The year of 2010 is a remarkable time of significant events throughout the world, particularly in environmental and natural protection area.
International Year of Biodiversity
The United Nations General Assembly has chosen 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. This is considered a chance to emphasize on the significance of biodiversity to human kind; raise awareness of biodiversity; review the achievements of biodiversity conservation; promote global efforts in reducing biodiversity loss.
Born at the Earth Summit hosted in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international convention on preservation and sustainable exploitation of biodiversity and benefit-sharing fairness. With the participation of 191 stakeholders, the convention has become universal.
The goals of the International Year of Biodiversity 2010 include: improving public’s awareness of biodiversity’s significance and potential threats to biodiversity; popularizing the achievements of biodiversity protection by international communities and governments; encouraging individuals, organizations and governments to take necessary steps promptly to prevent the loss of biodiversity; working out initiatives to reduce threats to biodiversity; starting talks between stakeholders to develop action programs in the next period.
Reviewing Millennium Development Goals
“Time is short. We must seize this historic moment to act responsibly and decisively for the common good.”
That was the strong words by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging international governments to engage constructively in the preparations for the High-level Meeting due in September 2010. The Meeting will look back on achievements of international community of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other international development goals.
2015 is the deadline for 189 UN’s state members to fulfill 8 MDGs: Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty; Achieve Universal Primary Education; Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women; Reduce Child Mortality; Improve Maternal Health; Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases; Ensure Environmental Sustainability; Develop a Global Partnership for Development.
Year of Tiger Protection
The traditional lunar Year of Tiger (Canh Dan) in some Asian countries is coming and this is also the time that conservators, biologists and environmentalists to speak out their increasing worry about tigers’survival on earth.
In that circumstance, leading experts on tigers, wildlife conservation organizations and some governmental representatives gathered at a global seminar in Kathmandu, Nepal last October to start new international talks on threats to tigers in the new year of 2010.
The habitat of tigers has been seriously narrowed. In the last 100 years, tigers have been rapidly decreased from over 100,000 to 4,000 individuals.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) launched warnings of tiger’s extinction. Pessimistically speaking, tigers would extinct in the next Year of Tiger – 2012.
The WWF and other conservation societies are hoping that political commitments to tiger conservation would be reinforced by a series of negotiations throughout 2010, heading to the summit conference on tiger in September 2010.
Year of Dugong Protection
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has released a Resolution calling for the protection of Dugong in 2010. While the US army is planning to expand their military base in Okinawa, Japan near the habitat of the Dugong, many proposals have been sent to the U.S Department of State and the White House calling to stop the expansion in order to keep the Dugong and other rare wildlife species in Okinawa safe.
Year of ‘Green’ World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be hosted in South Africa. This is the most expected sport event of the world in 2010. In the time of global climate change, South Africa has planed a Green World Cup with Green Goals campaign newly announced.
Thanks to the country’s geographical location, this World Cup is estimated to exceed the one in 2006 in Germany in terms of carbon emissions of transportation. It is forecasted that the carbon footprints of the 2010 World Cup would reach 2,753,250 tons of carbon dioxide, including international transportation.
The Green Goals aim to make the World Cup green by environmental projects relating to waste, energy, transportation, water, biodiversity, eco-tourism… The key dimension is to reduce greenhouse gases for sustainable goals.
A new year is coming, bringing human beings on earth new hopes and challenges. The greatest challenge to the world that will not only be in 2010 but in our future is climate change and global warming. By protecting our living environment, we could contribute to global efforts to prevent the disasters, to leave our descendants a bright future.
Translated by T.P (TITC)
Source: thiennhien.net