Essay on “World Environment Day – 5 June” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

World Environment Day

World Environment Day is celebrated each year on 5th June. The United Nations established in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on Human Environment. World Environment Day (WED) is hosted every year by a different city and celebrated with an international exhibition through the week of June 5. World Environment Day is used by the United Nations to encourage awareness of the environment and to garner political attention and public action. The first WED held at Stockholm ‘as the first time political, social and economic problems of the global environment were discussed at great length in view of taking some definitive action.

World Environment Day is celebrated in many ways. Street rallies, parades, street plays create awareness about world environment. In many cities contests like poster contests, essay contests, poetry contests, slogan contests and debates are held to celebrate this event further. The main objective always is to get the people involved with the environment. Some cities have art exhibitions with art made from recycled materials. Some get celebrities to endorse the campaign. Banners are put all across the street promoting the message of World Environment Day. Tree planting drives are also held in some cities. Awards are given out to those neighborhoods that have made a significant effort to take care of the environment.

Broadcast of public service announcements on TV and radio help to renew people’s efforts to saving the environment. Conferences are held to educate people about the efforts that can be made to preserve the environment. The WED’s agenda is to give importance to environmental issues. It hopes to empower people to become active agents promoting the cause of the environment. Change can happen only if it is effected at the community level; hence programs are held on World Environment Day that create community consciousness. Heads of Government and Ministers of Environment deliver speeches’ advising the people of what has already been achieved and what still needs to be achieved. Some even go a step further and set up permanent government bodies that will look specifically into environmental issues.

Each World Environment Day has a special topic that related to the environment that it addresses. The topic for World Environment Day for 2007 was “Melting Ice —a Hot Topic?” It discussed the affects the climate change was having on the polar ecosystems and communities and the resulting global impacts of these changes. The topic for WED 2006 was Deserts and Desertification and the slogan was “Don’t desert dry lands” which accentuated the relevance of protecting the dry lands which are home to one third of the world’s people, those that are more defenseless.

World Environment Day is a day for us to inspect the state of our environment. It calls for us to stop in our tracks one day in the year and examine our surroundings. It asks us to pledge, in a small way at least, to do something for the environment. The young and the old from all strata can contribute to the saving of the environment. Not everyone needs to make hefty contributions to world environment organizations. The little things, the ones that really matter are things like recycling our waste, using paper and products made of word discriminate and these can be done by anybody and everybody. Children can also contribute to this cause by not wasting water, by switching off the lights and fans in the house when not in use. There is something each of us can do to preserve the environment. So let us all pledge to do something, at least one thing, before the next World Environment Day.

( 600 Words )

World Environment Day-5 June 

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the united Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The United Nations General Assembly established world Environment Day  in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

The Day’s agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to grow to be active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding the communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and  advocate partnership, which will guarantee all nations and nationals enjoy a safer and more flourishing future.

Celebration of World Environment Day

World Environment Day can be celebrated in many ways, including street rallies, bicycles parades, green concerts, essay and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, recycling efforts, clean- up campaigns and much more. In many countries, this annual events is used to boost political attention and action.

Heads of State , Prime Minister and Minister of Environment deliver statements and commit themselves to care for the Earth. Pledges that are more solemn are made which lead to the establishment of permanent governmental structures dealing with environmental management and economic planning. This observance also provides an opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions.           

Theme of the year 2007

The World Environment Day slogan selected for 2007 is Melting Ice – a hot Topic? In support of International Polar Year, the WED theme selected for 2007 focuses on the effects that climate change is having on polar ecosystems and communities, and the subsequent consequences around the world.

Themes selected in yester years

2007-Melting Ice- a Hot Topic?

2006-Deserts and Desertification – Don’t Desert Drylands!

2005-Green Cities – Plan for the Planet!

2004-Wanted ! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive?

2003-Water – Two Billion People are Dying for it!

2002-Give Earth a Chance

2001-Connect with the World Wide Web of Life

2000-The Environment Millennium – Time of Act

1999-Our Earth – Our Future – Just Save it!

