It is 50 years since June 5 was designated as World Environment Day, established at the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm in 1972. As in that first exhibition, this year the motto is “One Earth”, with the aim of raising awareness that this planet is our only home and we must take care of it responsibly. In this context, specialists in ecology considered it urgent to rethink the development model and take action in relation to environmental care.
“The first and foremost thing is to rethink the development model. The only way to face climate change, the deterioration of nature and growing inequality is to treat them together, as symptoms of a single disease, “said Sandra Díaz, senior researcher at Conicet at the Multidisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology (Imbiv), to the agency Télam.In that sense, the doctor in Biological Sciences who received in 2019 the Princess of Asturias Award for her research in defense of biodiversity, He said that “the environmental discourse has been increasingly installed at the level of governments, corporations and civil society, but the problem is that very few people are doing something concrete for that ‘green future’ that we like to talk about so much.” What is needed is to move from declaration to action, at all levels, from the individual to the intergovernmental, but with differential responsibilities,” Díaz said. And he added: “We can and must contribute our grain of sand but with individual action it will clearly not reach.”
Protesters raised their voices in the streets of Stockholm as part of the exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Photo: Reuters (Meli Petersson Ellafi)
For his part, Ricardo Gürtler, director of the Eco-Epidemiology Laboratory of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the UBA, pointed out that global environmental change has a direct relationship with the accelerated expansion of diseases of animal origin that can mark a “new era of the human species.” At this stage of the planet, the human being is no longer afraid of beasts as in the past, but now the problem is these microbial pathogens, small organisms that circulate unexpectedly and can generate millions of deaths, “said the specialist. Last Friday, the Stockholm Conference concluded in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, where “an urgent environmental and economic transformation” was called. The hundreds of speakers from around the world who attended called for “a real commitment to urgently address global environmental concerns and a just transition to sustainable economies that work for all people.” In Bariloche, recycled waste is transformed to raise awareness
During the summer, 70 tons more waste are generated in Bariloche per day than at another time of the year. Some people who visit beaches, walk trails or make excursions leave in the environment waste that not only pollutes, but are potential sources of fire start. That is why Cerveza Patagonia, Re Accionar and Circuito Verde promoted cleaning days together with volunteers to collect and separate waste at Playa del Centro, located in front of the Civic Center, and Playa Sin Viento del Lago Moreno, where more than 90 kilos of waste were collected. Precisely, with the recycled waste, they made a souvernir uncoverer with the image of the Tronador hill, which invites to become aware of the care of the environment. “For the elaboration of the 2000 uncovering souvenirs, 1/4 of a ton of plastic was recycled, creating a new object, with a local identity, and that invites us to reflect on our place and act,” explained Leo Rothpflug of Re Accionar.
They made a souvenir uncoverer with recycled waste in Bariloche. Photo: Cerveza Patagonia press
“Bariloche is our place, it is our home and it is where each of our special recipes and beer is born. That belonging gives us pride, and it also needs our commitment: at Cerveza Patagonia we believe that we have to be part of the change. Therefore, in addition to implementing different initiatives related to the environment in our Microbrewery and collaborating in beach cleaning days, together with Circuito Verde and Re Accionar we found it interesting to give a new life to waste. Through this souvenir we seek to elaborate an element that makes us have a presentand -both to us and to our consumers- the importance of caring for nature and the possibility of carrying out actions that change the environment for the better, “said Milagros Leivar, Head of Patagonia.The souvenir can be obtained at the Circuito Chico Microbrewery, in the Sucre Refuge, at the Bariloche Airport and online through CraftSociety. The proceeds from its sale will be used to carry out new initiatives to raise awareness, care and clean the environment.
