The ongoing pandemic has made the global health crisis a priority. However, just as important is tackling environmental issues to create a healthy planet, which will take the spotlight this month as World Environment Day was last Saturday and the United Nations World Oceans Day is tomorrow.
There's a host of pressing environmental issues, from air pollution and deforestation to global warming and plastic waste, to manage in order to heal the world.
Global warming and climate change are often used interchangeably but the two terms actually have distinct meanings.
Thais may be more familiar with global warming and have taken action to reduce phawa lok ron.
We all must combat phawa lok ruan, the Thai term for climate change coined by Panas Jansang -- the winner of a contest run by the Nan Sandbox project.
Under the "Words Change The World" campaign, the contest invited the general public to create short and precise Thai words for climate change.
Announced the winner last December, Panas noted how people misunderstand that climate change is only about global warming when it actually covers other erratic global weather conditions such as drought, unseasonal rain and hailstorms.
The winning phrase phawa lok ruan will help Thais better understand the intensifying problem of climate change and its environmental impact. The public can also learn more about the crisis by visiting reanrooclimatechange.com.
The Nan Sandbox project launched last month a campaign to publicise the term and help visualise phawa lok ruan in an engaging TV advert.
In the ad, devastating drought, storm and rain are depicted as monsters that represent erratic global weather conditions. The menacing monsters joyfully dance to a catchy luk thung song, whose melody is taken from a hit by Ekachai Srivichai.
The lyrics have been changed to convey the issue at hand while the chorus stresses the presence of phawa lok ruan and how it negatively affects all of us.
Superheroes are called on to save the Earth and professional golfers Moriya and Ariya Jutanugarn make a surprise appearance to fight the monsters. People have also joined the sisters in planting trees while other measures to help reduce phawa lok ruan include sorting rubbish, reducing plastic waste and saving electricity.
"The more forests, the less phawa lok ruan," is the take-home message and this aligns with the Nan Sandbox project's commitment to end deforestation in Nan province, in northern Thailand,
The local project supports the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, whose ultimate aim is to prevent "dangerous" human interference with the climate.
From May 31 until June 17, the UN Climate Change Conference sessions will further illustrate how June is a month to discuss the global response to the threat of climate change.
On the United Nations Climate Change website, a blog provides inspiring stories on steps being taken and how we can participate in making a difference such as by eating less meat, switching to renewable energy sources, and adopting sustainable fashion.
In 1972, the UN General Assembly designated June 5 as World Environment Day and two years later, it was celebrated for the first time with the slogan "Only One Earth".
Since then, World Environment Day has developed into a global platform to raise awareness and take action on urgent issues such as global warming, marine pollution, sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.
In 2020, the theme focused on biodiversity but this year, World Environment Day encourages Ecosystem Restoration under the Reimagine.Recreate.Restore campaign.
One of the highlights was the online launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, featuring inspiring messages from world leaders, activists, and celebrities.
From 2021-2030, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will represent a global movement to prevent, halt and reverse ecosystem degradation on every continent and in the oceans to heal our planet.
Hosted by the UN Environment Programme and its partners, an extensive schedule of events will take place in June. It will round off with the 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, organised virtually from June 21–24 by the Society for Ecological Restoration.
By taking constant action, we can participate -- not only in June -- in ecosystem restoration, by changing diets, planting trees, and cleaning up our rivers and coasts.
Kanokporn Chanasongkram is a feature writer for Life section of the Bangkok Post.
