1. Home
2. Blogs

World Earth Day

• 
• 
• 
• 0
• 0

Published on April 19, 2021. EST READ TIME: 3 minutes

Every year on April 22nd, one significant event occurs: International Mother Earth Day. A day when everyone joins forces to raise awareness about our planet's precarious state. Forest fires, urban smogs, cyclones, earthquakes, rising temperatures, erratic weather, insect invasions, and other natural disasters are becoming more frequent as the years pass. These are all signs of a distressed planet. Stripped of her precious resources and polluted relentlessly, Mother Earth is unable to restore and find balance on her own. So, we need to step up and take responsibility.

Theme for World Earth Day 2021

Every year, a theme is chosen for Earth Day. The theme for 2021 has been announced as Restore Our Earth. Five key programmes have been announced under this theme. They are as follows:

• The Canopy Project

• Food and Environment

• Climate Literacy

• The Global Earth Challenge

• The Great Global Clean Up

Earth Day Focus in India

A leader in controlling climate change, India has taken proactive steps in ensuring that we maintain the smallest possible carbon footprint. However, pollution of the air and water is a big issue in our country. This is why our government has always taken World Earth Day seriously. In India, the day is observed with four key focuses.

• Extensive tree plantation: Trees are our primary defence against pollution and climate protection. Since 2016, more than 900 million trees have been planted in India under the aegis of World Earth Day. This has been done by efforts primarily driven by governments, but also supported by many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), as well as academic institutions. Drought ridden areas have been a key focus for afforestation efforts, including climate-sensitive areas like Lalitpur where more than 1 lakh saplings have been distributed.

• Raising awareness about climate change and steps to alleviate it: The most effective long term solution for ensuring climate protection is to educate future generations about the risks involved and how to protect the environment. As a result, a goal was set to raise concern about climate change and protective measures among 10 million people by 2026.The methodology involves activities like generating climate awareness in school morning assemblies, making and sharing student films about climate protection under the banner of Earth Reel and students painting the outer wall of their schools with environment-related messages and paintings under the Earth Mural programme.

• Restriction of plastic usage: Plastic is a highly worrying pollutant because it is not biodegradable. Regular recycling efforts in India and around the globe have not yielded the results in terms of plastic usage reduction. This is why the plastic waste problem must be addressed at its source. Earth Day has always laid a key focus on reduction of plastic usage. Many steps have been taken in this regard. Tourists have been encouraged to keep the mountains, beaches and forest areas litter-free. Residential colonies are incentivised to raise awareness about the segregation of plastic waste from other types of waste. This will make recycling the collected waste plastic easier. Similarly, large shopping centres and malls are also being persuaded to reduce and control the usage of plastic materials by the businesses they host. Municipal governments in various towns and cities are also being lobbied for enforcing blanket bans on plastic bags made of less than a certain micron rating.

• Protection of Wildlife in India: India has always had a diverse and abundant flora and fauna. However, over the past few decades, the country’s animal and plant life has continued to deteriorate, with many animals facing extinction. While the government has made considerable progress by the establishment of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Urban Forests, much more needs to be done. The aim is to protect over 1000 species that are on the Red List and on the verge of extinction. Efforts in the area include awareness sessions and fundraising efforts to assist organisations involved in on-the-ground wildlife conservation efforts.

How can you help?

To be successful, the Restore Our Earth initiative would necessitate the participation of everyone. Apart from endorsing the four initiatives mentioned above, it is critical that you go paperless. Papermaking requires the felling of trees, which is a huge environmental problem. The future is all-digital and you can start by small efforts like buying Health Insurance (HI) online. So next time, make sure that you buy Health Insurance online. You must realise that paperless Health Insurance policy is future-ready. It is cheaper and faster to buy and simpler to administer. Health insurance companies also provide special incentives for people who manage their health insurance policies over the internet or through mobile phone apps.

So, do your part to restore our Mother Earth to her former glory! Happy World Earth Day!

The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

---

• 
• 
• 
•