On World Environment Day 2020, Forest minister Javadekar has a task for Indians to take up

On the occasion of World Environment Day on Friday, Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Prakash Javadekar extended his greetings and said that India is proud of its rich biodiversity. In a series of tweets, the minister listed down several measures people can undertake to make the planet environment friendly.

'We must save electricity'

"Plant a tree and ensure its growth where ever possible. This will create oxygen bank for life. This is how we can grow our tree cover and create additional carbon sink," Javadekar said. He added that the citizens need to save water, recycle water and harvest water so that there will not be a dearth of water resources any time in future.

"We must save electricity and generate electricity through solar or wind so that we will save carbon emission. We need to use efficient electrical lights, LED lights for saving electricity and switch off the plugs whenever we go out.," the Environment Minister said.

Despite a huge human and animal population on a limited habitation area, India has been able to maintain 8% of the world's biodiversity because "our ethos is to live with nature", Prakash Javadekar said on Thursday.

In a video message on the eve of the World Environment Day, Javadekar said there are many constraints for India in conserving the biodiversity, like 16% of world's human population and 16% of cattle population living on 2.5% of world's land. "Still we have maintained biodiversity of 8% of the world," he said.

“India's culture is to be with nature. We are the only country which worships trees, animals, birds everybody. We love nature. Our ethos is to live with nature,” he added in his video message shared for a webinar hosted by the think-tank TERI.

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World Environment Day 2020: Theme

The theme for World Environment Day 2020 is biodiversity -- a concern that is both urgent and existential. According to the United Nation organization, the theme was selected due to the "Recent events, from bushfires in Brazil, the United States, and Australia to locust infestations across East Africa - and now, a global disease pandemic - demonstrate the interdependence of humans and the webs of life, in which they exist."

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(With PTI inputs)