World Environment Day: Increasing Awareness about Biodiversity
World Environment Day: Increasing Awareness about Biodiversity
Every year, June 5th is dedicated to World Environment Day – a reminder of worldwide awareness about the impact humanity has on the environment. In 2020, the selected theme for the year is biodiversity. The digital campaigns and initiatives are designed to share information about the interdependence of humans and the world around us.
Why World Environment Day?
This special day holds an important purpose and mission: it’s time for people to wake up to build a better planet. World Environment Day is a time to focus on nature and how many naturally occurring resources support life. Everything from the air we breathe to the food and water we consume is essential for survival. Our planet is habitable because of these things that come from nature.
Unfortunately, many aspects of our current path are unsustainable. As the world becomes more polluted and damaged by humans, nature is sending us a message:
To care for ourselves we must care for nature.
There is a fine balance in supporting nature and caring for the needs of humanity as a whole. By working together, we can find actionable solutions that can protect our beautiful planet and resources.
Biodiversity and People
The foundation that supports all life is based on biodiversity. Both the life cycles and dry land and the organisms under the sea work together in symbiotic, balanced systems. When even the smallest elements are changed, it starts a domino effect that can result in negative consequences for the full life systems.
Not only is biodiversity essential for protecting animal species around the world, but biodiversity also plays an important role in human health: clean air and water, food, disease resistance, medicine sources, and climate change mitigation. Unfortunately, human actions are destroying the planet by pushing nature past the limits. Damaging human actions include:
- Impact on wildlife habitats
- Deforestation
- Increased agriculture
- Use of polluting chemicals
- Acceleration of climate change
Continuing on this trajectory will have irreversible damage on biodiversity, which will affect essential resources for supporting human life. If a collapse of food, clean water, and health systems occurs, then the entire system is impacted.
We Can Make a Difference: One Change at a Time
If we continue the current path, it is estimated that one in four species may be wiped off the planet in the next 10 years. This shocking reality is why World Environment Day is so important. People around the world need to understand how the smallest daily choices add up to the sustainability issues we are facing in the future. Protecting biodiversity means that we are preserving this planet for our future selves – and the generations to come.
At Shared Planet, we are proud to be part of the solution by offering Cosmetics with a Cause. If you are looking for beauty products that support sustainability, then learn more about our mission. We are sharing the message about World Environment Day because of the impacts that we’ve seen on wildlife around the world. Our company is focused on doing our part by donating a portion of every sale to trusted organizations that are working to protect the biodiversity of our planet.