THE COLLAGE OF THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY-2015

THE COLLAGE OF THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY-2015

The UN Environment Programme says -

“By 2050, if current consumption and production patterns remain the same and with a rising population expected to reach 9.6 billion, we will need three planets to sustain our way of life. Living well within planetary boundaries is the most promising strategy for ensuring a healthy future.”This is the key message for the World Environment Day-2015.

World Environment Day (also called as WED) has been started celebrating as an annual event on every 5^th of June since 1973 in order to raise the global awareness about the importance of the healthy and green environment in the human lives, to solve the environmental issues by implementing some positive environmental actions as well as to make aware common public worldwide that everyone is responsible for saving his environment and not only somebody, government or organizations working for it.
World environment day was first established to be celebrated every year by running some effective campaigns by the United Nations General Assembly and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the conference on Human Environment began from 5^th to 16^th of June at United Nations in 1972. It was first time celebrated in 1973 with the particular theme “Only one Earth”. Since 1974, the celebration campaign of the world environment day is hosted in different cities of the world.

Some of the objectives of the world environment day campaign are mentioned below:

• It is celebrated to make aware the common public about the environmental issues.
• Encourage common people from different society and communities to actively participate in the celebration as well as become an active agent in developing environmental safety measures.
• Let them know that community people are very essential to inhibit negative changes towards the environmental issues.
• Encourage people to make their nearby surroundings safe and clean to enjoy safer, cleaner and more prosperous future.

·         "Earth Anthem" by poet-diplomat Abhay K was launched in June 2013 on the occasion of the World Environment Day by Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor, Union Ministers of India at a function organized by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations in New Delhi.

World Environment Day Anthem is as follows:

Our cosmic oasis, cosmic blue pearl

the most beautiful planet in the universe

all the continents and the oceans of the world

united we stand as flora and fauna

united we stand as species of one earth

black, brown, white, different colours

we are humans, the earth is our home.

Our cosmic oasis, cosmic blue pearl

the most beautiful planet in the universe

all the people and the nations of the world

all for one and one for all

united we unfurl the blue marble flag

black, brown, white, different colours

we are humans, the earth is our home.

The theme of the year 2015 would be “One World, One Environment”.It needs lots of environmental policies , climate change negotiations, institutional cooperation, and a good climate finance for the world as whole. 

Italy will serve as the host of WED 2015 and the global WED celebrations will be organized at the Milan Expo. Celebrations at the Milan Expo will complement the Expo's theme, ‘Feeding the Planet—Energy for Life,'The WED 2015 programme at the Milan Expo will also involve activities with partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), Slow Food, WWF Italy and the Green Film Network.In Milan, Theme : Sustainable Consumption and Production" and Slogan: Seven Billion dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care in 2015.

Top ten quotes to mark World Environment Day 2015.

• "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." – Mahatma Gandhi
• "The environment is everything that isn't me." – Albert Einstein
• "The earth is like a beautiful bride who needs no manmade jewels to heighten her loveliness." - Khalil Gibran
• "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools." – John Muir
• "Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left." – Aldo Leopold
• "I can find God in nature, in animals, in birds and the environment." – Pat Buckley
• "We must return to nature and nature's god." – Luther Burbank
• "If we do not permit the earth to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food, either." – Joseph Wood Krutch
• "Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we'll soon be in trouble." – Roger Tory Peterson
• "We won't have a society if we destroy the environment." – Margaret Mead

We should remember that the  Top 10 polluted city are given below following the measurement of WHO.

The WHO examined the concentration of fine particles suspended in the atmosphere. It advises that fine particles of less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter (PM2.5) should not exceed 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

Delhi, India (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 153)

Patna, India (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 149)

Gwalior, India (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 144)

Raipur, India (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 134)

Karachi, Pakistan (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 117)

Peshawar, Pakistan (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 111)

Rawalpindi, Pakistan (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 107)

Khorramabad, Iran (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 102)

Ahmedabad, India (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 100)

Lucknow, India (annual mean PM2.5, ug/m3: 96)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a tree plantation campaign by planting a sapling at his official residence 7, Race Course Road on World Environment Day on Friday, officials said. Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said cricketer Virat Kohli and wrestler Sushil Kumar will take part in a function to plant saplings at Paryavaran Bhavan.

