From our childhood, Environment Day is always a nostalgic remembrance. Planting, watering, playing in soil, and spending the whole day enjoying the environment was quite fun as a child. Nowadays, in offices, public places everywhere we celebrate Environment Day by plantations and awareness classes etc. But do we care about those planted ones after the end of the day? Do we water them and nurture them to a proper tree or shrub? Clicking selfies with our plantation and enjoying it in WhatsApp status doesn’t protect the environment nor it will serve the purpose of environment day. So, let us check on the importance of Environment Day and the current relevance of the Environment Day theme of 2024.
World Environment Day is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. It is celebrated by millions of people across the world. WED has developed as a platform to raise awareness on the problems facing our environment such as air pollution, plastic pollution, illegal wildlife trade, sustainable consumption, sea-level increase, and food security, among others. Furthermore, WED helps drive change in consumption patterns and in national and international environmental policy.
World Environment Day 2024 is focusing on the theme, “land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience”. It will be celebrated under the slogan “Our Land. Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration”, as the year marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, it will demonstrate the country’s strong commitment to delivering a solution to today’s environmental crisis. Recharged global action to protect and restore productive land has the power to boost livelihoods, support food security, build resilience to extreme weather and increase carbon storage.
According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, up to 40 per cent of the planet’s land is degraded, directly affecting half of the world’s population, and threatening roughly half of global GDP. The number and duration of droughts have increased by 29 per cent since 2000 – without urgent action, droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050.
As per article 51A of the constitution of India “The Fundamental Duties” have been envisaged as, “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to Protect and improve the natural environment including forest, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures.” Apart from the moral duty, we are obliged to keep our environment neat and tidy. The arising number of flood breakouts in different areas is an alarming sign to keep us alert.
Environment Day not only emphasises on the plantation. It also needs to take attention to our other natural resources, air, water, and land. Janapadodhwasa, the major subject of concern issued by Acharya Charaka, plays a fine regard in this aspect. Whenever there is adharma, it directly affects our natural resources, air, water, land and climate further causing damage to janapada (people residing in that area – community).
Air pollution is a better example in this aspect. Air condition in Delhi was an alarming crisis in the news feed. Air Pollution mainly constitutes particulate matter and gases. Increasing levels of PM2.5 (Particulate Matter of less than 2.5-micron size), PM10 (Particulate Matter of less than 10-micron size), NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide) in ambient air have been in the attention of the media, Courts, and various other organizations as well as public. Meteorological factors viz Wind Speed, Wind Direction, humidity, temperature etc also play a crucial role in the air pollution episodes that happen in the winter months in the whole of North India. It is also evident that Delhi’s Environment is highly influenced by different meteorological phenomena. In summer, the particulate is influenced by dust storms from Rajasthan and in winter by calm conditions and inversion as well as biomass burning in Delhi NCR.
Water pollution is yet another concern, where domestic sewage and industrial effluent plays a major role. To combat this, many sewage treatment plans to Recycle & Reuse of treated wastewater for flushing, horticulture, cooling, etc are being encouraged. The government is implementing many policies for the protection of the environment. So, as an obliged citizen, it’s our duty to follow the rules and support and protect the environment.
Above all these, the main villain plastic and its byproducts need to be avoided. Many states have imposed a ban on the use of plastic bags and supporting eco-friendly items.
The government has launched many missions to support the environment like,
- National solar mission
- National mission for enhanced energy efficiency
- National mission on sustainable habitat
- National water mission
- National mission for sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem.
- National mission for green India
- National mission for sustainable agriculture
- National mission for strategic climatic change
A healthy lifestyle doesn’t only mean mentally, and physically fit, but also living in a healthy environment. As said by someone,
“I’m an Earth warrior. Take care of the Earth and she will take care of you. Waste not the smallest thing created, for grains of sand make mountains and atomies infinity”
