Let’s respect, value environment

MOST of us do not give much thought to where our rubbish goes.
And what perfect timing is it to start talking about our waste with today being World Environment Day and then on Monday – World Oceans Day.
Both days are linked. One reminds us of the environment with the focus this year on biodiversity and the other about the role of oceans in everyday life.
Biodiversity is the foundation that supports all life on land and below water.
Biodiversity involves eight million plant and animal species, the ecosystems that house them and the genetic diversity among them.
In the last 150 years, the live coral reef cover has been reduced by half.
Recent events, from bushfires in Brazil, the United States, and Australia to locust infestations across East Africa – and now, a global disease pandemic (Covid-19) – demonstrate the interdependence of humans and the webs of life, in which they exist.
The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the climate that makes our planet habitable come from nature.
For instance, each year, marine plants produce more than a half of our atmosphere’s oxygen and a mature tree cleans our air, absorbing 22 kilos of carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen in exchange.
Despite all the benefits that our nature gives us, we still mistreat it.
That is why we need to work on that.
That is why we need this observance.
We should be reminded of the impact of human actions on the environment and ocean.
The surface of planet earth is around 70 per cent water, over 96 per cent of which is salt water.
While this vast area is mostly interconnected, it is broken up into large and small bodies by the seven continents and other landmasses.
The largest of these bodies are known as the great oceans.
There are five oceans – Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern.
PNG is located in the Pacific Ocean. The oceans play an important role in the Earth’s climate and in global warming.
One important function of the oceans is to transport heat from the tropics to higher latitudes.
They respond very slowly to changes in the atmosphere.
Oceans on the other hand are the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe.
It provides over 70 per cent of the oxygen we breathe and over 97 per cent of the world’s water supply.
Pollution does not only affect marine life and their environment, it also affects mankind.
It is our responsibility to keep the environment and ocean clean and, so far, we are doing a bad job.
They are major source of food and medicines and a critical part of the biosphere.
These two days are occasions to educate us on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.
Our security, our economy, our very survival all require a healthy environment.
It would have been appropriate if this day was given significant recognition with celebrations through the country.
It is time we (Papua New Guineans) develop a culture of respect, responsibility and appreciation of the environment and value it.
However it turns out, let us not harm the environment with ordinary things we do today and onwards.