Home | Contact | Register | Login
Find eco products and services
View eco friendly homes or list your own eco house
Information on sustainable living
Community chat
Buy eco products

Search Eco Articles


 (Optional)

Category


Location

Follow CarlinArcher on Twitter

World Environment Day 2009

Friday, June 05, 2009 - Friday, June 05, 2009

World Environment Day Links and Information

On June 5th World Environment Day (WED) will be celebrated internationally. Last year New Zealand proudly hosted the event, but you may still be wondering: what is WED really all about?

WED was initiated in 1972 as a response to large-scale environmentalism which arose during the 60’s and 70’s. As the brainchild of the United Nations (UN) it has become the primary vehicle through which global environmental awareness is promoted and aims to inspire a recognition that only a change in attitude of individuals and communities can lead to genuine environmental improvement.

This year, the theme of WED is “Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change”. Through this the UN aims to highlight the urgency for nations to agree on a permanent solution to climate change at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen later this year.

Linked to WED, the UN runs the ‘Billion Tree Campaign’. This project addresses climate change by encouraging people, businesses and countries to collectively plant at least one billion trees worldwide every year. Forests are a wonderful carbon sink, but at the current rate that natural forests are being destroyed, deforestation contributes more to global emissions each year than the transport sector! New Zealand has enthusiastically pledged to plant 2.2 million trees and the count since 2007 stands at 1.7 million according to the Trees for Survival programme www.tfsnz.org.nz/billiontrees.cfm.

WED is being hosted by Mexico this year, but what are New Zealander’s doing?

Back in Christchurch, WED 2009 is being used as a suitable platform to promote a rising environmental awareness. The Ecoexpo is at the convention centre this year, starting on WED. It’s described as “an opportunity to learn about realistic (sustainability) changes you can make to your everyday life” and hosts an array of eco-exhibitors from home building to health products. Workshops are also scheduled, so check out www.ecoexpo.co.nz for more info.

Other events include online competitions sponsored by the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust (www.sift.net.nz/Blog) and there will even be an ‘environmental art’ exhibition hosted by the Linwood Community Arts Centre featuring local artworks made from recycled materials. To find out more about WED, explore Ecobob’s community forums at www.ecobob.co.nz.

In the UN’s owns words, the main aim of World Environment Day is to “ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future”, so whether you choose to celebrate WED or not, remember that everyone has a part to play. Think local and act local, because even the tiniest actions collectively have a significant global effect.

What is world environment day?

World Environment Day (WED) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. WED is hosted every year by a different city and commemorated with an international exposition through the week of June 5. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), also created in 1972, uses WED to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action.

"Stockholm was without doubt the landmark event in the growth of international environmentalism," writes John McCormick in the book Reclaiming Paradise. "It was the first occasion on which the political, social and economic problems of the global environment were discussed at an intergovernmental forum with a view to actually taking corrective action."

The host for World Environment Day 2008 will be New Zealand, with the main international celebrations scheduled for Wellington. The slogan for 2008 is "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." New Zealand was one of the first countries to pledge to achieve carbon neutrality, and will also focus on forest management as a tool for reducing greenhouse gases.[
 
 

Your comments:

by Anonymous 17 Apr 09, 9 replies : Last Post Sort by:
If you would like to receive email alerts when a reply is posted to this forum thread check this check box

Author Post
Anonymous
3350 posts
sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 17 Apr 09 7:15 PM

Dear sir

I am from Nepal & i have been working in community forestry since 14 years on the other hand i got a chance to take the forestry management training from japan. so now i am much more worried about globle warming which effects the whole world.so being a part of environment sector i am thinking planing and very recent doing some works to redue this problem with my team.
So kindly request and provide about your country and local government plan idea to reduce it
sceptic
13 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 11 May 09 7:02 PM
Hello from New Zealand,
I recommend further reading of a comprehensive scientific manual before spending your time and money trying to correct a problem that (to most scientists) does not exist.
By all mean direct your efforts to a worthwhile cause such as reducing pollution (SO2, CO, NO and Pm 1.5 and 10 particulates) that kill many thousands of people worldwide every year, but do not treat CO2 as a pollutant. It is NOT a pollutant, but a beneficial gas used by plants as a fertilizer.

