Introduction
Environment, an issue of curricular attention in comprehensive peace education, predating even the landmark UN Stockholm Conference of 1972, along with nuclear weapons, now looms as an existential threat to the survival of humanity. We hope that peace educators will observe World Environment Day by reflecting on how this issue relates to and impacts the curricula and pedagogy of their respective approaches to peace education. Each of the pieces in today’s IPS posted here provides a springboard for such reflection. (BAR, 6/5/22)
World Environment Day 2022 – Special Report from Inter Press Service (IPS)
(Reposted from: Inter Press Service News Agency. June 5, 2022)
World Environment Day is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. It is celebrated by millions of people across the world.
World Environment Day 2022 is hosted by Sweden. “Only One Earth” is the campaign slogan, with the focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.
On this occasion, IPS brings to it’s readers a special edition of features and opinion editorials.
Complex Emergencies: In Kenya’s Arid North, Locals Face Impact of Climate Change, Hunger and Poverty
Charles Karis
Darkuale Parsanti and his wife Mary Rampe are counting their losses: One by one, they have seen their livestock wiped out. “I had 45 cattle heads and 50 goats, but they all died due to worsening drought. I currently remain with only one cow and five goats,” says Parsanti, supporting himself on a … [read more]
World Environment Day (II): Five More Planets Earth Urgently Needed
Baher Kamal
In a previous article, IPS reported on some of UNICEF’s key findings about the harsh impacts on the world’s children –and the whole Planet Earth– of the excessive consumption by mostly rich countries. One of these is that if everyone were to consume resources at the rate at which people in the … [read more]
World Environment Day: Burden of Environmental Decline Falls Heavily on Poor and Vulnerable
Joyce Chimbi
Barnabas Kamau’s home sits on a wetland in Rumuruti Laikipia County in the Rift Valley region – considered Kenya’s breadbasket. He settled in the area 15 years ago, attracted by the wetlands’ fertile grounds as they provide favourable farming and livestock activities conditions. But Kamau says … [read more]
The Richest 1% Pollutes More than the Poorest 50%
Baher Kamal
As an introduction to this year’s World Environment Day on 5 June, this report deals with how the excesses of the world’s population, mostly in the wealthiest countries, are causing so much harm to Planet Earth. For this purpose, the following account of some of the major facts and figures that … [read more]
Climate Change in South East Asia: Where are we and What are we Bound for?
Kwan Soo-Chen and David McCoy
It is increasingly clear that human health and wellbeing are being threatened everywhere because of global warming and environmental damage. Extreme weather events, sea level rise, increasing scarcity of freshwater, drought and high temperatures, combined with loss of biodiversity and other aspects … [read more]
Transforming Africa: Just & Equitable Energy Transition
Emily Karanja
A global transition to lower-carbon energy sources is crucial for our species’ survival given the worsening effects of climate change. With many people increasingly advocating for a rapid shift from an energy system dependent on fossil fuels, questions on how to make this transition arise – one … [read more]
If Women Don’t Lead, We’ll Lose the Battle Against Climate Crisis
Sally Abi Khalil
We are in the midst of so many crises across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: the most unequal, water scarce, least democratic region in the world, with the widest gender gap, multiple armed conflicts raging across it, and fragile states on the brink. For weeks, the region has … [read more]
Restore Land to Tackle Multiple Crises
Ibrahim Thiaw
Land is our lifeline on this planet. Yet ‘business as usual’ in how we manage land resources puts our own future on planet Earth in jeopardy, with half of humanity already facing the impacts of land degradation. As we mark the 50th World Environment Day, let us accelerate efforts to meet … [read more]
