International Mother Earth Day 2023

Invest in our Planet

Naresh Thakar, Former PRO GPCB

Important details highlighted in this write-up shall be useful to the education sphere, also. Every year, 4,000 lakh tons of plastic waste is produced globally. Just less than 8 per cent plastic waste is recycled.  Every minute, we buy 10 lakh plastic bottles. Worldwide about  95,13,000 plastic bags used, every minute. Almost all plastic wastes end up in to our rivers, oceans, our food, and our landfills. The harmful plastic pollution effects to environment, marine-life, and human health are well known. Our irresponsible lifestyle renders littering beaches, landscapes, clogging waste streams and scattering landfills. Wastewaters generated from our most habitats discharged illegally into nearby natural drains, rivulets, rivers, ponds, any watercourses including seacoast. Haphazard land, air and water pollution are yet totally to be controlled. Plastic is reportedly, also found in blood stream, heart, lungs, kidneys, and brains. The plastic particles can last for thousands of years.  By now, most of us know that plastic waste is a very bad thing. Burning plastic wastes emits most harmful gases dioxin and furan in the atmosphere. They are also known as persistent environmental pollutants.

            Climate change, is man-made wrong changes to nature. It is disrupting biodiversity, like deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture, and livestock production. Moreover, growing illegal wildlife trade, increase destruction of our planet. The UN Conference on the Human Environment-1972, held in Stockholm realised the environment interdependence among people. The UN Earth Summit held in Johannesburg in 2002.  The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg decided to achieve development with due consideration for the environment. The United Nations addresses various issues including, ‘Protect the Mother Earth’. The UN General Assembly designated 22 April as International Mother Earth Day in 2009.

     Past few years, it observed that the US based organisation, the ‘Earth Day Network’, promoted the Mother Earth Day celebration, under a trademark the ‘EARTHDAY.ORG’. It has partnership spread over 192 countries, drives positive action for the Earth. It has declared a theme for the Earth Day-2023 as ‘Invest in Our Planet’. The theme is a repeat of a previous year. ‘The Earth Day Network India Trust’, is an India based, another organisation launched in the year 2010. It conducts environmental programs. The theme highlights importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving climate change and other environmental issues.

     This organisation has appealed again to come together for betterment of the planet. The businesses, governments, and civil society are equally responsible for taking action against the climate crisis. They have abilities to make change towards a green, prosperous, and equitable future. We must fight for the green revolution, and the health of future generations.

     It advocates the literacy on the climate and environment, with strong civic education would create jobs, and build a green consumer market. It encourages citizens in a meaningful way to address the climate crisis. Every school in the world should render fully integrated, assessed climate and environmental education.

     It indicated that changing human attitudes and behaviour toward the plastics usages could help reducing plastic pollution. The campaign on the ‘End Plastic Pollution’ shall further help us to understand the impacts of plastic pollution on human and ecosystem health.

     It order to conserve and restore a green cover of the Earth, the ‘Canopy Project’ of planting trees would help to improve the distressed environment. Wide range of the plantation will also help sustain against environmental disaster.

     A Healthy Economy: The sustainability is a prosperous path for the humanity and the businesses. Companies developed with a strong Environment Social Governance (ESG) standards, found availing better profitability, sound financial performance, and happier employees. It is crucial for businesses of all sizes to act now. If they don’t, climate change will cause even more catastrophic damage to our economies. It shall negatively affect us, too!

     Sustainable fashion: The fashion industry produces 150 billion garments a year. Almost 87 per cent thereof, say about 400 lakh tons of garments as wastes end up in a landfill. These garment wastes smoulder and pollute the air. This industry is stripping the Earth of its limited resources. It depletes healthy soil, contaminates fresh water sources, pollutes the air, damages eco-systems, and the health of biodiversity. Clothing must be collected, sorted and distributed to the recyclers, and help recycling of garments.

     Our only Home: We must raise our voices to compel local leaders to listen and act. Our actions have a massive effect on ecosystems and government deed. Prevalent younger generation of almost 45 per cent have stopped buying from poor ethical practices. We have the power to advocate eco-friendly businesses and climate-friendly investments. It is time to take action and INVEST IN OUR PLANET !

     Reasonable future: The Governments should further transform the economy by empowering green business practices as an ethical and lucrative option. Clean energy jobs provide more earnings. It is time to reduce dependence on the fossil fuel industry. Let us insist to carry forward the sustainable revolution, from today and ever for future generations.

     Dirty backyards: Anywhere within urban and rural areas, ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, reservoirs, mountains, valleys, coastlines and oceans, fields, farms, deserts, etc., we see littered plastic wastes and pollution. Though laws and regulations on pollution control duly enacted, implementation on ground appears disappointingly. In recent past, the offices of governments, earlier included among e-wastes generators were supposed to follow specific actions, now removed intelligently! However, let us support the clean-up programmes wholeheartedly.

     The Clean-up programmes: The plastic wastes clean-up programmes will help to reduce mound of such wastes further accumulating and spreading on land and within oceans. Nisarg Community Science Centre, Gandhinagar involving various NGOS, Authority, and an authorised Recycler jointly organise e-wastes collection campaign since past few years, successfully. Similarly, Ahmedabad based a prominent NGO ‘Paryavarn Mitra’, through their Green Catalyst brigade organise various wastes collection remarkable programmes, too. The GPCB as well as prominent Industries Associations also organise various environmental awareness programmes, occasionally. The Mount Carmel School, Gandhinagar continued plastic wastes collection significant project connecting both teachers and students, since many years. Village ponds are usually catering as animals’ drinking water source, washing utensils and clothes for locals. A simple but unique and systematic structure for these obvious purposes must be included in the rural development programmes. Solar energy integrated system shall also help to enhance isolated primary facilities for basic needs of such villages.  

     Let us join various clean-up programmes and help create a waste-free world together. We must Invest In Our Planet. A green future is certainly a prosperous future.