Pakistan hosts World Environment Day celebrations on 5th June (Video and Text)

KARACHI: Pakistan hosted the official celebrations of the World Environment Day 2021 on 5th of June.

Speaking on the occasion Prime Minister Imran Khan said it was a matter of distinction for Pakistan to host the World Environment Day. PM commended the UN for asking the developed world to fulfill its responsibility and support those countries which are working for the protection of environment. According to the PM United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is an opportunity for the world to do the course correction and work towards meeting the carbon emission cut targets. He hasted to inform though Pakistan’s carbon emission share was minuscule, it had decided to take initiatives to offset the impact of global warming.

UN Secretary General António Guterres stated: “We are rapidly reaching the point of no return for the planet. We face a triple environmental emergency –biodiversity loss, climate disruption and escalating pollution. For too long, humanity has cut down the Earth’s forests, polluted its rivers and oceans, and ploughed its grasslands into oblivion. We are ravaging the very ecosystems that underpin our societies. And, in doing so, we risk depriving ourselves of the food, water and resources we need to survive. The degradation of the natural world is already undermining the well-being of 3.2 billion people – or 40 per cent of humanity. Luckily, the Earth is resilient. But she needs our help.

“We still have time to reverse the damage we have done. That is why, on this World Environment Day, we are launching the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This global movement will bring together governments, businesses, civil society and private citizens in an unprecedented effort to heal the Earth. By restoring ecosystems, we can drive a transformation that will contribute to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals. The task is monumental. We need to replant and protect our forests. We need to clean up our rivers and seas. And we need to green our cities.

“Accomplishing these things will not only safeguard the planet’s resources. It will create millions of new jobs by 2030, generate returns of over $7 trillion dollars every year and help eliminate poverty and hunger. The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a global call to action. It will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Everyone can contribute. Science tells us these next 10 years are our final chance to avert a climate catastrophe, turn back the deadly tide of pollution and end species loss. So, let today be the start of a new decade – one in which we finally make peace with nature and secure a better future for all.”

5th day of June had been designated as World Environment Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 2016 to provide a platform for initiating action on pressing environmental issues. World Environment Day is meant to urge governments and the organizations in the United Nations system to undertake on that day every year world-wide activities reaffirming their concern for the preservation and enhancement of the environment.

United Nations had grasped on the occasion to warn the humanity that the emergence of COVID-19 had manifested just how disastrous the consequences of ecosystem loss could be. Due to shrinking of the area of natural habitat for animals humanity had created ideal conditions for diseases like COVID-19. On individual level the World Environment Day helps drive change in the consumption habits. On universal level it gives a direction to governments and organizations forge positive national and international environmental policy.