W O R L D E N V I R O N M E N T D A Y :

C E L E B R A T E B I O D I V E R S I T Y Biodiversity is the culmination of all species of flora and fauna that live on planet Earth across land, forest, deserts, oceans, rocks, ice, A B O U T atmosphere etc. It accounts for the billions of W O R L D life forms that roam on Earth with variations at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. E N V I R O N M E N T It is the result of 3.5 billion years of evolution since life began on Earth in the form of D A Y microorganisms like bacteria and single-celled protozoa. The United Nations Environment Programme published an article on the occasion of marking the 2010 International World Environment Day is celebrated by Year of Biodiversity reads “From the hot arid more than 143 countries around the world on deserts of the Sahara, through the lush green 5th June every year. First celebrated in 1974, rainforests of the Amazon, to the ocean it has been the United Nations prime drive depths and bright corals, our natural world is a since then to spread awareness about marvel of different landscapes, materials, environmental protection, global warming, colors and textures”. climate crisis, human overpopulation, wildlife conservation, etc. Each year it observes a Life continues to flourish till today, on the new theme to celebrate the day worldwide watery blue planet called Earth which is just a with a mission to propagate the idea across tiny speck of dust among billions of galaxies in nations about different environmental the vastness of the cosmos. But life has not causes. The first World Environment Day been so blessed since its inception and more celebration was held with the theme “Only than 99.9 percent of all species that ever lived One Earth”. Since then, different nations host on Earth, amounting to over five billion the celebration and observe a new theme. species are estimated to be extinct due to Some of them are “Beat Air Pollution” in rapid environmental changes. 2019, “Beat Plastic Pollution” in 2018, “Connecting People to Nature” in 2017, “Go Wild for Life” in 2016, etc. The theme for this year’s World Environment Day is “Celebrate Biodiversity”.

Thus, it is no wonder that life harbors on “With people taking refuge to slow down planet Earth in the perfect balance of heat, the spread of COVID – 19 infections, the air, water, soil, and space. Regretfully, all daily discharge of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas major causes of biodiversity loss around the reduced drastically by 17% worldwide”, world are man-made. The habitat loss to reports a recent study conducted by the species due to human-induced pressure on Global Carbon Project. The animal land, loss of ecosystem due to unsustainable kingdom slowly taking over the streets and overexploitation of natural resources by water world as there is less human humans, man-made pollution of all kinds due interaction amidst COVID – 19 pandemics. to rapid development and overpopulation “Coronavirus: Wild animals enjoy the and global climate change due to human- freedom of a quieter world” reads the news induced carbon emissions. The air, water, article in world BBC news. soil, ocean, etc. are polluted. Deforestation has its toll on the weather and animal On the occasion of World Environment kingdom. The snowfall in the Middle East Day, the Energy Swaraj Foundation (ESF) region, wild bushfires in Australia burning urges all to take the pledge of nonviolence millions of acres of land, flood in Venice city, to the environment and put hands together air pollution in Delhi, drought, and famine in for the environmental protection activity many parts of the world due to irregular around them. The ESF is celebrating World weather changes are a few examples of Environmental Day 2020 where climate change crisis in recent times. participants will perform a series of awareness activities on climate change As the world was withering away due to the mitigation. The ESF has initiated its climate crisis and the nations came together plantation program under its mass to battle in cohesion, the COVID – 19 movement drive. In order to know more pandemics crippled the world human life about the World Environment Day and balance out of proportions with all Energy Swaraj Foundation, you may also countrywide lockdowns. Factories halted, refer to the following readings: offices closed, business to stand still, roads empty, people largely remained indoors. It has a drastic effect on social and economic fronts but it was a lesson to nations in the world to assert the unchecked exploitation of nature, their cruelty towards animal kingdom and the madness to rise above all. In the post COVID world, people witnessed cleaner air, rivers, lakes, and nature quietly reviving the ecosystem.

T H A N K Y O U !