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Journée mondiale de l’eau – 22 mars 2024

L’eau pour la paix

L’eau peut être source de paix ou de conflit.

Lorsque l’eau est rare ou polluée, ou que certains n’y ont pas accès ou y ont un accès inégal, des tensions peuvent apparaître entre les populations et les pays concernés.

Plus de 37 milliards de personnes dans le monde dépendent de ressources en eau transfrontières. Pourtant, 24 pays seulement ont conclu des accords de coopération pour l’ensemble de leurs ressources en eau partagées.

Face à l’aggravation des effets du changement climatique et à la croissance démographique, il est urgent, au sein des pays concernés et entre eux, de s’unir pour protéger et conserver notre ressource la plus précieuse.

La santé publique et la prospérité, les systèmes alimentaires et énergétiques, la productivité économique et l’intégrité environnementale sont tous tributaires d’un cycle de l’eau fonctionnel et géré de manière équitable.

Créer un effet d’entraînement positif

La Journée mondiale de l’eau 2024 a pour thème « L’eau pour la paix ».

Lorsque nous coopérons dans le domaine de l’eau, nous créons un effet d’entraînement positif qui favorise l’harmonie, génère de la prospérité et renforce la résilience face aux défis communs.

Nous devons prendre conscience que l’eau est non seulement une ressource à utiliser et dont on se dispute l’usage, mais aussi un droit humain, intrinsèque à tous les aspects de la vie.

En cette Journée mondiale de l’eau, nous devons tous unir nos efforts à propos de l’eau et l’utiliser en faveur de la paix, en jetant les bases d’un avenir plus stable et plus prospère.

Le saviez-vous ?

  • Quelque 2,2 milliards de personnes vivent encore sans eau potable gérée de façon sûre, dont 115 millions qui boivent de l’eau de surface. (OMS/UNICEF, 2023)
  • Environ la moitié de la population mondiale est confrontée à une grave pénurie d’eau pendant au moins une partie de l’année. (GIEC, 2022)
  • Les catastrophes liées à l’eau viennent en tête de la liste des catastrophes qui se sont produites ces 50 dernières années et sont à l’origine de 70 % de tous les décès dus aux catastrophes naturelles. (Banque mondiale, 2022)
  • Les eaux transfrontières représentent 60 % des flux d’eau douce dans le monde, et 153 pays ont un territoire situé dans au moins un des 310 bassins fluviaux et lacustres transfrontaliers et ont inventorié 468 systèmes aquifères transfrontaliers. (ONU-Eau, 2023)
  • Seuls 24 pays ont indiqué avoir signé des accords de coopération portant sur la totalité de leurs bassins transfrontaliers. (ONU-Eau, 2021).

 

Source: Texte & Image: https://www.un.org/fr/observances/water-day

World Bamboo Day – 18 September

World Bamboo Day is a day of celebration to increase the awareness of bamboo globally. Where bamboo grows naturally, bamboo has been a daily element, but its utilization has not always been sustainable due to exploitation. The World Bamboo Organization aims to bring the potential of bamboo to a more elevated exposure – to protect natural resources and the environment, to ensure sustainable utilization, to promote new cultivation of bamboo for new industries in regions around the world, as well as promote traditional uses locally for community economic development.

It is estimated that there are more than two billion hectares – that is nearly 5 billion acres – of deforested and degraded land around the world waiting for human intervention to save it, to nourish it, and breathe new life into it. The health of our planet needs us to do something big – as soon as possible.

In many cases, the natural biome in these regions will never return due to toxic pollution that has led to collapsed ecosystems and the extinction of local flora and fauna. However dismal, these lands can recover and regain ecological functionality – admittedly with collaborative inputs from stakeholders, integrated goal-setting, and sustainable management practices.

When considering the optimization of forest ecosystem goods and services as societal needs change- and new challenges arise – bamboo has a tremendous role to play. We’ve heard about planting trees – yes – but it is also time to plant bamboo.