BRICS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

BRICS and Climate Change

The Seventh Summit of the BRICS (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) will be held from 9-10 July 2015, in Ufa, the Russian Federation. The host country has signaled it will: ensure the continuity of the group's operation; take into account priorities put forward during the Brazilian presidency of the BRICS; and seek to enrich the group's work with new ideas, and strengthen its role in international affairs and regional issues.

For pre-summit discussion,the Environment Ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) gathered for their first official meeting, to discuss green economy development and cooperation in tackling climate change. The Ministers highlighted that sustainable development should address in particular: poverty eradication; changing unsustainable and promoting sustainable patterns of consumption and production (SCP); protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development; and addressing climate change.

During the meeting, held on 22 April 2015, in Moscow, the Russian Federation, the BRICS Environment Ministers decided to: establish a Working Group on environment to identify and discuss priority areas of cooperation, which will convene its first meeting in 2015 in Russia; explore the potential of the BRICS New Development Bank for funding environmental projects; explore the possibility of establishing a collaborative platform of the BRICS countries, intended to share best environmental practices and facilitate the exchange of environmentally sound technologies and know-how with participation of public and private stakeholders; and hold regular meetings of Environment Ministers of BRICS.

They further said that they will consolidate efforts in their countries to develop policies contributing to mitigation efforts and adaptation of the national economies to the impacts of climate change, in accordance with the principles of: equity; common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and respective capabilities (RC); and other provisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“The BRICS nations hold a unique position as leading emerging economies and political powers at the regional and international level. Whilst mature economies across the globe grapple with towering budget deficits, anemic growth and rising unemployment, the BRICS are expanding rapidly, lifting people out of poverty and driving the global economy,” Achim Steiner, UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, told the meeting.

Steiner further noted that the BRICS' efforts towards establishing an environmental public-private partnership (PPP) mechanism to facilitate investment in green technologies and related environmental projects in BRICS countries provide an opportunity to expedite and strengthen the global transition to a green economy. Innovative financial mechanisms under the BRICS, such as the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, have the potential to construct an enduring green infrastructure, longer-term competitiveness for the BRICS economies and strengthen South-South cooperation, he added.

Finally, Steiner said, “It is no exaggeration that success in Paris will largely depend on progress and agreement on the issue of climate finance."

The future BRICS platform for sharing green technologies will be provided by the "Saint Petersburg Initiative," which will be endorsed during the Seventh Summit of the BRICS, convening on 9-10 July 2015, in Ufa, the Russian Federation. The BRICS Summit is also expected to provide impetus to the upcoming Paris Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 21), where countries aim to arrive at a new universal agreement on tackling climate change

INDO-CHINA BUSINESS

INDO-CHINA BUSINESS.

