Ethiopian Review

By Addis Mulugeta

The Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), together with other stakeholders, celebrated this year’s World Environment Day (WED) on June 5 in Wolayta for the 16th time in Ethiopia.
Internationally, it has been celebrated for about 36 times. This year’s theme was “Your Planet needs you – unite to combat climate change”.
Ababu Anage, Ecosystem Head of the EPA, indicated that one of the reasons for celebrating the day in Wolayta was that there is a carbon development project underway there. The other objective is protecting the environment from the dangers of climate change, which has had a negative impact on human, flora and fauna in the area. He commented that the issue of climate change and environmental degradation is not only the concern of individual countries, but is an issue for all countries.
The day was celebrated in Ethiopia with different events and activities, such as planting millions of trees, Ababu added.
The celebration of the day is to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance public interest and political action. The agenda is to present a human face to environmental issues, empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development, promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues, and advocate partnership, which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.
According to a United Nations report on Volunteers of 2009, volunteerism has been at the core of the environmental movement from its earliest stages. World Environment Day offers an occasion to celebrate volunteers’ contributions to environmental sustainability.
At this year’s World Environment Day, more than 100 volunteers were involved in current environmental initiatives. Combining their expertise in engineering, life sciences and international commerce, seven online volunteers are helping the NGO Africavenir develop a sustainable solution to environmental pollution caused by pig breeding – by transforming pig waste into energy.
By collecting, analysing and interpreting satellite images, a team of four online volunteers is helping the same organisation obtain up-to-date information about the state of the environment in 15 Togolese localities.
Three online volunteers are supporting a Cameroonian NGO in the design of a solar electrical power system for their planned African Peace and Democratic Institute. They also researched and proposed ways in which the system and installation itself may serve as a training project to building renewable energy capacity and expertise in Central Africa.
World Environment Day was established by the United Nation General Assembly in 1972.

(Capital)