World Environment Day : Celebrating Biodiversity

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Subject: Environment

Context:

  • June 5 is celebrated as World Environment Day every year.
  • The theme for World Environment Day 2020 is biodiversity

Concept:

  • The first major conference on environmental issues was held in the year 1972 from June 5-16 in Stockholm (Sweden).
  • Later that year, on December 15, the General Assembly adopted a resolution designating June 5 as World Environment Day.
  • In 1974, the first World Environment Day was celebrated.
  • Since then, World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5, engaging governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens to focus their efforts on a pressing environmental issue.

Biodiversity

  • Biodiversity describes the variety of life on Earth, including the 8 million plant and animal species on the planet, the ecosystems that house them, and the genetic diversity among them.
  • Biodiversity is a complex, interdependent web, in which each member plays an important role, drawing and contributing in ways that may not even be visible to the eye.
  • Biodiversity is the foundation that supports all life on land and below water.
  • It affects every aspect of human health, providing clean air and water, nutritious foods, scientific understanding and medicine sources, natural disease resistance, and climate change mitigation.
  • Changing or removing one element of this web affects the entire life system and can produce negative consequences. Without nature, life on earth would not be possible.