Indian Festivals

World Environment Day on 05 Jun 2019 (Wednesday)

Human is the creator of the environment, which ensures his physical existence and provides him with opportunities for intellectual, moral, social, and spiritual development. Humans have acquired the ability to transform their environment in unprecedented scales during the course of evolution. Both aspects of the human environment, natural and human-made, are crucial for their well-being and for the enjoyment of fundamental human rights.    

Humans should actively promote sustainable and equitable development to foster an understanding of environmental conservation techniques. Our society should explore the usefulness of partnership between countries to have a safer and more prosperous future.

History of World Environment Day

World Environment Day is an UN-Environment-hosted global event, celebrated annually on June 5th by thousands of societies around the world. Since the first celebration in 1974, World Environment Day has become a global platform for the annual celebration of our environment.

On this day, the work done in the field of environmental protection is summarized, the activities of public organizations and citizens significant contribution to environmental protection, numerous ecological protection measures are being taken.

Environmental issues are among the priority subjects of the political, economic, and social life of the country, being one of the tasks of national security. Environmental pollution entails:

        A deterioration in public health

        Social tensions in society

        A decrease in land resources due to soil pollution

        An increase in landfill sites and a decrease in the regenerative capacity of restoring plant and animal communities

        Deterioration of water resources and atmospheric air.

Around 7 million humans die annually due to air pollution in the world; of which about 4 million belong to Asia-Pacific region. World Environment Day 2019 will call on governments, industry, societies, and citizens to come together to analyze the benefits of renewable energy and green technologies for improvement of air quality in different parts of the globe.

Air pollution and melting of glaciers - what is the connection?

The UN recalls that air pollution caused by human activity causes the melting of glaciers and accelerates the climate change process on the planet. According to experts, traces of lead and mercury were found in glaciers in the Peruvian Andes, which in South America were actively used by Spanish conquistadors for silver mining.

To date, the rapid melting of glaciers is associated with a high concentration of "black” or technical carbon in the atmosphere. These are the smallest particles of soot that enter the air during the combustion of wood, coal, gas, and petroleum products. 

Melting glaciers in the near future could lead to a shortage of fresh water in several countries in Latin America.

Facts about air pollution:

        92% of the world's population do not breathe clean air

        According to forecasts, until 2030, pollution by ground-level ozone will lead to a reduction in the yield of main agricultural crops by 26%.

Is China becoming a bike country again?

The host country, where the main official events are held on the occasion of World Environment Day, this year is China, and Ganzhou city is a sort of "capital” of the celebrations.

A few decades ago, China was considered a "bicycle kingdom." Ten million people used bike as their primary means of transportation. However, due to rapid economic growth, urbanization and rising incomes, more and more cars appeared on the streets of Chinese cities, and the level of air pollution exceeded the standards that experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) consider safe.

Beat Air Pollution

Each World Environment Day is organized with a theme that emphasizes on environmental concerns. The theme for World Environment Day 2019 is "Beat Air Pollution” and is designed to combat the global crisis. This year’s theme invited us to reduce the air contaminant level in the atmosphere and its effect on own health.

China is great at being a host for celebrating the occasion of World Environment Day 2019. This country has shown tremendous leadership in counteracting air pollution within the country and now has the opportunity to call on the world to even greater efforts. Air pollution is a global problem that affects everyone. Now, China will lead the fight to save millions of lives.

With its growing sector of green energy, China has shown itself to be the clear leader in the fight against climate change. The country operates half of all-electric vehicles in the world and 99% of the world's electric buses. By celebrating World Environment Day, the Chinese government has the opportunity to showcase its innovations and progress towards a cleaner environment.