We join the rest of the world in celebrating World Environment Day (WED). This is the United Nation’s principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
Since it was first celebrated on June 5th, 1974, the United Nations organises the event around a theme that draws attention to a particularly pressing environmental concern. The theme for this year is “Air Pollution”. It is estimated that 92 % of people worldwide do not breathe clean air and air pollution costs the global economy $5 trillion every year in welfare costs.
Approximately 7 million people worldwide die prematurely each year from air pollution,
Africa and Asia record a higher death rate from outdoor air pollutants compared to Europe and North America over the last 6 decades, this could be attributed to the much recent industrialisation of these continents. The dominance of Europe and North America in total global emissions means that the world’s SO2 emissions peaked in the 1980s, despite a continued increase across the other continents.
We join the United Nations in urging governments, industry, communities and individuals to take much better care of the environment through deliberate policies, cleanups and awareness campaigns.