World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on June 5 every year globally to encourage awareness and positive action for the protection of environment. WED is the United Nations’ most important annual event to call for action to save environment since 1974.

Every year World Environment Day has a different global host country; this year's host is India. The theme for WED 2018 is “Beat Plastic Pollution”.

Plastic pollution is one of the most important environmental problems that negatively impacts the plants, wildlife and health and wellbeing of people on earth.

The Government of India has committed for organizing and promoting the World Environment Day celebrations through a series of engaging activities and events generating strong public interest and participation. From plastic clean-up drives in public areas, national reserves and forests in all over the country to simultaneous beach clean-up activities, India will lead the initiative by setting an example.

World Environment Day 2018 is being celebrated across the length and breadth of the country, involving all States and Union Territories, districts, local bodies and organizations.  A week-long environmental awareness campaign and pollution mitigation activities are being planned in Delhi and other parts of the country from June 1-5, 2018.

The theme “Beat Plastic Pollution” is a call to action for all citizens, civil societies to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of this time. The theme invites all people to get out and organize cleanups in their communities; and consider how the changes in everyday lives can reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on natural places, wildlife and human health; and explore sustainable alternatives; and urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic.

Honorable Prime Minister of India has appealed to the citizens to not use low-grade polythenes, plastics and try to curb the negative impact of plastic pollution on the environment, wildlife and health. 

 Facts about plastic pollution:

• Every year the world uses 500 billion plastic bags.
• Last year more plastic was produced than in the whole last century.
• 13 million tones of plastic end up in the ocean each year.
• 50 percent of plastic used is single use or disposable.
• 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute around the world.
• Nearly two million single –use plastic bags are distributed worldwide every minute.
• 10% of all of the waste generated is plastic.

Beat plastic pollution by:

• Reducing ones consumption of plastic products.
• Refusing plastic products when offered.
• Reusing plastic products to keep them out of the waste stream.
• Recycling waste plastic products to reduce plastic from the environment

                      Help end plastic pollution.

References-

www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/india-host-world-environment-day-2018

www.nhp.gov.in/earth-day_pg