The theme for this year is ‘Invest In Our Planet’. Building on the Earth Day theme, speakers urged that people and communities need to act boldly and implement equitably mainly through bottom-up approaches.
Global Forum for Sustainable Rural Development, India organized the online event on the global celebration of World Earth Day on April 22, 2022 in collaboration with Global Peace Let’s Talk, UK along with international 13 organizations from 13 countries. Total 381 participants from 32 countries and 22 speakers representing 15 countries participated in the event.
Dr. Jayanta Choudhury, India, Founder, GFSRD welcomed all the dignitaries and participants. Dr. Shiladitya Chatterjee, India, President, GFSRD introduced the theme while Dr. Nikki-De-Pina, UK, Founder, GPLT stressed on the issues of climate changes and responsibilities of stakeholders.
Both Dr. Puranjan Das, India, Ex. Deputy Director General, ICAR as Guest of Honor and Hon. Andrew Williams Jr., USA, President, Five Points Youth Foundation as Chief Guest emphasized on caring of mother earth in their speeches.
Dr.Mukti Sadhan Basu, India, Ex. Director (National Groundnut Research Centre), ICAR & FAO, UNDP, Prof. Manas Mohan Adhikary, India Former Vice-Chancellor, BCKV; Mr. Mark Prasanf, Canada, Founder Carbonshot; Mr.Venuste Niyirora, Rwanda Co-founder and CEO, EPIGA; Dr. Sheikh Tawhidul Islam, Bangladesh, Professor, Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS, Jahangirnagar University; Ms. Mansi Sharma, India, Senior Research Fellow cum Faculty in Gandhian and Peace Studies, Panjub University; Dr. Francis Chishala, (King Haile Selassie II), Zamibia; Ms. Janine Bosch-Wessels, South Africa, Senior Communications Officer, GPLT; Ms. Carolyne Nyarangi, Kenya, Co-founder and President, ICARE Sustainably International; Mr. Phalguni Sundaram Biswal, India, Regional Coordinator, World Food Forum; Mr. Jishnu Panamoly Ayyappan, Tiwan, Research Scholar, National Taiwan Ocean University; Dr. Prem Adheesh Lekhi, Malaysia, SSIOM INGO; Mr. Shamim Ahmed Mridha, Bangladesh, Founder & Chairman, Eco-Network; Dr. V. Suresh Babu, India, Associate Professor, NIRDPR-NERC; Mr. Tarun Tiwari, Global Head, Social Media, GFSRD, India; Dr. Rashmi Maurya, India, Assistant Professor, K.P.B.Hinduja College of Commerce; Dr. Magelyn G. Goze, Philippines, Senior High School Teacher, Licerio Antiporda Sr. National High School; Mr. Chounna Yemele Gergino, Cameroon, Environmental Engineer and Scientist. Ambassador of Sustainability; Mr. Asokkumar Mithursan, SriLanka, University of Peradeniya joined the programme as speakers and shared their valuable opinion on different aspects related to World Earth Day.
The session covered the history of earth day, its significance and ways to deal with pollution problems around the world. The history dates back to the 1960s when Americans became aware of the effects of pollution on the environment, in 1969, an American senator, Gaylord Nelson, started Earth Day.
This year marks the 52nd year of Earth Day and the theme for this year is ‘Invest In Our Planet’. Building on the Earth Day theme, speakers urged that people and communities need to act boldly and implement equitably mainly through bottom-up approaches.
Speakers also reiterated that there is clear and irrefutable human activity that is destroying our ecosystems disrupting the healthy food and its supply. Many speakers highlighted that the lessons from the COVID pandemic to collective action is possible and countries and communities could unite to fight back so similar commitment and courage if required to address the issue of climate change impacts and environmental degradation.
Speakers also recommended that educational institutions can innovate and move toward inclusive education. Inclusive education is about designing courses or programs and activities in such a way that students would be able to learn the issues and come up with innovative solutions by participating and doing it practically.
It is about ensuring access to quality education in a responsive, accepting, respectful and supportive manner. The speaker also talked about initiatives and youth empowerment where youth need to be mindful of what is happening in the environment and become active members of the forum where they form a strong driving force for sustainable development.
The session ended with a message that local initiatives should be sustainable so that every individual must think about how to protect their own health and wellbeing, from climate change impacts, reduce pollution and work towards the conservation of soil and ecosystems so that the world would be a better place to live in. Such initiatives will also promote a more sustainable future.
Environmental Care and Community Security Institute, Myanmar; I Care International, Kenya; Biodiversity and Climate Change Research Institute, India; Eco Network, Bangladesh; Pahal Foundation, India; Earth, Climate and Ocean Research Foundation, India; Kulima Kotsogola 2223, Malawi; African Science Frontiers Initiatives; The Green Zymo Enterprise, Philippines; Bolpur Manav Prem O Seva Sanstha, India and Nistarini College, West Bengal, India and ENEWS Times join the programme as collborator.
Dr. Om Katel, Bhutan, Global Head, GFSRD- Centre for Environment and Climate Change moderated the progarmme.
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