Ahead of World Environment Day, being hosted by India this year, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan today urged people to give up single-use plastic and said the fight against plastic menace did not require big actions, but only minor behavioural changes and adopting 'Green Good Behaviour'.
World Environment Day (WED) celebrations will be held from June 1 to 5 in the national capital and across the country with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to chair the plenary session on June 5, where all the state environment ministers will also be present.
The minister expressed confidence that a "perceptible and measurable" difference in the country would be brought about on plastic pollution and other environmental issues in the run-up to WED and appealed to the people to give up single-use plastic.
"The fight against plastic menace did not require any big actions, but only minor behavioural changes to adopt Green Good Behaviour. Every individual has a Green Social Responsibility," he said while addressing a curtain raiser ahead of WED.
The minister stated that it is the collective responsibility to do our duty and protect the rights of children of future generations, while adding that the celebrations are not a one-day activity, but a continuous process. He also emphasised that as part of WED celebrations, schools that become plastic-free will be awarded and issued certificates of being 'Green Schools'.
Highlighting the menace posed by plastic, Harsh Vardhan said that 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste is generated every day in the country, with 40 per cent of plastic waste being uncollected and 60 million tonnes of solid waste is generated in one year.
"Plastic bottle takes between 450-1000 years to decompose," the minister added.
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As part of WED celebrations, some of the events organised in New Delhi include "The Knowledge Coalitions" international conversations to be held on June 1. Some of the themes to be discussed at 'The Knowledge Coalitions' are air pollution, Himalayan ecosystem, plastic pollution, marine litter strategy, new plastic economy and waste to resource.
A technology exhibition, "Sambandh", will be held at India Gate from June 2-4, while the conference of state environment ministers - Green India -- will take place on June 4, besides conferences, workshops and seminars on various environmental subjects.
The ministry said the pan-India events include cleanliness campaigns by state governments, cleaning of 24 beaches and 24 rivers in 19 states, making national parks and sanctuaries plastic free, media as well as social media campaigns and organising Envithon mini-marathons in five other cities, besides Delhi.
About 10,000 children will participate in Run for plastic litter free environment' in New Delhi on June 3.
"The objectives behind the campaigns are to enhance the global visibility of India as a leader in sustainability actions, support the efforts to Clean India ahead of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary in October 2019, expand and consolidate public engagement on India's environmental agenda, inculcate private sector leadership to address plastic pollution and highlight India's leadership in the cause of marine litter and beach cleaning among others," the ministry said.
India is hosting World Environment Day for the second time. India hosted the event in 2011, with the theme: Forests: Nature at Your Service'. In the run-up to WED 2018, Harsh Vardhan had already written to environment ministers of more than 150 countries to celebrate the day globally and take pledge to cut the use of single-use plastics.
"More than 10, 000 missed calls have been received in the "Missed Call Campaign titled #BeatPlasticPollution. A pledge to beat plastic pollution can be taken by placing a missed call on 1800 137 1999," the ministry said.
June 5 was designated as World Environment Day by the UN General Assembly to commemorate the opening of the Stockholm Conference on Human Development. Annual celebrations of World Environment Day began in 1974.
During the last three years, the themes of World Environment Day celebrations included Seven billion dreams, one planet, consume with care in 2015 in Rome, Italy; Zero tolerance for the illegal wildlife trade in Luanda, Angola, in 2016; and Connecting people to nature in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equator in Ottawa, Canada, in 2017.
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