World Environment Day creates a global dialogue for individuals to act and inspire others to build a greener future. Read the full story to know the significance of World Environment Day 2021.
PM Modi on World Environment Day, Source: ANI
Each year on June 5, World Environment Day is observed all around the world with an aim to engage citizens, businesses, and governments to understand the importance of the environment and address environmental issues.
World Environment Day creates a global dialogue for individuals to act and inspire others to build a greener future, produce sustainably, counteract climate change, and restore and repair the environment.
On World Environment Day held on June 5, 2021, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation in an event organized virtually by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Prakash Javadekar along with Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goal, Nitin Gadkari, and Dharmendra Pradhan also attended the event.
World Environment Day: History
- The UN General Assembly designated June 5 as World Environment Day in 1972 during the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. The United National Environmental Programme (UNEP), the coordinating body for all environmental activities by the UN was also founded on the same day during the conference.
- Two years later in 1974, the first World Environment Day was celebrated with the theme ‘One One Earth’. Since then, every year June 5 is observed as World Environment Day.
- The idea of different countries hosting the World Environment Day every year was adopted in 1987.
World Environment Day 2021: Theme and Host Country
- The World Environment Day 2021 will focus on the ‘Ecosystem Restoration’ with a theme of ‘Reimagine, Recreate, Restore’ this year.
- Keeping in line with the theme this year the World Environment Day 2021 will also launch the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a global mission to urgently revive our damaged forests, farmlands, mountains, seas, oceans, plants, animals from extinction.
- Pakistan is the host country for World Environment Day 2021. Each year, the day is hosted by a different country. The World Environment Day 2020 was hosted by Colombia in partnership with Germany to focus on Biodiversity. India had hosted World Environment Day 2018.
World Environment Day 2021: Significance
- As per the UN, the world loses over 4.7 million hectares of forest cover, equivalent to a football ground every three seconds. Over the last century, the world has lost half of its wetlands. Around 50 per cent of coral reefs have perished and 90 per cent would be lost by 2050 even if we manage to limit global warming to an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
- The World Environment Day 2021 urgently calls for action to revive our damaged ecosystems on a massive scale. This year, the kickoff of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) would mean everyone, citizens, businesses, and governments taking action to restore our ecosystem.
- The launching of the UN Decade of Action will also help in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 to combat catastrophic climate change in the coming years.
PM Modi addresses the nation on World Environment Day 2021: Highlights
- On the World Environment Day held on June 5, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation in an event organized virtually by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
- The theme of the event this year was ‘promotion of biofuels for a better environment’. During the event, PM Modi released the ‘Report of the Expert Committee on Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-2025’.
- The Indian government on World Environment Day also released E-20 Notification that directs all oil companies to sell ethanol-blended petrol with up to 20 percent ethanol starting April 1, 2023, and BIS specification for higher ethanol blends E12 & E15.
- Ethanol was rarely discussed in the country until seven to eight years, PM Modi said. Now ethanol is one of the major priorities of 21st century India. India has released a roadmap for the development of the ethanol sector for a better impact on the environment and lives of farmers.
- This roadmap will enable setting up additional ethanol distillation capacities, increase the availability of blended fuel across the country, and increase ethanol consumption in the ethanol-producing states and adjoining areas, by 2025.
- The E-100 pilot project for the production and distribution of ethanol was also launched by PM Modi at three locations in Pune. PM Modi also discussed with farmers their experience as enablers under the Ethanol Blended Petrol and Compressed Biogas Programmes.
- PM Modi mentioned that India’s renewable energy capacity has increased by more than 250 per cent in the past six to seven years. India now ranks among the top 5 countries for its installed renewable energy capacity of which the solar energy capacity of the country has grown by 15 times in the past 6 years.
- India is included among the top 10 countries in the Climate Change Performance Index. India as a strong advocate of climate change is marching ahead on the path of Economy and Ecology, be it the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure initiative, One Grid, One World, One Sun, or the International Solar Alliance, he said.
- India has provided over 23 lakh energy-efficient fans and 37 crores LED bulbs to the country. Projects such as Saubhagya Yojana and Ujjwala Yojana have helped reduce pollution as well health hazards faced by women and children.
- Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Prakash Javadekar along with Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goal, Nitin Gadkari, and Dharmendra Pradhan also attended the event.
Source: https://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/world-environment-day-2021-theme-history-significance-host-country-1622885813-1