World Environment Day

World Environment Day ('WED') falls on June 5 every year to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.

It is an important platform for public outreach celebrated by stakeholders in over 100 countries.

WED also serves as the "people day", for doing something positive for the environment, galvanizing individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet.

WED this year adopts Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the broader context of climate change as its theme. The objectives are to help build momentum towards the Third International Conference on SIDS in September and encourage a greater understanding of the importance of SIDS and of the urgency to help protect the islands in the face of growing risks and vulnerabilities, particularly as a result of climate change.

WED is the opportunity for everyone to realize not only the responsibility to care for the Earth and but to become agents of change.

This year theme is Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea level,  to draw everyone attention to small islands and climate change.

According to The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report on climate change, the earth temperature rose 1% since 1901 primarily due to human activities.

Rising sea level will pose an increasing risk of flood, sea tide, coastal erosion and other perils on Malaysia 4,800 km coastline.

The trend of more severe and frequent storm, flood and draught occurring for the past few years is worrying.

Studies at Tanjung Piai, Johor show that sea level has risen by 1.3mm yearly from 1986-2006.

It is estimated from the above data and the yearly 10mm rise of sea level (1 metre rise in a century) that 1,820 hectares of land at Tanjung Piai and 148 hectares of Cenang Beach, Langkawi will be under water by then.

It is important for all to work closely together to reduce greenhouse gases emission and protect the vulnerable groups from the risk of climate change.