Bamboo is resilient & adaptable – with immense biodiversity. Bamboo species can restore land. Their unique characteristics of quick growth, extensive root systems, and pioneer spirit can reduce erosion, stabilize slopes, absorb heavy metals, create shade, harbor wildlife, recycle carbon dioxide, and clean the air. Planting and managing sustainable bamboo forests allows for multiple social benefits, including rural development (improved housing), agroforestry products (which includes nutritional food and alternative fiber), with the big bonus of climate mitigation.

Bamboos are natural flora in temperate, tropical and subtropical parts of the globe, native on every continent except Europe and Antarctica, and the latest estimates are that there may be some 50 million hectares of bamboo around the world. That’s nearly 124 million acres.

 

Source: Text: https://worldbamboo.net/    Image: Journée mondiale

 

Journée mondiale sans sacs plastique – 3 juillet

Journée mondiale sans sacs plastique

La pollution occasionnée par la prolifération des sacs en plastique et – surtout – par leur abandon au gré des vents et des courants, menace de très nombreuses espèces animales. Qui n’a jamais entendu parler du « huitième continent » aura du mal à se représenter l’ampleur des dégâts causés dans la nature par cette source de pollution. Le Centre national d’information sur les déchets (Cniid) a, à de nombreuses reprises, attiré l’attention du public sur la nécessité d’une modification en profondeur de nos habitudes de consommation. Il ne s’agit plus aujourd’hui de produire plus de déchets recyclables, mais bel et bien de produire globalement moins de déchets et gérer autrement les déchets existants.

Entre 1960 à 2000, le tonnage d’ordures ménagères produit a doublé

La croisade contre l’utilisation des sacs plastiques entre symboliquement dans cette logique de réduction des déchets.

Les sacs en plastiques présentent en effet le double désavantage d’être très peu biodégradables et de se disperser très facilement au gré des vents et des courants. Ils pourraient assez facilement être remplacés par des sacs réutilisables et recyclables, voire par des emballages papier même si ces derniers ne sont pas une panacée.

Source: Texte (abrégé) & Image: Journée mondiale

CONNAISSEZ-VOUS LE HUITIÈME CONTINENT ?

Egalement appelé “soupe de plastique”, ce continent est constitué de nos déchets ! Estimé à 6 fois la superficie de la France (3,4 millions de Km²), il a été découvert par hasard en 1997. En effet, tous les déchets que l’activité humaine rejette dans la mer s’agglutinent dans une zone où se rencontrent tous les courants du  Pacifique nord, formant un immense vortex. On relate quatre autres « continents de déchets » dans les autres océans, Atlantique, et Indien.
Les conséquences de cette décharge en pleine mer sont parfois insoupçonnées : les mammifères, tortues et oiseaux qui confondent les déchets avec leur nourriture meurent car les résidus ingérés obstruent leur système digestif.
Le continent est également propice à la reproduction d’une espèce d’araignée d’eau : l’halobate sericeus. Cet insecte, capable de vivre dans un milieu marin, a besoin d’un terrain solide pour pondre ses œufs et ce lieu lui fournit un lieu de vie inespéré. Se nourrissant comme les crabes, poisson et oiseaux de mer de plancton et d’œufs de poisson, elle menace ainsi ces espèces en se reproduisant à vitesse grand V.

Quels sont les risques réels ?

Disparitions d’espèces,  contamination de l’eau, des plages, maladies, les conséquences sont réelles et seront importantes si l’on ne change rien!

Source: Texte & Image: https://www.gardien-asso.fr/connaissez-vous-le-huitieme-continent/

World Environment Day – 5 June 2023

Solutions to plastic pollution

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled.

An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually. That is approximately the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers all together.

Microplastics – tiny plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter – find their way into food, water and air. It is estimated that each person on the planet consumes more than 50,000 plastic particles per year –and many more if inhalation is considered.

Discarded or burnt single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem from mountain tops to the ocean floor.

With available science and solutions to tackle the problem, governments, companies and other stakeholders must scale up and speed actions to solve this crisis.

This underscores the importance of this World Environment Day in mobilizing transformative action from every corner of the world.

