World Environment Day 2008

by poolparty | June 5, 2008 at 08:39 am

1972 views | 5 Recommendations | 34 comments

Today is World Environment Day! The world is encouraged to kick the habit of producing carbon dioxide. World Environment Day started back in 1972 by the United Nations.

NowPublic member dragono posted an article on Environment Day in Indonesia click here to view

The United Nations urged the world on Thursday to kick the habit of producing carbon dioxide, saying everyone must act to fight climate change.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said global warming was becoming the era's defining issue and would hurt rich and poor.

"Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit," Ban said in a statement on World Environment Day, which is being marked by events around the globe and hosted by the New Zealand city of Wellington.

"Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions," he said in the speech to reinforce this year's World Environment Day theme of "CO2 Kick the Habit."

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The World Environment Day slogan for 2008 is Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy. Recognizing that climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era, UNEP is asking countries, companies and communities to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them. The World Environment Day will highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.

The main international celebrations of World Environment Day 2008 will be held in New Zealand. UNEP is honoured that the city of Wellington will be hosting this United Nations day.

The day's agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership, which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

New Zealand, which boasts snow-capped mountains, pristine fjords and isolated beaches used as the backdrop for the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, has pledged to become carbon-neutral.

"We take pride in our clean, green identity as a nation and we are determined to take action to protect it. We appreciate that protecting the climate means behavior change by each and every one of us," said New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.

New Zealand staged art and street festivals to spread the message on how people can reduce carbon usage. In Australia, Adelaide Zoo staged a wild breakfast for corporate leaders to focus on how carbon emissions threaten animal habitats.

In Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, people plan to clean up Gulshan Baridhara Lake that has become badly polluted, and in Kathmandu the Bagmati River Festival will focus on cleaning up the river there.

Many Asian cities, such as Bangalore and Mumbai, plan tree-planting campaigns, while the Indian town of Pune will open a "Temple of Environment" to help spread green awareness.

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ayashok

at 00:16 on June 6th, 2008

I just composed this image with 4 parts...
the top with only green denotes the Stone age ....
2nd part denotes the starting of the Industrial Revolution Era
3rd denotes the Modern world
and the bottom denotes the future with only smoke and blank space...

ayashok has contributed a photo to this story.

ayashok

at 00:19 on June 6th, 2008

Hi all,

Please use less plastic, try to use smoke less vehicle, Increace the recyclic usage materials... i am not going to say don't use ...

just try to reduce the useage to keep our mother earth clean and safe.

cheers

ayashok

India

TheZionView

at 02:29 on June 6th, 2008

This was shot in HOSUR city of tamilnadu,India.

Dedicated for world environment day!

TheZionView has contributed a photo to this story.

Lee Seung Kye

at 02:36 on June 6th, 2008

- At low tide, as the sun was setting upon one of the first hot spring days,
a distant haze over the Atlantic held back the light in a beautiful way.
As having shot this place hundreds of times before, this evening the symmetry of rocks and clouds created a scenery that instantly drew my eyes into the Atlantic horizon.
- This is shot at Moss, southern coast of Norway.

Lee Seung Kye has contributed a photo to this story.

Lee Seung Kye

at 02:46 on June 6th, 2008

Thank you Steph for inviting me and 3 of my images!

I want to contribute to the World Environment Day 2008 and wish and hope that many will follow this good cause. It is one of the most important issues to react on and make some adjustments in everyday life so that we as a whole can make a difference.

We are in charge of how our earth will be in the future by doing something today.

Sincerely

Lee Seung Kye

colonial1637

at 03:13 on June 6th, 2008

Common Ravens (Corvus corax) in Wyoming, USA

colonial1637 has contributed a photo to this story.

colonial1637

at 03:19 on June 6th, 2008

Thank you for feeling my photos are worthy to be displayed with your article. The mountain in Fremont Peak in the Wind River Mountains of Western Wyoming. You requested two views, one is on a fairly clear day, the other is during a day of stormy spring weather.

JIGGS

at 03:45 on June 6th, 2008

There were several large 'icons' wandering around at the Green Day Out, at Currumbin, Queensland, Australia, at Gecko's World Environment Day celebrations. In spite of the showery weather lots of environmentally friendly people attended the Green Day out. Gecko[Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council] stages this wonderful educational and fun day each year for World Environment Day.

JIGGS has contributed a photo to this story.

liamssoft

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 04:15 on June 6th, 2008

Steph02, I like this story. It's good stuff. Still not enough work being done in producing low cost energy efficient clean fuels. The technology is there but the manufacturers are not using it.

ana_maria_

at 04:27 on June 6th, 2008

Butterflies are fragile and almost defenseless creatures. They rely on a variety of strategies to protect themselves from predators. Nowadays they also depend on people's interest in creating a nice habitat for them to be able to survive. A successful butterfly garden with plants that meet butterfly's needs during all four life stages, the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult was recently created in Brasília, DF - the capital of Brazil. This photo was taken there. And I posted it on The World Environment Day because I felt it could be an analogy to our planet Earth - the only planet in our Solar System that is known to support life...so precious and yet so defenseless. All strategies to protect it are important and welcomed...

ana_maria_ has contributed a photo to this story.

alexbeltechi

at 05:04 on June 6th, 2008

This is a photograph made from multiple stock images.

alexbeltechi has contributed a photo to this story.

