The World Environment Day (June 5), is a global platform for inspiring positive change and preserving the environment through joint efforts engaging governments, businesses, civil society, schools, celebrities, cities and communities, raising awareness and celebrating environmental action.
The State of Qatar celebrates Qatar Environment Day on February 26 under the slogan “Our environment is a trust” to emphasize the importance of concerted community, official and civil efforts to preserve Qatar’s environment, maintain all its elements, and make it safe, sound and healthy for current and future generations.
Protection of environment is one of the main pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030, where the State makes balance between “development needs” and “environmental protection”. For this purpose the State of Qatar has launched many initiatives including Plant a Million Tree, which was launched in 2019 with a QR1bn budget to support international efforts in confronting climate change and promoting environmental sustainability.
Qatar also pledged to hold a carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and observe international standards in the field of environmental conservation by adopting a level of sustainability for stadiums applying environmentally friendly designs, construction materials, energy, and water use. Alongside these initiatives, Qatar takes part in implementing global plans to protect the environment and encourages the use of environmentally sound technologies.
Qatar does not miss an opportunity to increase environmental awareness among the public, enhance knowledge, skills, trends, and values associated with the safety and recovery of Qatar’s environment. There is no doubt that the successes achieved by the celebration of World Environment Day every year have greatly contributed to increasing community environmental awareness.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also issued a message for World Environment Day, where he reminded the global populations with their responsibility toward the planet. “This planet is our only home”, said the UN chief adding that “it cannot keep up with our demands... it is vital we safeguard the health of its atmosphere, the richness and diversity of life on Earth, its ecosystems and its finite resources, but we are failing to do so.”
It is important to emphasis that individuals can be drivers of change through their support for businesses and governments and draw attention to the fact that protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility, especially since the issue of the environment has become a global issue in all its dimensions without exception, therefore it demands joint actions at world level in the same manner as every government or citizen takes to protect environment of their homelands.
