World Environment Day [WED] was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, which was initiated by Sweden in 1968 with the purpose to address global environmental problems. Two years later, in 1974 the first WED was held with the theme “Only One Earth”
The topic of WED has been changed according to top priorities such as ozone, chemicals, desertification, at the beginning, towards melting ice, protection of species, illegal hunting, sea level rise, plastic pollution and this year’s challenge of air pollution. 92 percent of people worldwide do not breathe clean air, every day!
Air pollution in Prishtina and other bigger places in Kosovo has been a hot topic in the last few years. Since March this year, we can follow air pollution in main cities of Kosovo through an application Kosovo Air Pollution. The application can tell us when is good for us to be out, to do some physical activities, or simply to stay at home. We can agree that more scientific data is needed to define the most proper measures, but we cannot agree that improvements in air quality are not priority and than many concrete measures could have been already done at all levels, so that air we all breath is not toxic.
World environment day can be used for celebration, but moreover for action, that will be continued throughout the whole year. We depend on environment 365 days a year, so lets treat it like that.
What Everyone Can Do to #BeatAirPollution ?
- Use public transport or car sharing, cycle or walk.
- Turn off the car engine when stationary.
- Reduce your consumption of meat and dairy to help cut methane emissions.
- Compost organic food items and recycle non-organic trash.
- Save energy: turn off lights and electronics when not in use.
- Never burn trash, as this contributes directly to air pollution.
- Choose non-toxic paints and furnishings
- Urge government to invest in renewable energy sources and get yourself informed
- Urge your municipality to improve public transport, pedestrian and cycling zone
And don’t stop here
More information about the World Environment Day can be found here: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/
This grant is supported by the ‘Civil Society programme for Albania and Kosovo’, financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) in partnership with Partners Albania for Change and Development (PA). The content and recommendations do not represent the official position of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF).
