World Environment Day or WED is celebrated each year on the 5th of June globally. This particular day is designated to encourage both action and awareness to protect the overall environment.
Also, this event was first held in the year 1974. Since that time, it is considered to be an integral campaign that effectively helps to raise awareness on emerging environmental issues such as human overpopulation, marine pollution, sustainable consumption, global warming, wildlife crime, and a lot more.
In this regard, World Environment Day has contributed to becoming a global platform for public outreach. The event marks the successful participation from all over the 143 countries annually.
Every year, a completely new theme is focused as a part of World Environment Day which is adopted by NGOs, major corporations, governments, communities as well as popular celebrities.
This helps to properly advocate the different environmental causes. The world environment day 2020 falls on Friday and the integral theme to be adopted this year is to specifically “Celebrate Biodiversity”.
History Of World Environment Day 5 June
In the year 1972, the UN General Assembly was involved in the establishment of World Environment Day. It was a result of the discussion on the integration of the environment as well as human interactions.
After two years i.e. in 1974, specifically, the first World Environment Day was celebrated with the theme “Only One Earth”.
Since that time, World Environment Day was decided to be celebrated every year. But, the idea for rotating the center of these activities was first decided in the year 1987 which involved the selection of many different host countries.
The Theme Of World Environment Day, 2020
World Environment Day is known to be a very popular day that is specifically designated for environmental action.
From the year 1974, this particular event has been actively celebrated each year on 5th June. Also, these days engages a variety of businesses, governments, citizens, and celebrities so that they can focus on their efforts on specific environmental issues.
The theme which is decided in the year 2020 is biodiversity. This is specifically an important concern that is both existential as well as urgent.
Currently, there is an outbreak of several events such as Brazil bushfires, locust infestations across Australia, the United States, and East Africa along with global disease pandemic.
These specific events effectively demonstrate the interdependency of different life forms, humans, and nature. Through these events, a message or signal is sent by nature to us.
The Community
Each year, the World Environment Day is intended to offer a global platform which contributed to inspire positive change. It effectively recognizes the global change that requires a global community.
Also, this day is considered to be an opportunity for the individuals so that they think about how they consume. Not only that, but it also helped the businesses so that they develop greener models.
This day also helps the governments to safeguard wild spaces, farmers as well as manufacturers for producing more sustainability, youth to become the gatekeepers of a sustainable and green future and educators to inspire the students so that they can live in harmony with the Mother Earth.
So, the celebration of this particular day is proved to be equally helpful for all of us.
The Host
Many different countries are involved in hosting World Environment Day each year. So, the official celebration of this day takes place in these different countries. The host selected this year is Colombia specifically in partnership with Germany.
But, this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the celebration will be digitally worldwide.
It’s Time For Nature
It is the nature from which the food, the water, the air as well as the climate is originated. This tends to make our planet much more habitable. Every year, more than half of the atmospheric oxygen is produced by marine plants.
A tree is involved in cleaning the air which contributes to absorbing 22 kilos of carbon dioxide. Oxygen is released in exchange. Despite so many of the benefits we get from our mother nature, we did not treat it well.
Sometimes, we misuse nature which contributed to provide us the important elements of life. This is the major reason, why, it becomes important for us to work on these aspects which specifically needs Observance.
The Connection Of Biodiversity To The Humans
Biodiversity is considered to be the foundation that effectively supports almost every life form on land and water.
It tends to affect almost every aspect of human health that contributes to providing nutritious foods, water, air, natural disease resistance, scientific understanding, climate change mitigation along with medical sources.
The overall system of life can be hugely affected by changing or removing one specific element of this web. Therefore, it contributed to produce negative consequences.
Nature has been pushed beyond its specific limits by human actions such as climate change acceleration, intensified agriculture, wildlife habitats infringement, deforestation, and a lot more.
So, it has been increasingly very difficult for the earth to meet the specific demands which the humans tend to make every year.
If this is continued similarly, then, the loss of biodiversity will be contributed to having a great impact on humanity which includes the collapse of food as well as specific health systems.
This fact is properly evident from the outbreak of COVID-19. Whenever the biodiversity is destroyed by our end, it will lead to the destruction of the overall system which supports human life.
Today, worldwide, it is estimated that due to the diseases that are caused by coronaviruses, there are about one billion causes of illness as well as millions of deaths.
It is also known, that about 75 % of all the emerging infectious diseases which are caused in the case of humans are considered to be zoonotic. This means that the particular disease is transmitted by the animals to people. Through this, nature is focusing to send us a message.
Important Initiatives And Annual Themes
World Environment Day has been contributed to support action, raise awareness, and driving necessary changes for the environment for almost five decades.
Here is given a timeline of the important accomplishments in the specific history of WEDs.
2020
To “Celebrate Biodiversity” is considered to be the main theme for 2020. Also, this particular event will be hosted in Colombia specifically in partnership with Germany.
Talking about the hosting country i.e. Colombia, it is known to be the largest megadiverse nations of this global. Also, this is such a place that contributed to holding about 10% of the biodiversity of the planet.
As this place is considered to be a part of the Amazon rainforest, Colombia ranks first in terms of the orchid and bird species diversity whereas, it ranks second in terms of butterflies, plants, amphibians, and freshwater fish.
2019
The theme for the year 2019 was named as “Beat Air pollution”. In this regard, China was chosen to be the host nation. The main reason behind choosing this particular theme is that this thing is responsible to kill about 7 million people annually.
As a part of this event, different approaches were effectively discussed which helps to fight global warming.
2018
“Beat Plastic Pollution” was known to be the theme that is mainly selected for the year 2018. The chosen host nation was India. To effectively reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution, this particular theme was chosen.
This theme generally addressed people so that they change their day to day lives. As a result of it, people should free themselves from the usage of the disposables or single-use. This is specifically because it tends to have many different environmental consequences.
Not only that, but the people should also effectively focus on liberating the wildlife, natural places, and our health from the adverse effects of the plastics.
In this regard, a pledge was taken by the Indian government regarding the elimination of all the single plastic usage by the year 2022 in India.
2017
“Connecting People to Nature” was mainly chosen as the theme for the year 2017 which was hosted in Canada.
2016
Specifically, World Environment Day, in the year 2016 was organized under the specific theme “Go wild for life”. The main aim of this particular theme was to both prevent as well as reduce the illegal trade in the wildlife. Also, the host country chosen was Angola.
And So On.
Final Words
So, these are some of the integral facts regarding World Environmental Day, 2020 which one should be well aware of. As this particular day is completely dedicated to the mother nature as well as the environment, so this day should be celebrated by all of us with great joy.
This will show your dedication and love for our mother nature. Not only that, it will spread a message among the young generation regarding the protection of the environment and also providing respect to nature.