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World Oceans Day: Check History & Significance

June 1, 2024 admin

World Oceans Day is celebrated every year on June 8 and the main objective of the day is to focus on and create awareness about ocean conservation. World Oceans Day serves as a reminder to everyone about the major role the oceans have in our everyday life. The world’s oceans, their temperature, currents and marine life, drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the ocean. Throughout history, oceans and seas have also been vital for trade and transportation. Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.

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History Of World Oceans Day

The concept of a ‘World Oceans Day’ was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives and the important ways people can help protect it. In 2008, led by Canada, the United Nations General Assembly resolved that June 8 would be designated by the United Nations as “World Oceans Day”. The theme of the inaugural World Oceans Day in 2009 was ‘Our Oceans, Our Responsibility’. The theme for World Oceans Day 2024 is ‘Awaken New Depths.

What was the Earth Summit?

In 1992, more than 100 heads of state met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the first international Earth Summit convened to address urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development.

Oceans And The Threats They Face

Our modern habits and the use of many kinds of technologies have a devastating impact on the oceans and on the marine ecosystems and life in general.

Overfishing
Climate Change
Plastic Pollution

Did You Know?

World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5 to encourage global action to protect the environment. It is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and has been held annually since 1973. It is celebrated by millions of people across the world. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host World Environment Day 2024 with a focus on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.

How Can We Save The Oceans?

The time has come to take action and safeguard the ocean. We can all do our bit by taking small steps. We can:

Conserve Water
Shop Responsibly
Reduce Pollutants
Use Less Energy
Fish Responsibly
Reduce Waste
Reduce Vehicle Pollution

Some Important Facts About Oceans:

Did you know that the Earth has one global ocean? Oceanographers and nations have divided it into five different geographical regions – the Pacific, the Atlantic, India, Arctic, and Southern.
The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen.
Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, reducing the impacts of global warming.
Oceans play an important role in influencing and regulating the climate on the Earth.
Oceans are a major source of food and medicine.
The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface. It also holds about 96.5% of all Earth’s water.
Ocean is home to 94% of life on Earth. However, the exact number of species that live in the ocean is unknown.
The sea is home to the world’s largest living structure – the Great Barrier Reef. It is 2,600km long and can be seen from the Moon.
The ocean is very important for our economy. It is estimated that 40 million people will be employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.

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Mining Poses Great Threat For Apes

April 22, 2024 admin

Mining for critical minerals in Africa is threatening the survival of great apes in Africa. The rising demand for minerals and other rare earth elements required for the transition to clean energy has led to a significant increase in mining in Africa. This is threatening the native animals with pollution, habitat destruction, and risk of meeting with an accident.

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Researchers looked at mining sites in 17 African nations and discovered that there was a significant overlap of mining with areas that have large populations of great apes, especially in the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Guinea. Guinea had the most significant overlap with more than 23,000-up to 83% of the ape population-directly or indirectly affected by mining activities. Researchers also found that the threat of mining to great apes in Africa has been greatly underestimated. In fact, more than one-third of the entire population (nearly 180,000 gorillas, bonobos, and chimpanzees) is at risk.

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One In Five Migratory Species Are Threatened With Extinction

February 27, 2024 admin

Every year billions of animals migrate across continents and national borders to feed and breed. Migratory species play an essential role in maintaining the world’s ecosystems, and provide vital benefits, by pollinating plants, transporting key nutrients, preying on pests, and helping to store carbon.

Also Read, The Great Migration : Animal Migration On The Planet

The United Nations (“UN”) has published a report titled State of the World’s Migratory Species (“Report”), the first ever report on migrating animals. The Report was launched at the UN wildlife conservation conference in Samarkand. Uzbekistan. The Report focuses on 1,889 species covered by the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (“Convention”) and on more than 3,000 migratory species not covered by the Convention.

The Report states that more than one in five migratory species listed under the Convention are threatened with extinction. This means they are facing the possibility of complete disappearance. While some migratory species listed under the Convention are improving, 44% are showing population decline.

The Alarming Numbers:

According to the Report:

40% of the 158 mammals listed under the Convention are threatened across the globe.

97% of the fish species (like sharks, sturgeons, and rays) listed under the Convention, are threatened with extinction.

3/4 species are affected by habitat loss.

399 species out of the 3,000 migratory species not covered by the Convention are threatened or near threatened with extinction.

The extinction risk is growing for migratory species globally including the species not listed under Convention. The Report has stated that human activities like hunting, fishing, noise pollution, light pollution, use of pesticides, destruction of habitat especially for agriculture are some of the most important causes for this threat. Construction of roads, railways and fences also disrupt migration routes. Another big reason for the threat to the migratory animals is climate change caused by humans.

Some Good News

Only 14 species listed under the Convention have recorded an improvement in conservation status. These include blue and humpback whales, white-tailed sea eagle and the black-faced spoonbill!

Way Forward

The Report states that things can be changed if countries work together. The Report has made the following recommendations:

Countries should work towards meeting their commitments to tackle climate change,
Increase actions to identify, protect, connect, and effectively manage important sites for migratory species;
Reducing plastic, light, and noise pollution;
Reducing the use of pesticides;
Tackle illegal hunting and fishing;
Take more efforts to restore the ecosystem, and
Find more key sites and routes that migratory species use.

Word Check

At certain times of the year, many mammals, fishes, birds, and other animals move from one place to another. This is called migration. Migration is an important part of the life cycle of animals.

Can you name some migratory animals?

Also can you think of more reasons why animals migrate?

