Rabat – Morocco is celebrating World Environment Day under the theme “Bringing people closer to nature” amid a tense global environmental climate, on June 5.
In a statement, the State Secretariat for Sustainable Development explained that this year’s World Day, organized under the title “Bringing People Closer to Nature,” is an opportunity to draw the attention of various actors and the general public to Environmental issues and to renew their commitments in its favor. It will also provide an update on Morocco’s actions and the programs implemented for its preservation.
In this context, the secretary of state has prepared a rich program that includes awareness-raising and educational activities, scientific meetings and field visits showing achievements in the field of environment and sustainable development. Partnership agreements are also on the menu, as the secretary of state will proceed to sign partnership conventions with the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research and the National Broadcasting Corporation (SNRT).
World Environment Day was promulgated in 1972 by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). This international celebration regularly raises essential questions regarding environmental protection and its consequences for the quality of life for people and the survival of our planet. Discussion topics include the fight against the destruction of the ozone layer, deforestation, desertification and drought, as well as the preservation of quality of water supplies.
This year’s host country, Canada, will be at the center of celebrations which will take place around the world.
Since its launch in 1972, several thousand events have been organized around the world, from neighborhood cleaning operations to actions against wildlife crime and the planting of new forests. This year’s theme, “Bringing People Closer to Nature,” invites us to leave our homes, go back to nature, appreciate its beauty and reflect on how we are part of the nature on which we depend.
Billions of people living in rural areas spend each day working while “connected to nature” and are fully aware of their dependence on natural water supply and livelihoods in the form of fertile soils. These farmers are among the first to suffer when ecosystems are threatened by pollution, climate change or overexploitation.
This year, the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreements for financial reasons, shook the world and left a gruesome mark on the environmental community. Refusing to honour USD 3 billion worth of aid to a crucial world and human problem is not the first, nor will it likely be the last time Donald Trump will create controversy over his political and diplomatic decisions.
