Let's Do Our Bit

Today i.e. 5th June is the World Environmet Day. The World Environment Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Commemorated every year on 5 June, World Environment Day is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The day�s agenda is to:

� Give a human face to environmental issues;
� Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable
development;
� Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing
attitudes towards environmental issues;
� Advocate partnership, which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

The theme for World Environment Day 2009 is �Your Planet Needs You! Unite to Combat Climate Change�. It reflects the urgency for nations to �seal the deal� at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year.

It also raises a call for everyone to get involved, rethink actions and ways that result in wastage and heavy greenhouse gas emissions, and adopt a greener lifestyle. Each year a different city is chosen as the principal venue for the global celebration of World Environment Day. This year�s host is Mexico which affirms the growing role of the country in the fight against climate change, including its growing participation in the carbon markets.

Mexico is also a leading partner in UNEP�s Billion Tree Campaign. The country, with the support of its President and people, has spearheaded the pledging and planting of some 25 per cent of the trees under the campaign. Mexican President Felipe Calderon states that the World Environment Day celebration will �further underline Mexico�s determination to manage natural resources and deal with the most demanding challenge of the 21st century � climate change.�

This year�s World Environment Day will also highlight the �Green New Deal� � a solution to the global financial meltdown and global warming by calling for increased investments in renewable energy sources, ecosystem infrastructures and energy-efficient production processes.