1998-For Life on Earth – Save Our Seas

1997-For life on Earth

1996-Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home

1995-We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment

1994-One Earth One Family

1993-Poverty and the Environment – Breaking the Vicious circle

1992-Only One Earth, Care and Share

1991-Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership

1990-Children and the Environment

1989-Global Warming ; Global Warming

1988-When People Put the Environment First , Development Will Last

1987-Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof

1986-A Tree for Peace

1985-Youth : Population  and the Environment

1984-Desertification

1983-Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy

1982-Ten Year After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns)

1981-Ground water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains

1980-A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development Without Destruction

1979-Only One Future for Our Children – Development without Destruction

1978-Development without Destruction 

1977- Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation

1976-Water: Vital Resource for Life

1975-Human Settlements

1974-Only one Earth

Environmental issues

One of the prominent issues of the 21^st century pertains to global environment. Because of the growing awareness of the environmental crisis, these issues occupy top precedence in national and international agenda. These environmental issue include both pollution related issues such as global warming, acid rain and one depletion and resource depletion problems such as deforestation and extinction of species besides other bio- diversity issues.     

Human life cannot exist in isolation. All forms of life depend on environment. The economic, social and cultural activities of humanity are shaped by environment. All religions of the world formulated that a clean environment was fundamental to the growth of community. The intention was to underline  and ensure proper regard for environmental bounties like earth, air, water etc.

Environment remains largely little understood  subject. It is like the proverbial case of the elephant and the blind man. The term environment refers everything around us. Man himself is a part of the environment that constitutes the earth, air, water, sunshine, rivers, mountains, forests, sky and everything.  The qualitative development and quantitative progress of humanity depends on the quality of the environment.

Soil, water and air are the three main components of our environment. Clean air, pure water and fertile soil are essential for healthy living. When these natural resources are  contaminated, our lives would be thrown to danger. Natural resources, which are vital for food, livelihood and environmental security , are under extreme the rapid population growth, modern process of production and consumption, changes in human life style, all these have brought grim environmental problems.

In the blind race of development, man has forgotten to take care of environmental problems. The consequences are :

• Only half of the world’s population breathes healthy air.
• Less than half of the world’s rural population has clean water.
• Million tonnes of hazardous waste flood the environment every year.
• About a hundred species of plants and animals are disappearing every day; and
• An annual increase in the world’s food production is only half the world’s population growth.

Concept of Pollution

Pollution can be defined as an unwelcome change in the physical, chemical , or biological characteristics of the air, water and land. Any substance that causes pollution is called ‘ pollutant’. There are a number of reasons for pollution. Chemical industries, the spilling of oil in oceans, automobiles, domestic wastes, radioactive wastes, untreated sewage, garbage,  pesticides etc., cause pollution.

The addition of some chemical substances to the soil in excess causes soil pollution. They cause damage to the fertile soil resulting in low productivity. Soil is polluted in various ways. They are , excessive use of fertilizers and insecticides; deforestation and soil erosion; acid rain; solid wastes like garbage, trash, building materials and plastics; industrial waster (untreated effluents) etc.

Causes of Pollution

One of the main reasons for the degradation of environment is over population. Over population triggers the misuse of natural resources. Environmentalists call this population explosion ‘ population bomb’. Today India is home to 102 crores, that is 1/6^th of the world population. Harmonious relationship with nature is indispensable for the smooth functioning of any society. For that the society has to learn to exist without upsetting nature as far as possible. In order to do so, population has to be stabilized.

Another important reason for environmental degradation is poverty. Poverty is existent in almost all countries of the world. In India even after 55 years of Independence. About 50% of rural Population lives below poverty line. Poverty lies at the centre of the destruction of the environment. Poor people often destroy their own environment by cutting down dwindling forest stocks, over grazing the fragile grasslands, supplying wood materials to paper  factories, match factories, rayon   industrials etc. thereby availing income. Indigence is both the cause and effect of environmental degradation.

Today, the havoc caused by ‘pollution’ is heard from nook and corner of the world. It has gone to such an extent that people are unable to breathe fresh air and drink fresh water. On the one hand the advancements of science and technology have added to the human comforts by way of providing automobiles, electrical appliances, supersonic jets, space crafts, better medicines, better chemicals to control harmful insects and other pests, etc., on the other hand, they have given us a very serious problem to face and that is ‘pollution’.

