World Environment Day celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It began in 1973 and has occurred annually ever since on June 5th. The goal of the day is to encourage awareness and action for environmental protection against the climate crisis.
Every year has a theme and this year the focus is reducing plastic pollution.
Some facts about plastic pollution:
- According to the UN, “more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled.”
- The Carbon Almanac reminds us that over 14 million tons of plastic are deposited in our oceans every year and that 80% of all marine debris is plastic. That plastic debris is ingested by marine life.
Visit the World Environment Day website to learn how each of us can help to #BeatPlasticPollution. There are informative videos, ideas for solutions and background information to bring you up to date on how we got to where we are now.