A day for doing something positive for environment

The Earth is composed of 70.80 per cent water and 29.20 per cent land. Out of the total water portfolio as much as 97 per cent is salt water and only 3.0 per cent is fresh water. Only 5.0 per cent of fresh water is readily available - mostly in underground aquifers. Nearly 20 per cent of the world population lacks access to safe drinking water and 40 per cent are without adequate sanitation. By 2025, 40 per cent of the world population will live in water-scarce regions. This is a great challenge to sustainable environment.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) observes World Environment Day each year on June 05 to raise awareness about environmental issues and call for action. The theme for this year (2015) is sustainable lifestyle and the slogan is: "Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care." The well-being of humanity, environment, and the functioning of the economy depends on the responsible management of the planet's natural resources. And yet, people are consuming natural resources disproportionately than what the planet can sustainably provide.
World Environment Day (WED) is the United Nations' key vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. Over the years it has grown to be a broad, global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated by stakeholders in over 100 countries. It also serves as the 'people's day' for doing something positive for the environment, galvanising individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet.
In 1962, the writer Rachel Carson published a famous book titled Silent Spring. It showed how chemical pesticides were harming birds. The book was the first detailed account about how human actions were hurting the environment. Over the years, many more books and media reports raised the awareness of the people all over the world about environmental issues.
On June 05, 1972, world leaders got together to think seriously about our planet's future for the first time. Leaders of 113 countries met in the Stockholm Conference, and agreed upon a plan to reverse some of the damages. It was the first time that issues like CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and global warming were discussed. After the conference, UNEP was set up. It coordinates activities of all UN member states on environmental issues. One of its best achievements is the  Montreal Protocol which banned CFCs which helped stop ozone depletion. The UNEP today funds environmental protection activities in many countries, and is helping countries draw up a treaty to stop global warming. The anniversary of the Stockholm Conference is celebrated as World Environment Day every year.  This led to the creation of national agencies for the environment, as well as the UN Environment Programme which today has many programmes focused on business and industry.
1972-1992: During this period, several major international conferences and agreements started taking shape, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna, Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the first global meeting to link environment and human settlement.
1992-2000: Twenty years after the initial conference, the world reconvened in 1992 for the UN Conference on Environment and Development, more popularly known as the Earth Summit, which took place in Rio di Janerio, Brazil. One of its major accomplishments was the development of Agenda 21, a comprehensive plan of action toward sustainable development to be executed globally, nationally and locally that is still a good reference towards sustainable lifestyle around the world.
2002: Ten years after the Earth Summit, the world came together again in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the world Summit on Sustainable Development which aimed to adopt concrete steps and identify quantifiable targets for better implementation of Agenda 21.
2000-2015: In 2000, the United Nations Millennium Summit brought together world leaders who committed their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and set out a series of time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015, which are know as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
2000-2012: The UN Global Compact was launched in 2000 as both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. It is the largest corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative in the world, with over 10,000 corporate participants and stakeholders from over 130 countries.
Post-2015: After MDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been proposed by the governments of Colombia, Guatemala and Peru during the Rio+20 Conference in 2012. The UN member states at the conference agreed to launch a process to develop a set of SDGs. This process is intended to converge with a Post-2015 Development Agenda, following the expiry of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in this year. The SDGs due to be launched in September 2015, will embrace a triple bottom-line approach to human well-being, covering environmental, social and economic challenges and their ambition is to be global and inclusive towards sustainable development. Businesses will be encouraged to contribute to the sustainable development agenda and be expected by governments to collaborate in the implementation of the SDGs.
Many of the Earth's ecosystems are nearing critical tipping points of depletion or irreversible change, pushed by high population growth and economic development. Consuming with care means living within planetary boundaries to ensure a healthy future where our dreams can be realised. Human prosperity need not cost the earth. Living sustainably is about doing more and better with less. It is about knowing that rising rates of natural resource use and the environmental impacts that occur are not a necessary by-product of economic growth.
World Environment Day (WED) is the opportunity for everyone to realise the responsibility to care for the Earth and to become agents of change. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "Although individual decisions may seem small in the face of global threats and trends, when billions of people join forces in common purpose, we can make a tremendous difference."
This year's WED theme is a particularly powerful one, because there's room for everyone to take a moment to question how we live and how it impacts the planet. The theme asks everyone to evaluate our consumer habits: how we shop, eat and travel. We should remember that we get only one planet, so let's keep it clean and beautiful for generations to come!
Mahatma Gandhi said, "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed". By 2050, if current consumption and production patterns remain the same and with a rising population expected to reach 9.6 billion, we will need three planets to sustain our way of life. As such, living well within planetary boundaries with limited resources giving up our greedy lifestyle will be the most promising strategy for ensuring a healthy and sustainable planet for our next generation.
The writer is the Deputy Managing Director & Chief Business Officer of Prime Bank Limited. He is the first Certified Sustainability Assurer (CSRA) in Bangladesh and also an Associate Member of Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB).
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