Kick off for World Environment Day celebrations
21 Apr 2008
From school children to the Prime Minister, New Zealanders throughout the country are gearing up for World Environment Day showing strong loyalty to the commitment that won the country the hosting rights.
The 2008 World Environment Day conference, which will focus on solutions and opportunities for countries, companies and communities to 'kick the habit' and de-carbonize economies and life-styles, will be held in Wellington on June 5. World leaders and high profile international media are due to attend.
Though key celebrations will centre on the capital city, communities around New Zealand are embracing the opportunity to showcase the country’s devotion to the cause by getting involved in a variety of events.
Art and photography exhibitions, poster and painting competitions, award ceremonies, symposiums and lectures, expos, auctions, fun runs and festivals are being staged around New Zealand to mark the occasion. And it’s an effort mirrored around the world as global awareness of the significance of the day has grown.
World Awareness
World Environment Day is now one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The day's agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.
The annual event was first established in 1972 and is held on June 5 each year in a different location. New Zealand won the right to host the event because it is one of the first and among only a handful of countries committed to accelerating a transition to a low carbon and carbon-neutral economy.
Measures to achieve the carbon-neutral goal include greater energy efficiency in buildings and appliances, and the focus will also be put on the role of forests in countering rises in greenhouse gases. An estimated 20 per cent of emissions contributing to climate change globally are a result of deforestation.
New Zealand, where forestry is an important industry and conservation of forests is a high priority, plans to use World Environment Day to highlight the role technologies and forestry management can play in achieving domestic and international climate goals.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark says the country has made a commitment to reducing its emissions as part of a drive for greater environmental sustainability. ''But to overcome the challenge of climate change, kicking the carbon habit must be a truly global goal. During the World Environment Day events I look forward to learning about how other nations are addressing this challenge,'' said Ms Clark.
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