World Environment Day is on June 5.
World Environment Day, which is observed on June 5 every year, is all about taking action and getting yourself involved physically to do something to help preserve nature and ecosystems. On this day, the United Nations encourages each one of us to take action for the protection of our environment. This year's theme for World Environment Day is "Connecting People to Nature," which reminds us of the intricate links between land, water, air and all living things. About 1.1 million people die prematurely every year in India due to polluted air, says a report. The air quality is deteriorating in all major and tier II cities. The root cause of this degradation in air quality lies in the way we treat our environment.
The day also challenges us to leave a cleaner world for our children and grandchildren. Climate change is real - in fact, it is here. And it cannot be wished or voted away. That is why we need to take real, concrete action to address climate change and to protect our clean air and water.
This is especially of concern since US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States would withdraw from the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change. The move drew widespread criticism from countries around the world.
(With agency inputs)
1. Clean together
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An Indian boy watches his parents collect recyclable material at a garbage dump on the outskirts of Hyderabad on June 5, 2017, on World Environment Day.The UN declared the 2017 theme for World Environment Day is "Connecting People to Nature." - AFP
2. Sifting through garbage
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Indian men and women collect recyclable items at a garbage dump on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
3. Polluted water bodies
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Residents cross a polluted water canal at a slum on the World Environment Day in Mumbai, India, June 5, 2017. -Reuters
4. Hazardous to health
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An Indian boy sorts through garbage next to a greater adjutant stork at a large dump in the northeastern state of Assam in Guwahati. -AFP
5. Seeking shelter
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A man carries his children out of their flooded hut to move to a safer place after heavy rains, on World Environment Day, on the outskirts of Agartala, India.-Reuters
6. 'Walk for the environment'
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Women participate in the "Walk for the environment" to spread awareness about the environment on the occasion of World Environment Day in Kolkata on Monday. -PTI
7. Performing Yoga
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People spread the message of protecting the environment by performing yoga on the occasion of World Environment Day in Moradabad on Monday. -PTI
8. Choking the air we breathe
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Smoke rises from the Badarpur Thermal Power Station in New Delhi on June 5, 2017, on the United Nations World Environment Day. India is the world's third biggest carbon-emitting country, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need for nurturing a better planet on the United Nations World Environment Day. -AFP
9. Protests against Trump's decision to pull out of Paris climate accord
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Dozens of Connecticut residents converge along a bridge at a vigil and rally for the environment and against President Donald Trumps recent decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord on June 4, 2017, in Westport, Connecticut. Close to 80 people attended the evening event where critics of the president's environmental policies held candles and sang songs. Trump's decision last week to pull out of the Paris climate agreement has outraged both world leaders and citizens alike. -AFP
10. Spreading awareness
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Women hanging wooden bird-house on trees to spread awareness about the environment in Bikaner. -PTI
11. Say no to plastic!
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Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture with the message "Keep Our Environment Plastic Free" for the World Environment Day event in Mumbai on Sunday. -PTI
