In just five days, yet another day of significance which is not only very much in tune with the modern world scenario, but also deeply touches the very pulse of all humanity and life forms on Mother Earth, will dawn... Even though many such days have come and gone over the years the time has now come to give our brains a wake up call to make this year's World Environment Day truly meaningful, not just by having elaborate plans for future action, which more often than not ends up only as printed matter or eloquent speech without any substance, but by each one of us making a sincere commitment to embrace Mother Nature as the very soul of our lives. We must treat her gently as a new born babe and protect her like our own lives.

The environment is a part of us and we are a part of the environment. Not two separate entities.We cannot abuse the environment around us and expect Mother Nature not to react. The drastic environmental changes that we are experiencing today are what we have to reap for our careless actions. Isn't what we are undergoing today enough to bring a halt to the abuse and destruction of the environment and prompt us to take urgent measures to remedy them?

Let us not put off for tomorrow what we can do today, because, there may never be a tomorrow at the rate we are destroying our environment.

Perhaps we should ask ourselves....

How many trees must we cut each day

before we call it a day call?

How many animals must we lose each day

Before we realise they are gone?

How many lives must a tsunami swallow up

Before we heed nature's warnings?

How many quakes must destroy our homes

Before we protect Mother Earth?

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind,

The answer is blowing in the wind...

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[Fast facts]

* World Environment Day (WED) is held each year on June 5. It is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations (UN) stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

* 'Bio-diversity' Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy is the theme for this year.

* June 5 was selected as the World Environment Day because it was the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began, from June 5-16 1972.

* WED was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and the first World Environment Day was on 1973.

* World Environment Day is hosted every year by a different city with a different theme.

* World Environment Day is in summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

* World Environment Day is similar to Earth Day.

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Quotes to ponder...

"The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves. "

- Ayn Rand

"The more we exploit nature, The more our options are reduced, until we have only one: to fight for survival."

- Morris K. Udall

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Control deforestation

Deforestation is the cutting down of trees. Do you know the ultimate, unfortunate outcome of cutting down valuable trees?

Land clearance for a variety of reasons has largely affected the biodiversity within that area. It has destroyed the habitat of plants and animals.

By cutting down trees, the land has become bare in many places. This has resulted in the soil on such land to be poor in nutrients.The global temperature too has started to increase due to the rapid build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Plants give out purified oxygen and take in carbon dioxide. But, when the main source of oxygen (trees) are cut down, more CO2 remains in the atmosphere. Why do people cut down trees? There are many reasons. It may be for logging, farming, road building, mining, hydro electric power schemes or to build entire new towns. New land is needed to build houses and other infrastructure for the population that is growing each year. But the main purpose is for money.

But, now its time to protect forests. This is a very serious and important environmental issue that needs to be dealt with urgently.

Devmini Thilakshi Perera,

10 B,Gateway College,Kandy.

Effects of pollution

Pollution is when people harm or destroy the natural environment. There are five types of pollution; air, water, visual, noise and smell. Advanced technology helps improve our lives, but at the same time it also destroys our environment. The pollution caused by many industries using advanced technology has resulted in large scale damage to the environment. People die due to various diseases caused by smoke and toxic chemicals released by some factories. Despite this, very little attention is paid to minimise the effects and protect the environment.

Almost every country contributes in some way to produce greenhouse gases. This heating up is called 'Global warming'. It increases the temperatures and cause ice in the North Poles to melt. This increases the water level and scientists predict that by another eighty years or so many islands including Sri Lanka, England and the Maldive Islands will be flooded and may even disappear from the face of the Earth.

It's up to us to decide whether we should protect the environment and its resources or damage Mother Earth, just for the sake of monetary gains.

Fathima Shahani,

Grade 7 J,

Ilma International Girls' School,

Colombo.

Clean environment, a must

The environment is everything around us. It includes the atmosphere, waterways and the landscape. Clean air and pure water is essential for humans to lead a long and healthy life.

The air is mainly polluted by factories and old vehicles which give out dark black clouds of smoke and gases called 'carbon monoxide'. This gas is poisonous and unbearable to humans and also damages the ozone layer.

Another main source of pollution is the dumping of garbage in public places, roadsides and unauthorised places. As a result these places have become breeding grounds for deadly mosquitoes and various other insects.The filthy water diverted from homes and toxic waste from industries released into nearby rivers, channels and thereafter the sea also leads to pollution and is a big threat to the environment.

Sometimes due to unexpected explosions and other accidents of oil tankers in the middle of the seas, tons of oil is released into the sea. The recent oil spill in the Gulf as a result of some damage to an oil rig led to a large area being polluted.

Millions of sea creatures are affected by such oil spills, threatening biodiversity.

Therefore, everybody must regard the environment as a part of their lives and do everything to protect it. Otherwise, all living beings will perish in the near future.

Dileepa Tissera,

Grade 7B, Ecole International, Kandy.

Why Earth is hotting up?

Global warming is defined as the increase of the average temperature on Earth. As the Earth is getting hotter and hotter, disasters such as hurricanes, droughts, cyclones and tsunamis are getting more frequent. Over the past 100 years, the average temperature of the air near the Earth's surface has risen by a little less than one degree Celsius.

This shows that even an increase of just one degree Celsius makes the Earth warmer than what it was over a thousand years ago. Out of the 20 warmest years on record, 19 have occurred after the 1980s.

Global warming is a great 'disadvantage to this world because in the future their will be hardly any form of life left on Earth. Because of the rising temperature. Many species of animals and plants are becoming extinct.

So, to prevent or lessen the effect of global warming, we must plant more trees (afforestation), stop cutting down trees and also reduce the use of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas etc.) We can use solar power or hydro power instead. I think we must all extend a helping hand to lessen the effects of global warming.

S. Hoshika,

Grade 6 A,

Belvoir College International,

Colombo.