The World Environment Day 2008

(June 5, 2008) World Environment Day (WED), as the name implies, takes place every year on the 5th of June. It is a day of celebration as well as education and outreach. Each year the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP chooses a theme for the day and works towards promoting activities worldwide around that theme. The World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. The United Nations Environment Programme was also created in 1972, which uses WED to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action. Speaking on the occasion, the secretary General Ban Ki Moon said that the environmental, economic and political implications of global warming are profound. Ecosystems -- from mountain to ocean, from the Poles to the tropics -- are undergoing rapid change. Low-lying cities face inundation, fertile lands are turning to desert, and weather patterns are becoming ever more unpredictable. Our dependence on carbon-based energy has caused a significant build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, he said. We know that climate change is happening, and we know that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that we emit are the cause. The poor will be hardest hit by weather-related disasters and by soaring price inflation for staple foods, but even the richest nations face the prospect of economic recession and a world in conflict over diminishing resources. Mitigating climate change, eradicating poverty and promoting economic and political stability all demand the same solution: we must kick the carbon habit. This is the theme for World Environment Day 2008. "Kick the Habit: Towards a Low Carbon Economy", recognizes the damaging extent of our addiction, and it shows the way forward, said Ban Ki Moon. He concluded saying that the message of World Environment Day 2008 is that we are all part of the solution. “Whether you are an individual, an organization, a business or a government, there are many steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint,” he said.