The World Environment Day is celebrated on 5th June in over 100 countries. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) organizes events for World Environment Day annuallywhich encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. The theme for this year is ‘Biodiversity’
Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. The different animals, plants microorganisms and ecosystems make the Earth biologically diverse. Each specie on Earth plays a vital role and each one depends on another to form a balanced ecosystem.
A healthy and flourishing biodiversity provides us with a lot of things such as:
- Food
- Fuel
- Shelter
- Medicinal resources and pharmaceutical drugs
- Water resources
- Nutrient storage and recycling
- Climate stability
- Recovery from unpredictable events
- Research and education
- Recreation and tourism
Human health and welfare is dependent on biodiversity. It is extremely important for us to make sure that the ecosystem is healthy so that we can stay healthy. Human actions such as deforestation, pollution, chemical and waste contamination, poaching, unsustainable hunting for food etc are not only affecting the health of the humans adversely but also have a devastating effect on every organism that lives on Earth.
Our health and well-being is in our hands. We have the power to change our actions and work towards preserving the integrity of our ecosystem and deal with all the threats and challenges it faces.
According to UNEP: Recent events—from bushfires in Brazil, the United States, and Australia, locust infestations across East Africa, and now a global pandemic—demonstrate the interdependence of humans and the webs of life in which they exist. Nature is sending us a message. To care for ourselves we must care #ForNature.
Written By: Alvina Farhat