World Earth’s Day celebrated virtually in Pakistan like all over the world due to lockdown situations amid ongoing health crises in the country demanding serious efforts to control environmental degradation and maintain a clean habitat.
This year, Earth Day was observed under the theme `climate action‘ which is the great challenge but have the vast opportunities of action have distinguished the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th anniversary.
Earth Day as an annual global event, observed on April 22, celebrates the environmental movement and raises awareness about pollution and ways to maintain a clean habitat. However this year, the day has gained more significance due to observance of 50th Anniversary of Earth Day.
President Economic Cooperation Organization (ECOSF), Professor Manzoor Soomro attended the webinar as keynote speaker and delivered the speech titled “Climate Change and School Education” on the starting day.
Talking to media, Professor Soomro said this webinar was arranged to highlight the importance of school education on climate change.
The webinar also discussed how the effects of climatic changes and global warming can be prevented and handled to protect our earth.
He said the webinar was being arranged in coordination with Tehran ECO Institute of Environmental Science and Technology with the participation of ten member countries preventing physical interaction due to COVID-19.
He said climate change was a complex subject and its knowledge was an essential requirement today especially for the youth which comprised over a big chunk of population.
“Our youth will be the future leaders and decision makers after 15 to 20 years so they must be well about the climate-related issues being faced by the country and their solutions”, he said.
“We have to prepare our youth from school to Intermediate level through equipping them with the knowledge on how to address challenges associated with climatic changes” he added.
He also emphasized on the inclusion of climate change as part of their school curriculum.
It was very unfortunate that Pakistan lacked Science Centers and proper focus on Science Museums which could be a great source of interactive learning for the students, he observed.
Earth Day Network Pakistan (a private organization) in Islamabad also arranged a digital programme “Climate Talk” following by its digital campaign where a number of children participated by sharing their pictures and videos demanding the citizens to play their role in providing safe planet to the next generations.
One of the participants, Sumbel Khan in her shared video conveyed a message saying “This planet is not just a planet; this is our home where we born, we grow up and live a life.
Taking care of it is just a major responsibility being a human being as simply giving our point of contribution toward making this earth a better and sustainable place can bring a greater impact resulting in more harmonized and sustainable place assuring each and every creature exist on this planet.
Climate change can be prevented, ecosystem and marine life can be better if we just be more cautious with our actions to avoid causing damage to our environment in 2020, she said.