World Environment Day 2020: Things You Need To Know

World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5 every year. Ever since 1974, this day is one of the most renowned day for environmental action. The day serves as a reminder to each one of us not to vouchsafe nature. One should understand the need to protect and preserve the environment. 

In 1972, UN General Assembly establishes World Environment Day on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. In 1974, two years later after the establishment, the very first World Environment Day was celebrated with the theme ‘Only One Earth.’ This day is eminent for environment action, engaging governments, business, celebrities and citizens to pivot their attention on environmental issues. 

Each year a theme is selected and a country is appointed to celebrate this day and to jog people’s memory to safeguard the environment. World Environment Day 2020, focuses on the theme ‘Biodiversity’ and will be hosted in Colombia in partnership with Germany. Biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services to which human well-being is intimately linked. Biodiversity plays a vital role to maintain the ecological balance of the earth. A healthy ecosystem can help to lower the risk of diseases and the way it is acknowledged. 

Nature rejuvenates itself from time to time, but only with the combined efforts of human beings. The air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the habitat we live in, it has all been bestowed to us by the environment. Nature has delivered us with beautiful bounties, yet it becomes the duty of human beings to protect them. Human beings fail to understand their faithfulness towards the environment. Humans are rather focused to develop new wonders every now and then. In order to achieve great heights, human beings have crossed every line. The deforestation, encroachment on wildlife habitats, intensified agriculture, and acceleration of climate change are some of the ordinary examples of human’s action towards the environment.

In light to protect the environment always, the United Nation has defined sustainable goals for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. These goals have a large aim to protect the environment for not only just one day but throughout the lifespan of a person. According to Sustainable Development Goals, They are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations.

According to the United Nations, some of the facts and statistics on how biodiversity is getting impacted because of our actions are-

• Biodiversity involves 8 million plant and animal species, the ecosystems that house them, and the genetic diversity among them. In the last 150 years, the live coral reef cover has been reduced by half
• Within the next 10 years, one out of every four known species may have been wiped off the planet
• It would take 1.6 Earths to meet the demands that humans make on nature each year

World Environment Day is a platform to bring out a positive change. Every individual should realise that the need to protect the environment lies in one's own hands. As it is believed one small change can bring about a greater change, to make the world a better place to live in.