issues, was held in the year
1972 from June 5-16 in Stockholm (Sweden) under the auspices of United Nation. Also
known as the “Conference on the Human Environment” or “Stockholm Conference”.
Its objective was to preserve and enhance the human environment. Later that
year, June 5 was designated as World Environment Day by “United Nation General
Assembly” (UNGA), and led to the formation of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Since the year 1974,
this day has been celebrated as an annual event in different host nations. Its
aim is to encourage worldwide awareness and action for protection of our
environment. Over the year, WED has grown to become a global platform to raise awareness among common people about
environmental issues and to encourage them to actively participate in the
celebration. WED is also known as ‘The people’s day’ and is widely celebrated
in more than 100 countries.
Theme and host country for the year 2020
UNEP
announced that Colombia will be hosting World Environment Day, 2020 in partnership
with Germany. The main focus of WED 2020 would be on ‘Biodiversity’ the theme set by the UNEP. Colombia, a part of Amazon
rainforest is one of the largest ‘Megadiverse’ country in the world which
represents 10% of the earth’s biodiversity. Ricardo Lozano, Colombia‘s Minister
for Environment and Sustainable Development, Jochen Flasbarth, Germany’s Secretary of State for the Climate, and Inger Anderse, Executive Director of the UNEP, stated that with approximately
one million species of plants and animals facing extinction, there has
never been more important time to concentrate on biodiversity. So World
Environment Day 2020
How biodiversity is important for humans?
Biodiversity
describes the varieties of terrestrial, marine and freshwater species on earth
as well as their habitats. It covers 8 million species from plants and animals
to fungi and bacteria. Biodiversity is vital part of earth that supports all
life on land and below water and may be seen as complex web in which each part
is interconnected. Changing or eliminating one element of this web can affects
all life system and produce adverse consequences. It is our ultimate common
good that affects every aspect of human health and provides us fresh air to
breathe, clean water to drink, varieties of nutritious foods that we require to
stay healthy and disease resistance, scientific understanding and medicine
sources and it even helps in climate change mitigation by storing carbon. What is Basel Convention?
Increasing
human demands led to certain activities such as deforestation, infringement of
wildlife habitats, intensified agriculture, and acceleration of climate change
etc. have pushed nature beyond limits. It would take 1.6 earth to meet the
demands that humans make of nature each year as per "Earth Overshoot Day”.
Some
recent events such as bushfires in Brazil, the United States, and Australia and
now emergence of global pandemic COVID-19 has emphasized the fact that we are
closely interlinked with nature and by upsetting the delicate balance of nature
we have created an ideal condition for pathogens to spread. Nature is sending
us a message that if we don’t care of nature, we can’t take care of ourselves.
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