WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2022

“In the universe are billions of galaxies,

In our galaxy are billions of planets,

But there is Only One Earth”

(https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/)

As members of the global community, both Canada and the Philippines are experiencing environmental problems which need to be resolved for the well-being of our societies and peoples. Canada is an advanced industrialized country and a member of the leading G7 group of high-income nations. But economic growth has also resulted in many environmental issues such water, land and air pollution, soil degradation, deforestation, mine tailings spills, urban waste, and the increasing threats of climate change, especially warmer temperatures. Hence, the Canadian Government, private sector organizations, NGOs and citizens need to address these problems through environmental protection programs, shifts to alternative "green" energies, chemical-free agriculture, sustainable industries, and the 3 Rs of "reduce, reuse and recycle". However, to fully address the climate crisis, all Canadians need also to rethink how we live in the world. We need to question "over-consumerism" which has led to the unsustainable exploitation of local and global resources, a major cause of climate change.

A Global South country, the Philippines faces a deep environmental crisis leading to increasing levels of hunger, poverty, ill-health, inequalities, and injustices for millions of Filipinos. The Philippines is one of 18 mega-biodiverse countries of the world, containing two-thirds of the earth’s biodiversity and between 70% and 80% of the world’s plant and animal species. However, this enormous ecological and biological diversity has been reduced by decades of environmental destruction through economic activities such as deforestation, mining, chemical-based agriculture, mega dams, dying rivers, depletion of fisheries (especially by foreign trawlers), deaths of coral reefs, massive garbage (including plastics), air pollution especially from excessive vehicles, improper urbanization, and the overall impact of climate change resulting in more intensive typhoons, storms, flooding, landslides, droughts and warmer temperatures affecting agriculture and health.

While Governmental agencies are trying to address these problems, environmental destruction and the climate crisis are still occurring from economic policies based on unsustainable growth and resource extraction. However, there are hopeful signs of Canadian and Filipino communities and NGOs promoting diverse programs for environmental care, climate justice and alternative more sustainable ways of living.

Join LINGAP Canada in this programme featuring posters created by grade school and high school students on the theme “THERE IS #OnlyOneEarth, TOGETHER WE CAN PROTECT IT”.