WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY - ENVIRONMENT
News: World Environment Day turns global gaze towards
land restoration
What's in the news?
● The 51st edition of World Environment Day was a
record-breaking success, with an unprecedented 3,854 official events and tens
of millions of online engagements drawing attention to how humanity can counter
three often-overlooked perils - land degradation, desertification and
drought.
June 5 - World Environment Day:
1. Theme of 2024 - "Land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience"
2. Slogan -
"Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration."
3. Objective:
● The purpose of the day is to promote the importance
of the environment and to inform people that they should not take nature for
granted.
Key Takeaways from the Theme and Slogan:
1. Highlighting a Critical Issue:
● Land degradation and desertification are major
threats, impacting food security, biodiversity, and climate change.
● Bringing attention to this issue raises awareness
and encourages action.
2. Urgency for Action:
● The theme emphasizes the actions that are crucial
amidst the intensification of the triple planetary crisis - Climate Change,
Nature and Biodiversity Loss, and Pollution and Waste.
3. Shared Responsibility:
● The theme underscores that restoring our planet’s
ecosystems requires collective action and individual responsibility.
● It encourages everyone to contribute to solutions.
4. Empowering Youth:
● The #GenerationRestoration hashtag in the slogan
2024 emphasises the role of young people in leading the change towards a more
sustainable future.
● It inspires and motivates them to take action.
5. Alignment with Global Goals:
● The theme aligns with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) and the Sustainable
Development Goals, promoting a holistic approach to environmental protection.
Backdrop:
● The United
Nations General Assembly established June 5 as World Environment Day,
commemorating the start of the Stockholm
Conference on the Human Environment in 1972.
● The first observance of World Environment Day took
place in 1973.
Significance:
● World Environment Day has grown into the world’s largest medium for environmental
engagement, with a huge number of people from all over the world
participating in activities to safeguard the environment.
● This day serves as a reminder to people that they have the power to create good change
at the grassroots and community levels by making better choices and keeping a
check on policies that harm the environment.
Important Takeaways:
With a strategic focus on
fostering ecosystem restoration and sustainable land management practices
worldwide, the theme for this year’s World Environment Day holds special
significance as explained in the section below.
Arab Forum for Environment:
● The Arab Forum for Environment will be organized
from 3-4 June in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
to explore critical environmental issues in the Arab region, including land
degradation and drought.
● The two-day event aims to identify potential cooperation opportunities and establish a regional dialogue.