Fifty years celebrating World Environment Day

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually on 5 June since 1973, World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world. In 2023, it is hosted by Côte D’Ivoire.

Did you know?

  • Some 11 million tonnes of plastic waste flow annually into oceans. This may triple by 2040.
  • More than 800 marine and coastal species are affected by this pollution through ingestion, entanglement, and other dangers.
  • A shift to a circular economy can reduce the volume of plastics entering oceans by over 80 per cent by 2040; reduce virgin plastic production by 55 per cent; save governments US$70 billion by 2040; reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent; and create 700,000additional jobs – mainly in the global south.
Source: Text: https://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day   Image: University of Prince Edward Island

Faith in a global agreement to combat plastic pollution by 2024 

Last year, 175 UN Member States endorsed a historic resolution to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement that will be ready by the end of 2024. This is the most significant environmental multilateral deal since the Paris accord. It is an insurance policy for this generation and future ones, so they may live with plastic and not be doomed by it.

Source: Text & Image: UNEP 2023

World Penguin Day – 25 April

Penguins are some of the most adorable, lovable and impressive creatures in the animal kingdom, so why not dedicate a day to these flightless birds?

World Penguin Day is a celebratory and educative initiative that encourages people to learn more about penguins and their environment, how important they are to our ecosystems and the threats they face. Interested in learning more about this day? Then let’s dive in!

The particulars of penguins

These distinctive black and white birds are highly adapted to aquatic life, their wings have evolved into flippers and their excellent swimming abilities allowing most species to dive around 200m deep, with emperor penguins even reaching depths of 500m! They’re camouflaged to protect against predators from above and below, and their glossy feathers trap air to both keep them warm and help them stay afloat.

It’s practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry.      Joe Moore

Penguins vary quite significantly in size, from the large emperor penguin, reaching heights of over 1m, to the little blue penguin, coming in at just over 30cm tall. In ancient times there were even giant species of penguin that grew almost 2m high and weighed 80kg!

Found all over the Southern Hemisphere, from Antarctica to the Galápagos Islands, penguins are famous for their endearing waddles, their dedicated chick hatching efforts and, for those based in icy climates, their trick of huddling to stay warm. They’re even known to enjoy a spot of tobogganing, gliding on their bellies over the ice!

History of World Penguin Day

World Penguin Day takes place during the annual northern migration of Adélie penguins, a species of penguin that is native to Antarctica. Adélie penguins migrate north to have better access to food during the winter months when the sea ice expands and then, during the summer, return to the coastal beaches of Antarctica to build their nests.

This annual celebration of penguins was created at McMurdo Station, an American research center on Ross Island. Researchers noticed that the Adélie penguins began their migration around this day each year, and so they founded World Penguin Day as a way to mark the occasion and raise awareness of these creatures.

While the day originated from the Adélie penguin’s migration habits, it celebrates all species of penguin and highlights the plight of these water-loving creatures. Of the 17 or so species around today (the total number of species varies depending on how you classify them, but there are at least 17 and possibly as many as 20!), sadly 10 of them have been deemed endangered or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and 3 are considered near threatened.

Penguins spend up to three quarters of their lives out at sea and are reliant on the oceans for food. Overfishing and pollution such as plastic and oil spills therefore pose a real threat to these birds and have contributed to decreasing populations, which in turn has a knock-on effect on the wider ecosystem. And for those species based in the Antarctic (the emperor penguin and the Adélie penguin), climate change is shrinking the sea ice, which not only impinges on their habitat but can also impact chick hatching times and the availability of food.

 

Source: Text: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-penguin-day/      Image: The Weather Channel

Earth Day – 22 April 2024

For the past 50 years, Earth Day has been celebrated by billions of people around the globe, annually every April 22, to join together in promoting awareness for the health of our environment. Why should we continue to celebrate this holiday? Some people may view it as just another holiday, or an excuse to wear green and a flower crown, similar to St. Patrick’s Day, but with serious concerns about our changing environment being studied and addressed today by prominent scientists, politicians, and young climate change activists alike, some people are adapting to more environmentally friendly ways of living — every day, not just on April 22 every year. Cue the composting, recycling, repurposing, carpooling, thrifting, and metal straws to save the turtles.

