World environment day began in 1974 and has grown to help reach a global level of over 100 countries in protecting the environment.
2018 is focused on the main issue troubling India in terms of the environment which is Plastic pollution.
The focus is to get people to understand that plastic is detrimental to the environment and wildlife which as a result affects our own health.
Plastic in India especially is used in many ways, and thus the reliability had increased. Thus today will mark a day where people need to understand the other ways plastic can be replaced with.
India will be playing host at today’s event, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the event.
Plastic has led to as many as 267 species suffering due to entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris. A majority has been sea turtles, with birds and mammals also being affected.
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The statistics of plastic waste will scare you. Almost 8.8 million metric tones of plastic trash are washed into the oceans every year. According to these statistics, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fishes.
India as of now is amongst the top 20 coastal populations in the world that sends plastics debris into the ocean. 0.60 million metric tons of plastic waste is generated per year by India alone. Amongst this, 0.09-0.24 million metric tons gets into the blue oceans.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “Reject single-use plastic. Refuse what you can’t re-use.”
Minister Harsh Vardhan unveiled the first nonplastic copy of the National Geographic magazine with confirmation that India, UK and US editions of the magazine not using plastic wrapping from June onwards.
“There are diverse environmental hazards associated with the plastic waste and there are growing concerns about its effects on the entire ecosystem. Therefore, how to reduce the use of plastic and its by-products is one area which needs to be addressed,” Harsh Vardhan enlightened the public.
If you don’t want the delightful blue oceans to become white looking and sad, ensure you take part in reducing the use of plastic.
Remember you can make a difference in the world!