China and India today represent Asia’s two largest and most dynamic societies which are emerging as new trend setters in international relations. Especially, with their annual GDP growth rates. China and India have since come to be recognised as the fastest growing economies. According to World Bank estimates, and assessed on the basis of purchasing power parity, China and India have already become respectively the second and fourth largest economies of the world surpassing developed countries. The context of China-India bilateral trade itself—bilateral as well as regional and global—has been changing rapidly. At the bilateral level, this is self-evident in the way their rapidly growing trade partnership has provided a great boost to their ongoing political confidence-building. It is the nature of China-India bilateral trade as a confidence-building measure that must be underlined to appreciate its interface with their political relations which remains so critical for its long-term prospects. Therefore, more than being measured in terms of statistics and profits, it is the political impact of trade which remains the barometer of their economic engagement. Both sides clearly display that understanding at least in their more recent initiatives. Moreover, with the inclusion of India’s trade with Hong Kong and Macao (as also India’s rising trade with Taiwan, and the possibility of an eventual unification of Taiwan), Greater China has already emerged as India’s largest trading partner and one of its kind. Major items of export from India to China remain iron and chrome ore, plastic and linoleum, marine products, cotton yarn and fabrics, organic and inorganic chemicals, dye intermediates, bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals, construction quality wire rods, tobacco and tea, while China’s exports to India include items like raw silk and silk yarn, coking coal, some types of chemicals, pulses, mercury and antimony, freshwater pearls, pig iron, newsprint and several low-technology consumer items. Gradually, many new sectors—like border trade or high-tech trade—are being also explored while information technology and infrastructure development are already emerging as major areas for co-operation. China now accounts for over 5% of India’s total foreign trade which creates substantial stakes for mutual co-operation.In spite of that the notable fact is that India’s trade balance has gone unfavourable and it is increasing too.India’s growing deficit trade with China has a strong inverse impact to India’s economy although its volume of bilateral trade is stepping upward.Morever, FDI inflows from China is increasing too which has significant future impact on service sector.

India is a strategic partner in East Asian financial integration and Asian integration too where India’s role in forming Asian Monetary Fund may be given importance in the zonal leadership of China and Japan.Otherwise, Asian Monetary Fund will find incompleteness in the process of financial integration.

However,Mody’s visit in Indo-China Business Forum in China which assures 22 billion dollar for forthcoming business may be positive in the consensus on financial integration in increasing business.But this outlook will go in favour of India if trade balance appears to be India’s favour.

WHAT IS HUMAN CAPITAL INDEX

WHAT IS HUMAN CAPITAL INDEX

The Human Capital Index is a new measure for capturing and tracking the state of human capital development around the world. It has three key features. First, the Index measures a broader set of indicators than the traditional definitions of human capital. Human capital is not a one–dimensional concept, but means different things to different stakeholders. In the business world, human capital is the economic value of an employee’s set of skills. To the policy maker, human capital is the capacity of the population to drive economic growth. Traditionally, human capital has been viewed as a function of education and experience, the latter reflecting both training and learning by doing. But in recent years, health (including physical capacities, cognitive function and mental health) has come to be seen as a fundamental component of human capital. Additionally, the value of human capital is critically determined by the physical, social and economic context of a society, because that context determines how particular attributes a person possesses may be rewarded. The Index is thus based on four pillars: three core determinants of human capital (education, health and employment) plus those factors that allow these three core determinants to translate into greater returns. Second, the Index takes a long–term approach to human capital. In addition to providing a snapshot of the state of a country’s human capital today through measures that reflect the results of a country’s past practices, it includes indicators resulting from practices and policy decisions impacting the children of today and which will shape the future workforce. Long–term thinking around human capital often does not fit political cycles or business investment horizons; but lack of such long term planning can perpetuate continued wasted potential in a country’s population and losses for a nation’s growth and productivity. The Index seeks to develop a stronger consciousness around the need for such planning. Third, the Index aims to take into account the individual life course. For example, the WHO states that A nation’s human capital endowment—the skills and capacities that reside in people and that are put to productive use—can be a more important determinant of its long term economic success than virtually any other resource. This resource must be invested in and leveraged efficiently in order for it to generate returns, for the individuals involved as well as an economy as a whole. Additionally, despite high unemployment in many countries, the global economy is entering an era of talent scarcity that, if left unaddressed, will hinder economic growth worldwide. Understanding and addressing challenges related to human capital is thus fundamental to short term stability as well as the long term growth, prosperity and competitiveness of nations. The Human Capital Index explores the contributors and inhibitors to the development and deployment of a healthy, educated and productive labour force, and has generated the information contained in this Report. The Index provides country rankings that allow for effective comparisons across regions and income groups. The methodology and quantitative analysis behind the rankings are intended to serve as a basis for designing effective measures for workforce planning. While the rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience, the Index also seeks to serve as a basis for dialogue and action by leaders at the World Economic Forum to increase public–private collaboration on developing human capital. The Human Capital Report “early childhood is the most important phase for overall development throughout the lifespan,” elaborating that “many challenges faced by adults, such as mental health issues, obesity, heart disease, criminality, and poor literacy and numeracy, can be traced back to early childhood.” The Index thus includes measures indicating quality of early childhood. Furthermore, the Index captures the extent to which investments made in earlier years in health and education are being realised in the working age population through lifelong learning and training. Finally, at the other end of the continuum, the Index takes into account the health and productivity of the older population. As a vital support to the Index, the Country Profiles included in this Report contain a wide variety of contextual factors. In particular, the Profiles call attention to population dynamics, such as youth bulges, ageing populations and shrinking workforces, which, in the context of limited resources, point to critical areas for urgent– and longer– term investments. The four pillars of the Index are: • The Education pillar contains indicators relating to quantitative and qualitative aspects of education across primary, secondary and tertiary levels and contains information on both the present workforce as well as the future workforce. • The Health and Wellness pillar contains indicators relating to a population’s physical and mental well– being, from childhood to adulthood. • The Workforce and Employment pillar is designed to quantify the experience, talent, knowledge and training in a country’s working–age population. • The Enabling Environment pillar captures the legal framework, infrastructure and other factors that enable returns on human capital. The Index contains 51 indicators in total, spread across the four pillars, with 12 indicators in the Education pillar, 14 in the Health and Wellness pillar, 16 in the Workforce and Employment pillar and nine in the Enabling Environment pillar. The values for each of the indicators come from publicly available data produced by international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). In addition to hard data, the Index uses qualitative survey data from the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey and Gallup’s wellness perception survey data.

