How to be kinder to the environment
You may not be able to see it with the naked eye, but it exists and keeps you alive and breathing. For something so vital to living in general, the air is expected to be well taken care of, however, this is not the reality. Just like how air is not seen, some of its pollutants remain unseen too. (Pixabay photo)
The environment is kind. It gives you a place to live in and it literally provides you with the air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat. It is something that is made to give you the necessities to live life. So how can you be kinder to the environment in return?
Luckily, it’s World Environment Day (WED) every 5th of June in your calendar, and here are the things that you need to know, because the environment is not only for you and me; it is for everybody.
What sprouted from the worded exchange on human interactions and the environment by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly back in 1972, has now grown to branches and fruits of yearly celebrations to raise awareness and to call on the people to act.
It is in 1974 that the WED was started to be celebrated annually, with different themes being the core of each June 5 of the year.
And to make this celebration more global, 1987 is the year that paved the way for nations to helm the celebration on a rotational-basis by being host countries.
So many problems, so little time
Indeed, with the environment being larger than life that houses different beings that are not only limited to the human species, how can a day be enough to cater to all the problems that infest in it? Sometimes a human’s life span may not even be enough for these.
How about the effort of many though? Will that be enough to combat these difficulties?
True enough, one person will never be enough but if that person can raise awareness and affect many other people who will be carrying the same will, anything is possible. WED also sports itself as a “people’s day” for doing something to take care of the Earth. And this something can be done by an individual or by a group of people. With people coming from different parts of the world, these movements are not limited to global actions as activities can be local or national.
“Everyone is free to choose,” WED says.
After all, environmental problems cannot just disappear overnight especially when most of these are long-term ones that stem from different factors. Some of these include pollution which is present on land, water, and air and are caused by different things. There are issues on global warming and climate change too that are time-sensitive.
This is where the different themes come in each year – to one by one give focus on these problems and how to deal with them with our power.
Care for the air we share
You may not be able to see it with the naked eye, but it exists and keeps you alive and breathing. For something so vital to living in general, the air is expected to be well taken care of, however, this is not the reality. Just like how air is not seen, some of its pollutants remain unseen too.
For 2019, the host country China encourages everyone from around to globe to reflect on our day-to-day lives and see what changes can be done to help in the reduction of air pollution.
“Air pollution. We can’t stop breathing, but we can do something about the quality of air,” this text is what welcomes one who decides to read the theme of WED for this year.
Not only does air keep us alive, but the quality of air that living things intake enters their bodies affects their health.
According to the WED’s official site, nine out of 10 people worldwide are exposed to pollutants in the air in such a level that exceeds the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) safe levels.
“Around seven million people worldwide die prematurely each year for air pollution with about four million of these deaths occurring in Asia-Pacific,” it reads.
“Air pollution causes a host of other problems, including illness and lower IQs. It doesn’t just impact human health and economic growth. Many of the pollutants also cause global warming,” WED adds.
We share the air this is why we should also share the care.
As emphasized by the yearly celebration on the awareness of the environment, the problems being raised and being lifted as the theme require the people to act.
Act now
Surely, WED is every June 5, but this does not mean that the action starts on the very same day. The theme and schedule are just here to remind everyone that environmental problems are happening now.
WED even specified the causes of air pollution into different categories, those being the household, industry, transport, agriculture, waste, and other possible sources.
This year’s aim is for the people reevaluate themselves and their activities that contribute to the contamination of the air we breathe; because for these actions that we do, there is always an alternative, but for that precious air, there is none.
How can you be kind to the environment? It is pretty simple. It does not require large amounts of money and rigorous efforts. Awareness is key, because the next acts just follow after the eye-opening experience.
For more information on WED, visit here to learn more.
