As wildfires ravage California and the West Coast of the US several cities have been shrouded in smoke and orange fog. The scenes are eerie and apocalyptic.
5 June is World Environment Day: we celebrate our (one and only) home
The 2017 edition of World Environment Day aims to promote a more conscious and healthier relationship with the environment, highlighting the fragile beauty of nature and our dependence on it.
‘Home’ can mean a number of things according to each of us but ultimately it evokes a sense of safety and well-being. It’s an ancestral space where our memories and experiences lie. Planet Earth is our home. It’s the place where our species took its first steps, and evolved throughout millennia.
World Environment Day
Unlike any other animal species we share the planet with, humans demand more than the environment can provide, leading to its inevitable destruction. A WWF study shows how the world’s wildlife is ever more threatened: two thirds of the animal species could become extinct over the next four years. No other species had such an impact as Homo sapiens, which heavily altered life on Earth in no time becoming protagonist of the sixth extinction and modifying irreversibly the climate and chemical balance of the atmosphere and the oceans. With the objective of stirring our consciences, World Environment Day (WED), instituted by the United Nations in 1972, is celebrated on the 5th of June.
How UNEP was established
The 5th of June marks the first important international summit on the environment: the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1972. That meeting allowed the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). World Environment Day aims to increase people’s awareness on the importance of the environment, and promote good practices able to generate an exponentially positive impact on our planet.
Connecting people with nature
The 2017 edition, under the slogan Connecting People with Nature, aims to highlight the crucial role we play in protecting the Planet, to which we are closely linked and depend on. World Environment Day represents an occasion to strengthen our relationship with the environment, discovering its fragile beauty and commiting to safeguarding it through small daily actions.
The host of the 2017 edition is Canada
This year’s official celebrations will take place in Canada, which has been elected the host of 2017. Canada, thanks to its incredible natural heritage, is a perfect example of how conservation and economic growth can, and should, go hand in hand. In fact, Canada’s natural resources support the country’s economic development thanks to tourism and a sustainable use of resources. World Environment Day is also an important part of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the country. On that occasion, Canada announced that its 47 national parks will be free of charge for the hole of 2017.
Salman Khairalla is an Iraqi activist who’s been fighting to protect his country’s marshes, a key water resource, since 2007.
Dozens of people who fell ill because of toxic fumes and waste from a lead refinery on the outskirts of Mombasa have found justice in court.
Dozens of people who fell ill because of toxic fumes and waste from a lead refinery on the outskirts of Mombasa have found justice in court.
Mohammed Reza Sahib, who fights for the right to water as a public good, has contributed to halting the privatisation of this resource in Indonesia.
He’s been fighting for solutions to India’s water crisis for a long time. Environmentalist and water defender Rajendra Singh tells us his story.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Earth Overshoot Day 2020 falls on 22 August, over three weeks later than in 2019. A blessing in disguise?
The cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of Mauritius on 25 July, causing incalculable damage, has split in two and its captain has been arrested.
Moha Tawja is an activist fighting for the right to water in Morocco. The water defender tells us about the damage caused by the mining industry.