05 Jun, 15:29 (IST)

World Environment Day 2018 celebration going on at US Consulate General in Kolkata.

05 Jun, 14:01 (IST)

J&K Legislative Council Haji Anayat Ali inaugurates Simultaneous Mega Plantation drive in Kargil

05 Jun, 12:58 (IST)

A picture that defines why we need to plant more trees.

05 Jun, 12:30 (IST)

Say no to single-use plastic and reduce its use in daily life.

05 Jun, 11:37 (IST)

Contributing to an environmentally friendly lifestyle, Indian Railways has started using fully biodegradable food packages in four Shatabadi and four Rajadhani trains from Delhi.

05 Jun, 11:09 (IST)

The hazards of using plastic with no regulation for many years together has not only depleted our natural resources but also is a huge threat to human life.

05 Jun, 10:51 (IST)

The immediate need to reduce the use of plastic in our everyday life which is already a huge threat to living beings.

05 Jun, 10:40 (IST)

India House to plant trees and reuse plastic bottles on World Environment Day 2018.

05 Jun, 10:15 (IST)

Vice President Venkaih Naidu took to Twitter urging followers to end single-use plastic.

World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5 every year encouraging people to protect the environment. The day observed by the United Nations tries to spread worldwide awareness on the protection of our environment. This year India is the global host of World Environment Day where governments, communities, industries and individuals will come together promoting the urgent need for environmental protection.

People also took to Twitter raising awareness of the day. This year the theme for World Environment Day is 'Beat Plastic Pollution' which is a major threat to marine and human health. The day which began in 1974 is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.

Spreading awareness on World Environment Day, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand art of turtle with the installation of plastic bottles at Puri beach in Odisha. The artwork speaks volumes of how the single-use plastic we throw into the ocean affect the marine life. There have been innumerable cases of turtles died after getting entangled in plastics. Many-a-times turtles also end up swallowing these plastic bits confusing it to be food. The art showcases the problem which results in the death of hundreds of turtles every year.

Actors, politicians, sportspeople, environmentalist from around the world took to various social networking sites urging the need to create permanent solutions to the plastic waste generated annually. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cricketer Rohit Sharma, actor Dia Mirza, politician B.S. Yeddyurappa, UN General António Guterres were among the first few to tweet about the need for a healthy environment.

Here is the sand art by Sudarsan Pattnaik:

The Government of India will be organising and promoting the day with a series of activities and events.

The result of the uncontrollable use of plastic:

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Erik Solheim, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Head of UN Environment had jointly announced that India will be hosting the global day celebrations on June 5, 2018.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, President Ramnath, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) MLA Kapil Mishra, actors Arjun Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari were among many who took to Twitter creating awareness of the day. The results of plastic pollution around the world is alarming. Around  500 billion plastic bags and at least aight million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans.