June 5 marks World Environment Day, a day that the United Nations General Assembly established in 1972 in an attempt to raise global awareness about environmental issues.
On Wednesday, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced that Mongolia would be one of the first countries to participate in the Partnership for Action on the Green Economy (PAGE).
PAGE is a new initiative by UNEP to help countries transition to a green economy.
Mongolia is developing policies on renewable energy, ecotourism and sustainable mining.
“Environmental issues have been high on the priority agenda for Mongolia,” said Mongolian Environment and Green Development Minister Sanjaasuren Oyun. “For the last seven or eight years we have had great growth, from 8-15 per cent, and it is important that we build in good basics of green growth and green economy.”
UNEP is also concerned about climate change and its affect in Mongolia where temperatures have risen 2.1°C over the past 70 years, leading to drier conditions and the degradation of pasture land.
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Countries around the world are participating in World Environment Day. India is marking the event by runs and tree-planting ceremonies; in Kenya, some prominent women are changing places with vendors in a market in order to show their appreciation of the vendors’ role in minimizing food waste.
World Environment Day takes place during Canadian Environment Week, which kicked off on June 2. It also marked the start of the Commuter Challenge, a competition between Canadian cities aimed at encouraging commuters to leave their cars at home and take transit, walk or cycle to work.
The current leaders in the challenge are in Manitoba, British Columbia and Alberta.
“Winnipeg is always the first,” said Kristin Marquardt, program co-ordinator of the Canadian Commuter Challenge.
Watch: Commuter Challenge under way in Winnipeg
Though the City of Toronto isn’t officially participate in the challenge, it has its own Clean Air Commute during the week of June 17 to 23. British Columbia had its Bike to Work week from May 27 to June 2.
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