The IAEA, along with the rest of the United Nations organisations and people across the world, today celebrates UN World Environment Day. The theme Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new way forward at the 7-18 December 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
The theme also links with plans to overcome poverty and improve forest management.
The IAEA has many programmes that relate to the sustainable management of natural resources, and the protection and understanding of the environment through nuclear technology.
Nuclear technology can help measure rates of uptake, storage and cycling of water and nutrients, thus improving efficiency in agriculture. It is also essential in assessing, mitigating and predicting the environmental impact of various industrial activities, and it can help to track water sources and movement for better management of the precious resource.
In his World Environment Day message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says, "Together, we must press governments to seal the deal for a new climate agreement."
Mr. Ban also talked about the benefits of diverting financial resources to better environmental management. "The world also needs a ´Green New Deal´ focused on investing in renewable sources of energy, eco-friendly infrastructure and energy efficiency. This will not only create jobs and spur recovery but also help tackle global warming. If we invest even part of the substantial new economic stimulus packages in the green economy, we can turn today´s crisis into tomorrow´s sustainable growth."
This year, Mexico will host the international World Environment Day celebrations.
Last year the main global host was New Zealand and the theme was Kick the C02 Habit-Towards a Low Carbon Economy.
Background
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It is commemorated each year on 5 June and is a UN initiative aimed at stimulating worldwide awareness of the environment and enhancing political attention and action.
It´s also a popular event with colourful activities such as street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, essay and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, as well as recycling and cleaning-up campaigns.