World Environmental Day
June 5 has always been a day of hectic activity, primarily for environmentalists, heads of governments, policy-makers and a few corporate bodies the world over.
However, the common wo/man"s absence of participation in World Environment Day activities, especially in developing countries, is noticeable. A majority of people in less developed countries (LDCs) hardly know, or care, about these much-touted events. They are obsessed with topics like this year"s Budget, the political situation and inflation. Not surprising, since nearly 40 percent of this population lives below the poverty line. Even the media in the Asian continent makes a passing reference to this day.
The importance of water
Whatever the case be, one fact remains that "Life on Earth without water is simply unthinkable". Three-fourths of the Earth is occupied by this "Universal Solvent". Human beings are made up of about 70 per cent of water (is this why the full moon affects some of us?). Yet, water threatens to become the 21st century"s most burning issue. Wars are expected to break out in the name of sharing of river and ocean waters, India being a case in point. Entrepreneurs such as the Canadian-based Nova group found itself in hot waters when it attempted to export 600 million liters of water from Lake Superior to some drought-stricken areas in Asia.
Whatever the case, waters always hold a fascination for human beings. And the ocean (seas), especially have been the theme for many blockbuster movies -- "Water World", "Doctor do Little", "The Titanic", "Free Willy" and "20000 Leagues under the Sea", to name a few.
Conservationists down the decades have been cautioning us that polluting the seas and oceans will not only kill marine life and food, once considered to be an unlimited resource, but also deprive us of fresh water.
The ocean floor is a natural archive of information on how our planet works, and has worked for millions of years. The composition and structure of seafloor sediment and underlying basement crust yield important clues to the evolution of life, ocean-atmosphere dynamics, and the tectonic processes that shaped the Earth"s continents and ocean basins as we know them today.
Earth is a dynamic system
Earth is a dynamic system and understanding how it works helps us locate vital mineral resources, make better use of renewable ocean resources, predict climate change, plan for environmental impacts on society, and conversely be better stewards in minimizing adverse effects of society on the environment.
The Ocean is vital to life on earth. From the life-giving rain that nourishes crops, to life-saving medicines; from the fish that come from the ocean floor, to the goods that are transported on the sea"s surface -- the ocean plays a role in your life in some way every day. In recognition of the importance of the marine environment, this year"s theme of World Environment Day is "For Life on Earth: Save Our Seas".
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP. While the theme of the 1974 World Environment Day was "Only one Earth", last year"s theme was "For life on Earth".
In many countries, this annual event is used to enhance political attention and action. Heads of state, prime ministers and ministers of environment deliver statements and commit themselves to care for the Earth. More serious pledges are made which lead to the establishment of permanent governmental structures dealing with environmental management and economic planning. This observance also provides an opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions.
Other links:
World Water Day 2004
Earth
