Today is World Environment Day, which is celebrated annually on June 5 and aims to promote environmental preservation knowledge and action.
Under the hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has decided that this year’s World Environment Day subject is “Ecosystem Restoration.”
The UNEP stated that World Environment Day 2023 serves as a reminder that individual actions regarding plastic pollution are important, and that these acts have a direct impact on the measures that corporations and governments are doing to address the issue.
“It is time to accelerate this action and transition to a circular economy.”
“It is time to #BeatPlasticPollution”. It added.
More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually. That is approximately the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers all together, according to the UNEP.
Governments, businesses, and other stakeholders must scale up and speed up efforts to address this crisis with the science and solutions currently available, it continued, highlighting how crucial this World Environment Day is in inspiring transformative action from all corners of the globe.
Supun H. Pathirage, the chairman of the Central Environment Authority of Sri Lanka, stressed that the theme for this year’s World Environment Day is a contemporary issue and noted that several programs have been carried out around the island under this theme.
As a result, the Central Environmental Authority will run awareness campaigns throughout Sri Lanka to educate people about the responsible use of plastic and to control businesses that import plastic and polythene.
According to Mr. Pathirage, the Central Environmental Authority will also outlaw four other kinds of single-use plastics.
Colombo’s Pettah is the site of the primary World Environment Day ceremony in Sri Lanka.
You can access more information, the actions you can carry out to contribute, as well as a large number of materials to promote the movement through social media by joining the #BeatPlasticPollution movement through the official website of World Environment Day 2023.