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Report On The Cheetah Reintroduction Project In India

October 19, 2023 admin

By Karmas Saluja, Year 9, The British School, New Delhi

On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a group of Namibian cheetahs into an enclosure at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. The aim of this reintroduction and conservation project is to restore the cheetah to a natural habitat in India. This is one of the world’s first intercontinental large wild carnivore translocation projects.

Also read, Cheetah – The Fastest Mammal on Land

Of the 20 adult cheetahs that were imported, four have died in captivity and two have died while ranging free. Of the litter of four cubs, three are dead. Currently, 14 adult cheetahs and one cub are surviving and they are in some form of captivity or the other.

It is reported that the next batch of cheetahs will be transported from South Africa and introduced into Madhya Pradesh’s Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which will be ready to accept the spotted felines by the end of the year.

Did You Know?

Cheetahs are the world’s fastest land animals and can run at speeds of up to 65 mph. There are five subspecies and all have suffered major drops in numbers caused by climate change, hunting by humans, and habitat destruction.

India was home to the Asiatic cheetah. Their population was wiped out last century, with the last documented Asiatic cheetah being shot by Maharajah Ramanuj Singh Deo in 1947. The Asiatic cheetah now survives only in Iran.

Watch Full Video on, #AnimalKingdom: Cheetah- The Fastest Mammal on Land

Interesting Facts About The World Environment Day

May 31, 2023 admin

World Environment Day is a Global event which is celebrated on the 5th of June.

Do you know that the first world environment day was held in which year? The first World Environment Day was observed in 1973. The slogan for the first World Environment Day was “Only One Earth”. It has been celebrated annually ever since with different slogans and themes to address different environmental issues.

World Environment Day holds a great significance today, in the backdrop of global warming, accelerated melting of glaciers and the overall degradation of the environment. The day is celebrated to encourage people around the world to take action towards environmental protection and sustainability. It also aims to serve a reminder to people about our responsibilities in taking crucial steps to safeguard our planet and its resources for future generations and for ourselves.

Origins of the World Environment Day

Between June 5-16, 1972, Sweden hosted the United Nations Conference on Human Environment, which was the first ever global environment conference. This conference is also known as the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment or the Stockholm Conference. Subsequently, on December 15, 1972, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating June 5, as the World Environment Day. Another resolution passed on the same day, led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (“UNEP”).

The UNEP is the leading world authority on the environment.

Also Read, Interesting Facts About The World Turtle Day

Theme for World Environment Day 2023

Each year, the World Environment Day is given a unique theme, which focuses on particular points and missions that help in the safekeeping of our environment. The motive of the theme is also to guide the day’s activities.

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the World Environment Day celebrations.

The theme for World Environment Day 2023 is #BeatPlasticPollution.

This theme is being inaugurated by the UNEP to focus on pollution caused by plastic and aims to find solutions to plastic pollution under this campaign.

World Environment Day Poster

Just like a different theme, there is a different poster aligned with World Environment Day every year. World Environment Day presents a unique poster to represent the unique theme and spread awareness. The World Environment Day 2023 poster showcases its primary message through vivid imagery and illustrations in highlighting the significance of #BeatPlasticPollution in preserving and safeguarding our environment.

World Environment Day 2023 Host

Every year the World Environment day is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme. They intend on running drives, making people aware and encouraging new thoughts and ideas that might be beneficial to the environment. They have been celebrating it since 1973.

World Environment Day 2023 is hosted by Côte d’Ivoire in partnership with the Netherlands.

‘Côte d’Ivoire’ is showing leadership in the campaign against plastic pollution. The decision came due to the groundbreaking efforts they have made including the fact that since 2014, they have banned the use of plastic bags, supporting a shift to reusable packaging. The country’s largest city, Abidjan, has also become a hub for environmentally minded start-ups.

World Environment Day Quotes

Quotes have the power to inspire and motivate people to learn, become aware and then subsequently take further steps in safeguarding our environment and the planet Earth. Here are some of the most powerful and impactful quotes shared regarding the importance of the environment.

“The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” – Lady Bird Johnson

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” – Native American Proverb.

“The environment and the economy are really both two sides of the same coin. If we cannot sustain the environment, we cannot sustain ourselves.” – Wangari Maathai

Helping the Environment

Everyone can do their bit to save the Earth. Here are a things you can do:

Learn more about sustainable development and understand how you can contribute to conserving the planet and its resources.

Run environment campaigns in schools, colleges, offices, neighbourhoods and communities so that everyone can take individual and collective measures.

Save the environment resources as much as possible, by saving water and energy.

Eat seasonal and local food.

Walk or carpool to school.

How to Celebrate World Environment Day

Several organisations come together on World Environment Day to celebrate and commemorate the day. People can join in the activities to celebrate and make better use of our environment and work towards its sustainability. Here are a few ideas to celebrate this important day.

Planting trees and creating green spaces in our community.

Joining or organising clean-up drives to remove waste from public areas is a great way of celebrating World Environment Day.

Spreading the word about environmental issues through social media campaigns and local events.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle to minimise waste generation.

Educate yourself and others about sustainable practices and try new ways to reduce plastic pollution.

Follow the theme of the World Environment Day 2023 and try to reduce the use of plastic, research about the use of plastic and how it is harmful and try to minimise it at your end.

While the World Environment Day is necessary, its most important element is to make sure people understand the meaning of the environment and means for its preservation. Every day should be World Environment Day. There is only one planet and we all need to work collectively to make sure that this one stays healthy and safe, so that we can stay healthy and safe.

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Tag: Conservation efforts