The following is the message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the occasion of World Environment Day being observed today (June 5, 2018).
A healthy planet is essential for a prosperous and peaceful future.
We all have a role to play in protecting our only home. But it can be difficult to know what to do or where to start.
That’s why this World Environment Day has just one request: Beat plastic pollution.
Our world is swamped by harmful plastic waste. Every year, more than eight million tonnes end up in the oceans. Microplastics in the seas now outnumber stars in our galaxy.
From remote islands to the Artic, nowhere is untouched.
If present trends continue, by 2050 our oceans will have more plastic than fish.
On World Environment Day, the message is simple: reject single-use plastics. Refuse what you can’t re-use.
Together, we can chart a path to a cleaner, greener world.
Thank you.
António Guterres
UN Secretary-General
