Context

Recently, World Environment Day is celebrated on 5^th June and a new song Hawa Aane De is released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for this day.

About

World Environment Day, 2019

• The theme for this year, set by the United Nations Environment Programme, is Air Pollution, a much-needed theme for awareness and action in India.
• The celebration of this day provides us with an opportunity to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises and communities in preserving and enhancing the environment.
• Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in more than 100 countries.

Why do we mark international days?

• International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.
• The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool.

About the song:

• The theme song was launched by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC). The song is a call to action for all to come together to combat the environmental challenges of our time, urging each one of us to explore green technologies and measures to improve the quality of air and make the country and our cities less polluted.
• The Bhamla Foundation, an NGO working across many themes including health, child rehabilitation, woman empowerment & environment awareness, has collaborated with the Ministry on the song.
• Hawa Aane de song is the inclusion of the traffic police.
• The theme song is written by Shri Swanand Kirkire and sung by Shri Shantanu Mukherjee, Kapil Sharma, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shankar Mahadevan.

Other Initiatives

• MoEFCC recently launched the National Clean Air programme (NCAP) which is a mid-term 5 Year Action Plan with targets of 20-30% reduction of PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentration in 102 cities, out of which 84 cities have already submitted their action plan.
• The main objective of NCAP is to control and abate air pollution across the country. It is a multi-sectorial and collaborative approach with mainstreaming and integration.

Sources of Air Pollution: Household - Indoor burning of fossil fuels, wood and other biomass-based fuels to cook, heat and light homes. Around 3.8 million premature deaths are caused by indoor air pollution each year, the vast majority of them in the developing world. Industry - Energy production is a leading source of air pollution. Coal-burning power plants are a major contributor, while diesel generators are a growing concern in off-grid areas. Transport - The global transport sector accounts for almost one-quarter of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions and this proportion is rising. Transport emissions have been linked to nearly 400,000 premature deaths. Agriculture - There are two major sources of air pollution from agriculture: livestock, which produces methane and ammonia, and the burning of agricultural waste. Around 24 % of all greenhouse gases emitted worldwide come agriculture, forestry and other land-use. Waste - Open waste burning and organic waste in landfills release harmful dioxins, furans, methane, and black carbon into the atmosphere. Globally, an estimated 40 % of waste is openly burned. Other sources - Not all air pollution comes from human activity. Volcanic eruptions, dust storms and other natural processes also cause problems. Sand and dust storms are particularly concerning.