What is the Importance of World Environment Day 2024?

• Written by Mudit Handa

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Globally ecosystems face threats on a daily basis. Natural spaces on which the existence of humanity depends, such as forests, lakes, drylands and farmlands are reaching a tipping point. As stated in the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, approximately 40 per cent of the land on Earth is already in a degraded state. This directly affects around half of the population in the world. Droughts have increased in number and their intensity worldwide by 29 per cent since the beginning of this millennium and if this is allowed to continue unabated, more than 75 per cent of earth’s population will be affected by droughts by the year 2050. 

In order to combat the situation, June 5th was earmarked as World Environment Day and was started in 1972 by the General Assembly of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. World Environment Day has been celebrated every year since June 5th, 1973 under the leadership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Over the years, World Environment Day has over 150 countries participating in it and has become a global platform which is celebrated annually with an intense focus on a specific issue to do with the environment. There is a designated host country every year whose role is to lead these celebrations by engaging the global community in environmental events and activities organised by it.

Did you know: 

• It takes 1000 years for the generation of 3 cms of topsoil, yet, the soil of an area equivalent to a football pitch gets eroded every 5 seconds.
• Having trees in an urban setting results in reducing the temperature of the air up to 5o C thereby cutting down the need for the use of air conditioners by 25 percent.

World Environment Day 2024

World Environment Day provides an opportunity for all humanity to think of its relationship with nature and provides the platform for us to take significant and meaningful steps in the direction of a future that is better and sustainable. 

As a race, humanity does not have the power to turn back time, but together we have the ability to grow back lost forests, revive past sources of water and regenerate the eroded soil. The present generation is one which, if it is so inclined, has the capacity to make peace with the land. The World Environment Day theme 2024 is “Our Land. Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration”. This year’s Global Environment Day will be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

How Can You Join the Celebrations of World Environment Day 2024?

You may participate in World Environment Day 2024 in any of the following ways:

1. Join Local Events: Find out the activities being organised by the local environmental groups like planting of trees, drives to clean up ecologically significant areas and workshops to educate people on the environment and the significance of preserving it. You may join these activities being organised locally.
2. Raise Awareness: You may spread the message on this year’s theme and how this day is significant through your social media platforms as well as offline. Engage in meaningful discussions with a wide circle of people and spread the message of issues relating to the environment and the preservation and restoration of the same.
3. Adopt Sustainable Practices: Reduce your footprint on the environment by adapting yourself to make small changes in your daily life. This includes but is not limited to recycling, conservation of water, reducing your use of single-use plastic and using electrical appliances that are efficient in their use of energy. Turn off electrical appliances whenever you do not need to use them and try to invest in forms of energy that are renewable such as solar energy.
4. Support Environmental Causes: You may choose to donate money or even better, invest your time and efforts in volunteer work with those organisations that work on conservation of the environment and projects to restore the environment.
5. Promote: You may spread education about the significance and dire need to protect the environment among your family, friends and members of your community and teach them how they can contribute in their own ways.
6. Use Local and Sustainable Products: Purchase products that are sourced locally and are organic in nature. Such products are sustainable and help you to reduce your carbon footprint. You could also choose to use airlines that are taking steps to consciously reduce their carbon footprint, spend your vacations at resorts that are green in nature, and follow recycling and sustainable practices. Follow the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
7. Advocate for Change: Through the use of social media, personal interactions and participation in campaigns, you may advocate for the formulation of policies by the government and other organisations for the protection of the environment, fighting against climate change and promotion of sustainable practices at various levels – local, national as well as global.

Importance of World Environment Day

World Environment Day is significant as it is a crucial initiative in raising awareness globally and advocating for action on much-needed environmental issues. The significance of World Environment Day includes the following:

1. Raising Awareness: World Environment Day reminds people globally of the challenges the environment faces. Climate change, deforestation, pollution and loss of biodiversity – all affect the environment adversely. This day serves to remind people of the adverse impact their seemingly innocuous actions have on the environment.
2. Promoting Action: A special day kept aside and celebrated annually provides individuals and communities at large with encouragement to adopt practices and actions which protect the environment. Examples of such activities are planting trees, participating in projects to conserve, clean up and restore the environment, and raising your voice and opinion to favour sustainable practices.
3. Influencing Policy: World Environment Day provides governments and other organisations involved in formulating policies a globally recognised platform to announce new policies and regulations that serve to protect the environment. It also provides an impetus for governments across the globe to participate in the protection of ecology through international agreements and treaties.
4. Fostering the Spirit of Collaboration Globally: World Environment Day serves to foster cooperation among individuals, organisations and governments to be able to progress on common environmental goals. Such collaboration is an absolute necessity to be able to work on global environmental issues across borders.
5. Highlighting Innovations: World Environment Day is used to demonstrate various innovations in technology and solutions that are used to overcome challenges in the environment.  A special day strokes the imagination, creative thoughts and out-of-the-box solutions in people to find ways of work and living that are sustainable in nature.

What is Saudi Arabia Doing to Celebrate World Environment Day 2024?

The host of the 2024 World Environment Day, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, also known as KSA, in joint collaboration with the UNEP, i.e. the United Nations Environment Programme, have launched campaigns to attain the following goals:

• Combating desertification
• Restoration of land
• Build resilience to drought

These campaigns will further showcase the leadership role that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken up across the region in their efforts to combat climate change by planting trees in their endeavour to regreen and rewild huge tracts of land that are at present arid and semi-arid. They will also host probably the largest UN conference addressing land and drought to be held in Riyadh in early December 2024.

Let’s Go Green!

World Environment Day 2024 aims to provide us with a reminder to collaborate globally and address issues faced by the environment to be able to achieve a sustainable future. Just as the smallest drops contribute to forming an ocean, so do the smallest efforts made by every one of us. We all need to take this opportunity to rise above our personal needs and come together to protect the environment for future generations.

>> Also Read: How climate change is harmful for human health

Disclaimers: The above information is for reference purposes only: Policy Assurance and Claims at the underwriter's discretion.