Indeed, revere the planet we live on (Earth Day 2021: Revere the planet we live on theSun refers).
Earth Day 2021, and its emphasis on the environment, is not just about environment or climate activists such as Greta Thunberg.
Key stakeholders including schools and parents share responsibilities in educating ourselves and our youths about the importance of the environment.
Earth Day 2021, themed Restore Our Earth, rightly emphasises the need to restore our natural environment, discovering and implementing emerging green and innovative technologies that can help restore our world’s ecosystems.
Put simply, the environment is key to our quality of life. If anything, the Covid pandemic teaches us the importance of individual and collective responsibility to reduce viral transmissions to protect everyone’s health.
These same responsibilities apply to looking after our environmental health.
For Malaysia, our many environmental issues include deforestation, pollution of rivers, land and air. It will be good if the Covid pandemic helps to change or improve our environmental attitudes.
Our environmental agencies must be fully transparent and accountable for their policies and implementation.
And, arguably, the public should have the right to participate in environmental decision making at all times.
In terms of our nation’s sustainable development strategy, it is in our interest to address environmental issues holistically, timely and systematically.
Noted anthropologist Margaret Mead’s reminder “we won’t have a society if we destroy the environment” is more pertinent than ever.
Sze Loong Steve Ngeow
Kajang