HISTORY OF EARTH DAY

The idea for Earth Day was originally born in 1969, when a US Senator named Gaylord Nelson, witnessed the effects of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA. He called to action all Americans to take a stand for the environment in 1970, and thousands of colleges and universities across the United States organized protests for a healthy, sustainable Earth. This included air pollution from factories and freeways, as well as the loss of habitats for animals and animal extinction. Because of these national rallies, the first Earth Day helped create the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts into law.

Today, we have similar concerns, and unfortunately they are even messier than that original oil spill. Increasing natural disasters, extreme weather, and rising global temperatures may seem impossible for one human, let alone millions or even billions of humans, to slow down, or stop. It has been reported that coral reefs are dying, we see pictures of animals on land and in the ocean with trash in their bellies or around their body, and corporate factories and large companies around the world continue to pollute our air and our living spaces. But a small action, like picking up litter on the sidewalk that may have otherwise ended up around the neck of an animal or in the ocean, still makes an impact — a step in the right direction, and an important change.

Source: Text: https://nationaltoday.com/earth-day/    Image: Freepik

Journée Mondiale sans voiture – 22 septembre

Journée Mondiale sans voiture

Pourquoi une journée « En ville, sans ma voiture !« ? Une telle entreprise est née d’un constat : les Européens sont fortement préoccupés par la pollution et la mobilité urbaine. En ville, beaucoup se plaignent d’une mauvaise qualité de l’air, de nuisances sonores, d’encombrements, etc… Malgré cela, le parc automobile et la circulation croissent.La journée « En ville, sans ma voiture ! » a pour objectif de favoriser la prise de conscience collective de la nécessité d’agir contre les nuisances générées par la croissance du trafic motorisé en milieu urbain. Il ne s’agit pas seulement de lutter contre la pollution atmosphérique ou contre le bruit mais aussi d’améliorer la qualité de vie en ville. La journée sans voitures existe depuis 1998 et les bilans des dernières années montrent une certaine désaffection et un réel désengagement des grandes communautés urbaines. Depuis 2007, cette journée mondiale tend à être remplacée par une semaine de la mobilité qui vise à promouvoir l’usage des transports en communs…La date de cette journée mondiale est généralement fixée au 22 septembre chaque année, mais il peut y avoir des exceptions. Ainsi, à Paris, c’est le 18 septembre 2022 qui a été retenu, probablement parce que c’est plus facile un dimanche !

Zéro émission ?

La mobilité électrique peine à se faire une vraie place dans nos villes. Les freins, essentiellement économiques, pèsent encore lourd. La mobilité électrique, comment ça marche ? Quel est le coût d’un véhicule électrique ? Quelles sont les aides possibles ? Toutes les réponses à ces questions sont abordées à l’occasion de la journée de la mobilité électrique, organisée dans le cadre de la semaine européenne de la mobilité.

Un site à visiter : www.notre-planete.info   Source: Texte & Image: Journée Mondiale

World Bicycle Day – 3 June

For many of us, riding a bicycle without training wheels is the first challenging physical activity we ever learn how to master. We all remember, don’t we? A running start. The protective hand secured to the bicycle seat is released. And then — ZOOM! — the child is off and peddling, and a lifetime of adventure and freedom awaits aboard a succession of beloved two-wheeled conveyances. In the spirit of that very first trip, let’s take a closer look at World Bicycle Day, June 3, shall we?

Training wheels or tandem, cycle your worries away on World Bicycle Day on June 3.

HISTORY OF WORLD BICYCLE DAY

Getting your first bicycle and learning how to ride it is a rite of passage for almost all of us. Despite the marks and scabs from falling from our bicycles while learning, it is a memory we always cherish. Bicycling is quite a useful activity — in the hustle and bustle of today’s world, bicycling allows us to exercise our muscles, cut back on fuel consumption as it is quite a popular alternative to driving a car, and feel the wind in our hair. Really, there is nothing quite like the exhilaration of riding a bicycle. World Bicycle Day acknowledges this and the durability and longevity of the bicycle. Providing a simple and sustainable means of transportation, bicycling is rejuvenating for our physical- and mental health, and good for the economy, and the environment. 

The United Nations established World Bicycle Day for many reasons. As basic as it is, the impact of the bicycle on society is quite transformative — even the poorest people get access to basic transport with the bicycle. 

It all started when U.S.-based Professor Leszek Sibilski initiated a grassroots campaign with his sociology class to promote a U.N. resolution that would designate a day for the advocacy and celebration of the humble bicycle all over the world. In 2015, Sibilski dedicated himself to an academic project, exploring bicycles and their role in development. His project catapulted into a massive movement backed by ‘Sustainable Mobility for All,’ and eventually resulted in a dedicated international day set by the United Nations for the promotion of bicycling. On April 12, 2018, the resolution declaring June 3 as World Bicycle Day was unanimously adopted by all 193 member states of the UN General Assembly. The resolution was greatly supported by Turkmenistan and co-sponsored by around 56 countries. 

 

Source: Text: nationaltoday.com    Image: Freepik

World Reef Day – 1st June

The Marovo Lagoon in the Solomon Islands is the largest saltwater lagoon in the world. Protected by a double barrier reef, it’s home to unique marine life and coral, making it a bucket-list destination for divers. The beauty and diversity of life contained within its pristine, 700 square kilometres are the perfect inspiration for World Reef Day, observed every year on June 1 to bring awareness to this vital but largely unseen part of our natural world. Reef Day also kicks off World Oceans Month, a time to celebrate and learn more about these vital ecosystems.

Although coral reefs occupy less than 0.1 percent of the planet’s oceans, they support up to 25 percent of the world’s marine species. They have rightfully earned their nickname, ‘Rainforests of the Sea.’ Coral is not a plant, but part animal and part mineral, a marine invertebrate that secretes calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton. They grow in colonies, usually in warm, shallow waters, and form vast colonies that we see as reefs, providing the basic platform for marine life to flourish around them. They even provide benefits to land, protecting shorelines from the forces of the ocean.

Unfortunately, coral reefs are under immense environmental pressure due to pollution, overfishing, and particularly from changing ocean temperatures. A warming ocean and acidification due to increased carbon dioxide have resulted in coral bleaching—when under stress, corals lose their colour. The yellow whip and red gorgonian you see here are what healthy coral look like, but vibrant, hearty coral are swiftly becoming the exception rather than the rule. Recently, even the previously robust and thriving Marovo Lagoon began showing signs of bleaching, a sobering reminder that the beauty we see here is fragile and becoming more precious.

Source: Text: Bing    Image: Wallpapersafari

Journée internationale sans paille – 3 février

Les journées mondiales dont l’objectif est de lutter contre une source identifiée de pollution se multiplient et celle-ci n’échappe pas à la règle.

Bas les pailles !

C’est le 3 février 2018 qu’a eu lieu la toute première Journée internationale sans paille. Elle a été lancée par par un collectif d’associations en partenariat avec le projet Bye Paille porté par l’association « Low Carbon City » qui vise – comme son nom l’indique – à réduire l’empreinte carbone de la consommation humaine.

Son objectif est simple: sensibiliser en une journée le plus grand nombre de personnes à la pollution plastique en initiant un geste simple : mon soda, servez-le sans paille… ce petit tube de plastique, fort peu utile au demeurant, est très facilement jeté au sol, sur la plage, dans la nature, créant ainsi une pollution visible et non bio dégradable importante.

La mobilisation démarre

En 2018, plus de 35 pays ont participé à la Journée Internationale sans paille. Combien y en aura-t-il en 2024 ?

Et la loi suit…

L’interdiction des pailles est une directive européenne autour du plastique à usage unique, elle a été adoptée en mars 2019 et le mise en application a pris effet le 3 juillet 2021 en France (le temps de finir son verre certainement).

Source: Texte & Image: Journée Mondiale