Kinryuu_JFJ

at 05:05 on June 6th, 2008

Taken by mobil photo
France, Picardie
Oise 60, Chatilly
" Panorama 3 pics "

View " Cloud Panorama " On Black & Large

Camera: Sony Ericsson K810i
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO Speed: 80
Scene Capture Type: Night scene
Image Width: 1664 pixels
Image Height: 400 pixels

Kinryuu_JFJ has contributed a photo to this story.

Ragesh Vasudevan

at 05:12 on June 6th, 2008

Am a photojournalist working in south India in a state called kerala…and it mean land of coconut in our language…and now days no one in much interested in cultivating coconuts…and we can see many coconut trees with out head…and this is a shot taken for my daily …and it is published in it with a title where is the shade to build my nest…like the bird is asking to our world….

Ragesh Vasudevan has contributed a photo to this story.

Ms. Kathleen

at 05:13 on June 6th, 2008

My photo was taken on a visit to NYC in April of this year. The lake at Central Park was simply breathtaking and I was amazed at how clean it was. Wildlife was abundant.

FlitterG

at 06:01 on June 6th, 2008

This photo was taken on a Sunday afternoon at Sellecks Beach which is in South Australia (paradise).

FlitterG has contributed a photo to this story.

mikebos84

at 07:13 on June 6th, 2008

My mates and I took a motor boat cruise down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo in China. The limestone hills are an amazing sight. The sights along the river are simply astounding.

mikebos84 has contributed a photo to this story.

xiaotomjm

at 07:17 on June 6th, 2008

This photo was taken at Stanley Park in VAncouver,Which is an evergreen oasis of 400 hectares close to the downtown core. The beautiful environment embraces visitors and transports them in tranquility.

xiaotomjm has contributed a photo to this story.

tlaukkanen

at 07:45 on June 6th, 2008

I captured this photo one morning as I was biking to work. The surface of the lake created a breathtaking mirror effect as the wind was so calm.

I encourage everyone to bike or walk your way to work as this way we can make sure that sceneries like this will be available for the next generations of mankind.

tlaukkanen has contributed a photo to this story.

mimicat04

at 08:44 on June 6th, 2008

This is a shot taken by the boat ramp at Taylorsville Lake in Taylorsville, Ky.

Not much to hear, in fact it's so quiet here after all of the boaters have pulled out of the water for the day , the frogs and crickets are the biggest noise makers.

This is a peaceful, and beautiful place that I like to visit often.

mimicat04 has contributed a photo to this story.

Eccleston George Public Artists

at 12:02 on June 6th, 2008

Duckweed eats tiger poo, duck eats Duckweed, tiger eats duck........perfect!

Duckweed is believed to be the world's fastest growing plant and can double its biomass in ten days (an incredible rate, but one which you will be able to believe if you have it on your pond). It is thought to grow 20 times as quickly as corn and there is a considerable amount of research going on into how this potential growth rate can be harnessed. Duckweed can produce as much protein as soybeans and in the USA, they are experimenting with using duckweed as feed for pigs, cattle and fish.

In order to grow so quickly, duckweed takes a lot of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, from the water. Since excessive nutrients are a common environmental problem in water bodies (including garden ponds) and sewerage, the potential beneficial effects of duckweed are obvious. In the USA experiments are being conducted into using duckweed as a stage in the treatment of human sewerage.

The water in this Tiger enclosure at the Isle of Wight Zoo in the UK is tested by the Environment Agency regularly, despite the tigers using it as a toilet every day, results say the water is clean enough for the tigers to drink! ........Good old Duckweed.

Eccleston George Public Artists has contributed a photo to this story.

A-D-Y-B

at 12:03 on June 6th, 2008

Idea on the environment how she likes by a Grade one child (6 years old).
This picture was taken from a drawing competition held in the school to mark world environment day 2008. Thulusdhoo (MALDIVES)

A-D-Y-B has contributed a photo to this story.

ideoteque85

at 14:31 on June 6th, 2008

This beautiful and peaceful lake is called the Whipple Dam and it is located 4 miles from State College, PA. It is a popular spot for students who go to Penn State University to get out from the hectic school life and enjoy the sound of relaxing nature.

ideoteque85 has contributed a photo to this story.

Yayasan Masarang

at 17:31 on June 6th, 2008

Mount Lokon, Tomohon, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, seen from Woloan Ampitheatre, one of Masarang Foundation's cultural projects for local people, annually used as the place to conduct the Mera Waruga tradition. Mera Waruga is an event where Tombulu people (Minahasa natives) move their warugas (gravestones) from their homes to a sacred site near the ampitheatre. It is also used for the annually Sugar Palm farmer's gathering. The picture on the floor is Tombulu's Coat of Arms (Pakasaan Tombulu).

Yayasan Masarang has contributed a photo to this story.

annahappyskip

at 18:56 on June 6th, 2008

It is really nice can see the green tree,grass,bule skype and sea still there.

This photo had be taken on May this year in China DONGSHAN ISLAND>>>

With the development of economy and sociaty,Humanbeing ask too much from our envionment,but return back only pollution to it,all this result in nature's strick punish...quake,storm,flood...

Let guard our mother earth from now on,less carban dioxide,more vegetable...

annahappyskip has contributed a photo to this story.