KATHMANDU: The World Environment Day is being marked today around the theme #BeatPlasticPollution.
The World Environment Day started to be celebrated on June 5 every year since 1973 at the call of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). It has been 50 years since this day started to be commemorated.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said that the Day will contribute towards prodding all those concerned to transform into results the several initiatives and commitments the government has made at the national and international levels to combat the overall environmental problems including the management of plastic in Nepal.
Stating that this year the World Environment Day is being marked to highlight with priority the plastic pollution, one of the major global environmental challenges, PM Dahal stressed on the need of managing the plastic and reduce the environmental pollution caused by plastic which has become an integral part of modern life.
He expressed concern, saying the excessive and haphazard use of plastic has created huge environmental challenge. The PM added that oceans, landfill sites, plains, hilly, high hilly and mountainous regions are filled with piles of plastic trash which increases the risk of causing adverse effect on human health and irreversible impact on the entire ecosystem.
More than 400 million tons of plastic is produced throughout the world each year and a big part of this reaches to the oceans via various river systems. This can harm the ecosystem and in efforts to fight its adverse impact, efforts are being made at the initiatives of UNEP to forge a ‘Plastic Pollution Treaty’.
The Prime Minister stated that Nepal is also participating in this initiative. He expressed the government’s commitment to enhancing the effectiveness of the Environment Conservation and Climate Change Management National Council which he chairs.
According to the PM, the topic of environment conservation requires the active concern, interest and participation of all sides including the government, the non-governmental sector, academia, private sector, general public and consumers. As per the Constitution of Nepal, environment conservation comes under the jurisdiction of all three levels of government – federal, provincial and local.
He has called upon one and all working in the environment protection sector to be united in the practical implementation of the theme of this year’s the World Environment Day.
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