The World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event described the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action.
World Environment Day activities take place all year round but climax on the 5th of June every year. It has grown to become one of the main vehicles through which the United Nations (UN) stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action by all.
The theme for 2011 is "FORESTS: NATURE AT YOUR SERVICE."
This is due to increased deforestation and forests degradation and its environmental consequences. It was celebrated in NAPIMS on the 6th of June 2011 in a very colourful way. The ceremony took place at no 36/ 38 Gerrard Road Ikoyi, Lagos, with an opening speech from the GGM, NAPIMS Mr. M. A. FIDDI. He enumerated the importance of forest which include the following;
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Forests play a key role in our battle against climate change; storing carbon and sucking in carbondioxide from the atmosphere which would have contributed to World global warming, locking it into their biomass |
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They provide essential services to every aspect of life. By regulating water for many of the world's rivers, they help secure water quality, and supply nearly half of the world's largest cities. They also help decrease the impacts of storms and floods, whilst helping control erosion. |
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As the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land, forests are home to more than half of terrestrial species, from the great apes to the smallest of creatures. |
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They also provide homes, security and livelihoods for 60 million Indigenous people, whilst contributing to the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people worldwide. |
| 5. |
Forests cover 31% of total land area while at the same time supporting 80% of terrestrial biodiversity that live in them. Many of the World's most threatened and endangered animals live in these forests, making them crucial to sustaining ecosystems. |
| 6. |
36 million acres of natural forest are lost each year. World Environment Day (WED) chose this year's theme, `Forests: Nature at Your Service', to encourage forest conservation and sustainable
consumption for green growth. |
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In conclusion, the GGM admonished NAPIMS staff saying, "On this World Environment Day, let us vow to contribute in our own individual or collective way to guard against deforestation and forests degradation for our own present benefit and the benefit of our future generations". The highpoint of the occasion was the planting of a tree by the GGM within the premises in a celebration of the occasion. In her closing remarks, the Deputy Manager HSSE, Mrs. R.D. Falomo thanked all participants and urged them to always safeguard the environment.
Plant a tree today for clean air tomorrow.
Courtesy: NAPIMS HSSE Dept.