To standardize the dataWEF used the z–score statistic as it preserves the distribution of the data, a feature most relevant for a comparative international composite index. Z–scores are expressed as standard deviations from the mean. The mean is zero and has a standard deviation of one. This means that all data points above the mean are expressed as positive scores and all data below the mean are expressed as negative scores. The z–scores methodology is based on an assumption of the normal distribution. A standard deviation of plus (minus) 1 represents the area 34.13% above (below) the mean (zero) and a standard deviation of plus (minus) 2 represents the area 47.72% above (below) the mean. The z–score of a data point indicates the number of standard deviations above or below the mean. So a z–score of –2 is exactly two standard deviations, or 47.72%, below the mean. The z–score approach is a widely used way of converting raw data that is expressed in differing formats into a common metric (standardizing).

Globally, Finland tops the rankings of the Human Capital Index in 2015, scoring 86% out of a possible 100. Norway (2), Switzerland (3), Canada (4) and Japan (5) make up the rest of the top five. They are among a group of only 14 nations that have crossed the 80% threshold.
In addition to the 14 countries that have reached 80% human capital optimization, 38 countries score between 70% and 80%. A further 40 countries score between 60% and 70%, while 23 countries score between 50% and 60% and nine countries remain below 50%.

The Human Capital Index reveals several trends and challenges in the current education, skills and jobs agenda and the future outlook for major economies. These developments imply that we need to rethink how the world’s human capital endowment is invested in and leveraged for social and economic prosperity and the well-being of all. Similar to all global challenges in which our existing systems, structures and formal institutions no longer suffice, the world needs a new level of global cooperation on education, skills and jobs. Governments, business leaders, educational institutions and individuals must each understand the magnitude of the change underway and fundamentally rethink the global talent value chain. In order to be proactive in our response to both the current predicaments and a highly uncertain future, we must re-think what it means to learn, what it means to work and what is the role of various stakeholders in ensuring that people are able to fulfil their potential.

In the Table below, we can compare the indices among some of the top  countries.