World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on the 5th June to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The UNEP is an agency of United Nations and coordinates its environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices.
Each World Environment Day is organised around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. The theme for 2018 is ‘beating plastic pollution – if you can’t reuse it, refuse it’, it is a call for individuals to take charge of their surroundings and realise the severity of using plastic in daily life.
Every World Environment Day has a different global host country, where the official celebrations take place. This year it is India.
Plastic, which is uncontrollably polluting our water bodies, harming marine life and posing a threat to human health, has been one of the major concerns of environmental bodies this year. Although, a large proportion of the population depends on plastic for their daily needs, nearly one-third of it is not disposed of properly and ends up clogging drains and choking the environment. Plastic can persist in the environment for nearly a thousand years before it fully disintegrates, many organisations and governments are already on the lookout for alternatives to tackle this world-wide problem.
Through today, the UN is making an effort to urge governments, industries, communities and people to unite in the fight against plastic and explore alternatives that are more sustainable.
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