World Environment Day forgotten by many

JAKARTA (JP): Every year, June 5 is celebrated worldwide in more than 100 countries as the most important event on the environmental calendar. This date has been declared World Environment Day.

Environmental activists and nature lovers use this day to educate the public about environmental issues.

The annual event is also used for the more serious work of attempting to establish permanent institutions to handle environmental management and economic planning. It also provides an opportunity for governments to sign or ratify international treaties and conventions which address environmental issues.

The theme of this year's World Environment Day is: Our Earth, Our Future, Just Save it!

World Environment Day was introduced by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the human environment. The day was also introduced to mark the establishment of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which is responsible for coordinating environmental activities around the world.

Not many people, however, are aware of World Environment Day.

For University of Indonesia criminal law expert Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, for example, June 5 is just another Saturday.

"I don't know ... about World Environment Day. I have to admit that I don't pay much attention to it," she told The Jakarta Post by phone.

"Maybe because I pay so much attention to legal issues, my own field... and I think that it would be difficult to be skilled in a certain field if you pay attention to everything...," Harkristuti said.

Yet, she cares about the numerous environmental crimes, particularly the inability to bring big corporations responsible for pollution to court.

"I see they (corporations) are still untouchable," Harkristuti said.

The present political changes and economic instability are to a great extent to blame for people's lack of attention to World Environment Day and environmental issues in general, although every day we witness the further destruction of our environment.

"How can we talk about the environment these days? The hot topics are the elections and the economic situation," a Guna Dharma University student, David, said.

He said when the political and economic situations returned to normal, environmental campaigns should begin again.

"I think no one will listen if you talk about the environment now," he said.

Not all people, however, have entirely forgotten about environment day.

An architect, Ananda Putra, said he knew World Environment Day was celebrated every year, but he did not know the precise date.

But he is not very interested in the event. "It's not that I don't care about the environment... It's just that I have work to do," he told the Post.

Asked if he knew the purpose behind World Environment Day, he said: "I think it is intended to make people remember to protect the environment... but I'm not sure it will really work."

He added it would not be easy to hold an environmental campaign in the current situation, when people were more concerned about the price of food.

"What people want to hear is that food prices are no longer high... not about environmental issues," Ananda said.

Regardless, serious environmental problems are found across the country, including a recurrence of forest fires.

The government plans to mark the event this year, but do not expect any lavish ceremonies. Related offices will hold seminars, while high-ranking officials will deliver speeches about the need to protect the environment. But as soon as the day ends, all their word will most likely be forgotten.

Instead of seminars and speeches, Ananda urged government officials and environmental pressure groups to work in schools to teach children about the need to protect the environment.

He said environmental issues should be taught in a simple way that the children could easily understand and remember. Just like the way he taught his six-year-old son to properly dispose of garbage, he added.

"In my opinion, if you introduce the need to protect the environment to children, it will work. They will carry it with them for a long time." (ste)