In World Environment Day Message, Secretary-General Highlights ‘Consume with Care’ Theme, Urging All to Make Greener Choices

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Environment Day, observed on 5 June:

The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is “Seven Billion Dreams.  One Planet.  Consume with Care.”  Humanity continues to consume far more natural resources than the planet can sustainably provide.  Many of the Earth’s ecosystems are nearing critical tipping points.  It is time for us to change.

The goal of sustainable development is to increase the quality of life for all people without increasing environmental degradation and without compromising the resource needs of future generations.  We can do this by shifting our consumption patterns towards goods that use less energy, water and other resources and by wasting less food.

In this year of transformation, when we hope to see great advances on sustainable development and climate change, let us celebrate World Environment Day by becoming more conscious of our ecological impact.  Let us think about the environmental consequences of the choices we make.  Let us become better stewards of our planet.