June 5 is celebrated as International World Environment Day.
The UN General Assembly declared 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). World Environment Day (WED) 2014 is being celebrated under the theme of SIDS, with the goal of raising awareness of their unique development challenges and successes across a range of environmental problems, including climate change, waste management, unsustainable consumption, degradation of natural resources and extreme natural disasters.
WED 2014 is being globally hosted by Barbados, a small Caribbean island leading the way in solar energy. The country’s goal is “to be heard loudly and clearly, maintaining the place of Barbados firmly in the mainstream of the discourse and action on the future of Small Island Developing States,” according to Prime Minister of Barbados Freundel Stuart.
Talking about the year’s theme and how small islands are affected, the UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner says, “The 52 SIDS nations, home to 62.3 million people, contribute little to climate change, emitting less than one per cent of global greenhouse gases. Yet they suffer disproportionately from its effects due to their small size, narrow resource base, high susceptibility to natural hazards, low economic resilience, and limited capacity for mitigation and adaptation.”
A broad range of celebs and leaders from the world of film, economy, social sciences, government and development are lending their voices to help shape the global environmental agenda under the stewardship of UNEA.
Actor Ian Somerhalder, best known for his work on the hit TV Series The Vampire Diaries was designated as a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador today in Bridgetown, Barbados's capital.
Somerhalder, Gisele Bündchen, Don Cheadle and Yaya Touré have sent an SOS to the world on behalf of SIDS, saying: "We are all connected. The challenges faced by islands will face us all. So, every action we take to reduce waste and mitigate climate change counts. Join one of our teams and pledge to make a difference by taking action for WED."
The World Bank recommends improving environmental sustainability by:
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investing in clean energy
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increasing access to sanitation
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offering technical assistance
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promoting ecosystem-based solutions
To find out more about solutions for what we can all do to help improve the health of our oceans, seas, lakes and rivers and eco-systems, take a look at this documentary Planet Ocean, launched by OMEGA and GoodPlanet Foundation.
Featured Image: unep
Image 1: The Modern day plague- Deforestation/ wwf
Image 2: Planet Ocean_movie/ Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Video Courtesy of OMEGA Canada
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