Air Pollution

The major component of environment is air without good quality air, there cannot be a healthy life. yet, clean air is a rare commodity today. To get fresh air ‘ Oxygen Parlours’ are coming up in big cities and towns. Human activities like industrial production , motor transport and burning of fossil fuels are the major causes of air pollution. In India, air pollution  is mainly due to emission of vehicles on the roads that has been rightly stated as the ‘disease of wealth’.       

Water Pollution

The country’s water resources are also facing problems of pollution leading to high occurrence of water borne diseases. Almost all surface water is unfit for human consumption. It is estimated that 30.5 million lives are lost every year due to poor water quality, sanitation and hygiene. World Health Organization data shoes that 21 percent of all communicable diseases in India are water related. Oxygen content of water is reduced to a great extent, killing aquatic animals and fishes.  

Noise Pollution

Another pollution that seriously affects life on earth is noise pollution. Noise pollution  is attributed mainly to industry and transport. Depending upon the scale of operations of these sectors  the intensity of noise pollution varies. However, it is increasingly being felt that the transport sector, both surface and air transport is responsible for intensifying the noise level.

Environmental pollution poses a serious threat to life. the industrial smoke of Mathura Refinery has already spoiled the splendor of Taj Mahal. The industrial waste into Ganges has led to health hazard both for man and vegetation. Important cities are filled with tons of pollutants such as Carbon monoxide from petrol, diesel and jet engines, sulphur – dioxide from factories, power plants and other chemical compounds from various sources. This results in the form of diseases like Asthma, Lung cancer, SARS etc.

Tourism described as a smokeless industry has its environmental implications. Tourism development creates some ecological problems not found in any other type of economic venture. Tourists are attracted to the spots due to  their abundance in environmental resources, their outstanding beauty, recreational possibilities or educational and cultural interest. Tourism if not properly controlled, it sure to defeat its own purpose. The well   known economic analyst and futurologist Herman Khan described the rapidly expanding tourism as ‘next to atomic power in its potential for environmental destruction’. Tourism development can become a positive factor if proper planning is done.   

Environmental degradation in rural areas is a cause and effect phenomenon. Poverty, low income, lack of livelihood sources, non- awareness about  the environment etc. are causes of environmental degradation. Similarly loses of biomass, soil degradation , loss of degradation. Hence, a two – way approach is required. The first should be to solve the rural problems through development process and secondly to protect environment through community participation by creating awareness among them. An integrated Environmental Management system is required to halt environmental degradation and promote land development, maintain sustainable agriculture development and village forestry provide agro- support services, and supply natural resource inputs to economic production process.    

Environmental Awareness

Some of the major schemes for imparting environmental education and creation of awareness among the public, includes Environment Education & Training, Seminars / Symposia/ Workshops and Centers of Excellence. Environmental Education and Training  involves programmes like National Environment Awareness Campaign, setting up of Eco- clubs in schools and various campaigns through print and electronic media. Efforts are being made to include Environment studies as a formal subject in schools.      

The problem of environmental degradation is a complex one and there is no single solution. Any viable strategy must take into account not only the physical nature of the problems but also the human factors. Mere legislation can never be enough unless it is enforced strictly. As the noted naturalist, Dr. Salim Ali commented “India has the most compressive nature protection laws in the world, but it has also the least effective machinery to enforce them.”

Environmental awareness should be inculcated by motivating common people towards active participation. The role of voluntary organizations to check forest destruction is an important aspect of environmental  protection. The Chipko movement was started to save Himalayan forest while Appiko movement was active to save forests in Karnataka. Plantation, regeneration and protection of forestlands by voluntary organizations should be recognized by the panchayats;  district authorities and state govt. as well as financial assistance should be provided.  

Development Vs Environment

Development and environment need be looked upon as contradictions but as complementary factors. Both are necessary for growth of human society, and of nations, a balanced and buoyant environment is fundamental not only for continued development efforts , but also for ensuring quality of life. a cleaner environment means less pollution , less sickness, less misery and would result in greater productivity that   would lead to development. This interdependence has to be properly understood and practiced. Clean atmosphere and environment have to be views as a unique national asset. It is the primary responsibility of man to preserve and improve the quality of environment.

( 2000 Words )