TEHRAN – The National Clean Earth Week will start on April 22 with the theme of “Investing in land, developing recycling and green productivity.”

The event will put the emphasis on reducing the use of plastic bags across the country, ISNA reported.

Clean Earth Week programs are planned to increase the responsibility of individual citizens, officials, and planners in order to improve the health of the planet.

During Clean Earth Week, environmental protection officials in provinces will give speeches in schools, and the "Clean Earth Bell" will ring.

In addition to the inauguration of projects related to Clean Earth Week, exemplary government and non-government organizations will be honored.

Producing and broadcasting programs on the importance of separating waste for recycling and preventing citizens from leaving waste in nature are other programs planned for this week.

The National Clean Earth Week is held concurrent with World Earth Day which takes place on April 22 each year.

Participating in this global event raises awareness of the importance of protecting our planet and its natural resources.

In addition, it encourages people to engage in conserving the environment. Rallies, concerts, and tree-planting activities are among the many activities and events that take place on Earth Day.

On this day, we come together to show our support for the planet and make pledges to do our part in protecting it.

All of us can contribute to the environment by planting trees, cleaning up waste, and reducing our dependence on non-renewable resources like fossil fuels.

The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. Today, Earth Day is celebrated in more than 193 countries around the world. At present, more than one billion people around the world take part in Earth Day.

On April 22, 2020, Earth Day celebrated its 50th anniversary. The event, however, was organized through digital platforms due to Covid-19.

World Environment Day

Meanwhile, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) will organize World Environment Day 2023 on 5 June with the theme of solutions to plastic pollution.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day after it was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972.

More than 400 million tons of plastic are produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 percent is recycled.

An estimated 19-23 million tons end up in lakes, rivers, and seas annually.

Microplastics – tiny plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter – find their way into food, water, and air. It is estimated that each person on the planet consumes more than 50,000 plastic particles per year –and many more if inhalation is considered.

Discarded or burnt single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem from mountain tops to the ocean floor.

With available science and solutions to tackle the problem, governments, companies, and other stakeholders must scale up and speed up actions to solve this crisis. This underscores the importance of this World Environment Day in mobilizing transformative action from every corner of the world.

Environmental protection in Iran

On November 17, 2015, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, announced the general policies on the environment, emphasizing the need for comprehensive, harmonious, and organized management of vital resources based on ecological capability and sustainability, particularly by increasing capacities and appropriate legal and structural capabilities accompanied by public participation.

Improving environmental conditions with the purpose of helping society enjoy a healthy environment, administering justice and observing intra-generational rights, preventing and prohibiting the circulation of all kinds of unlawful pollutants, recording crimes related to the environment, administering efficient and preventive punishment of polluters and destroyers of the environment and forcing them to compensate for their actions, were also among the policies.

Our planet needs our investment now. So, it is necessary that we come together once again in partnership with mother earth.

In order for a green, prosperous, and equitable future to become a reality, businesses, governments, and civil society must take action against the climate crisis.