Recommended reading - Professor Ian Plimer - 'heaven+ earth' would be an excellent referrence for you.
Best regards Rex
Ecobob.co.nz
146 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 11 May 09 8:24 PM
Hi sceptic, have a look at this, might help you revise your views.

http://www.garethmorgan.com/Pages/News.aspx?nid=22

Anonymous
3350 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 11 May 09 9:27 PM
Hello Bob, I am always ready to re-evaluate my position.
Four years ago I followed the IPCC hypothesis until learning of the hidden flaws and assumptions – as I learned the science, I changed from a warmist to a sceptic (I am not a denier).
In the words of Lord Keynes "when the facts change, I change my mind - what do you do sir?"

Below is a copy of my letter to the Herald Editor published Tuesday 4th May:

“I had hopes that Gareth Morgan’s scientific assessment on global warming (shown on TV1 ‘Sunday’), might answer the question posed in the IPCC’s last report –
“CO2 has been increasing at a constant rate since 1900 to 2006 and our IPCC computer models have predicted a parallel increase in temperature. However there has been no averaged temperature rise after 1998 with temperature not varying from 1998 to 2002, and then registering a slight fall between 2002 to 2006”.

Gareth’s answer was confusing. He told me the opposite, that global average temperature is still rising, so who should I believe?

Gareth offered further misconstruction when he claimed that global warming had caused rising sea levels of about 2000mm to swamp the island of Takku. True, the sea level around Takku has changed, but the documentary presenter omitted to tell us that this Island is positioned on a sinking tectonic plate. The Island has sunk 1975mm and the sea level has risen 25mm in twenty years, which is well within normal variation.
I was left disappointed.”

This scientifically answers the first video clip you referred me to – I will not write an answer to the second one unless you are interested in further discussion.
Thanks for your comment - Rex
sceptic
13 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 11 May 09 10:08 PM
Previous post was from 'sceptic' and not 'anonymous' - I believe in being visible. Must have pushed the wrong button? Sorry - Rex
Anonymous
3350 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 12 May 09 12:33 PM
From New Zealand,

Check out eSign.co.nz an electronic signature service which allows individuals and businesses to Create, Sign and store documents online without using paper, therefore saving New Zealand Trees to obsorb the CO2, and therefore provide a better living for all.
sceptic
13 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 12 May 09 2:04 PM
The principle of saving paper as a cost saving exercise is great, but please don't embellish by making the claim that "retaining NZ trees helps reduce CO2". You are right they do assist, but fast growing bamboo sucks up far greater quantities of CO2 than mature trees. Theoretically, we should cut down all trees and plant bamboo???
Rex
Ecobob.co.nz
146 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 12 May 09 3:24 PM
Hi Rex, in regards to cutting down all trees and planting bamboo, I think you're forgetting about the importance of bio-diversity.
sceptic
13 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 12 May 09 4:46 PM
Hello Bob, I wasn't serious - that was a 'tounge in cheek' comment, however I do not like the current business attitude of trying or claiming to be 'green' as a sales pitch.
If you read my 'bio' you will find I am unusually 'green' for someone who does not accept the current anthropogenic global warming view - a contradiction? I do not think so, and I do understand the critical value of bio-diversity.
Thanks - Rex
Ecobob.co.nz
146 posts
Re: sharing idea to reduce globle warming 
Posted 12 May 09 5:34 PM
Hi Rex,

One of my concerns is also that climate change has dwarfed many of the other critically important environmental issues as you will no doubt agree. That said, if the issue is as bit as many scientists are reporting, then there is merit in that.

In regards to climate change, I'd like to debate the issue with you more once I have become a little bit more informed, so please keep an eye out on this site for my comments (probably about 2 weeks time).

Regards,

Ecobob
 

10 results found