Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification.

Plastic Free July began in 2011 and was launched as an answer to the growing plastic problem. This initiative is to encourage everyone to be a part of the solution by forgetting about the disposable culture and get used to carrying reusables to limit the use of single-use plastic such as takeaway coffee cups, food containers, bottled drinks and more.

In 2020, participants who joined the Plastic Free July movement were able to successfully avoid about 900 million kilos of plastic waste.

Global Tiger Day is celebrated every year on July 29th as a way to raise awareness about this magnificent but endangered big cat. The day was founded in 2010, when the 13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2 – the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022.

Clean Up the World Campaign was established in 1993 and is one of the largest community-based environmental programs in the world. This campaign has brought together different groups to serve one purpose and that is to solve environmental issues by cleaning up and conserving the planet.

Due to the global pandemic, huddling in big groups as part of a clean-up project isn’t safe but you can still participate by reducing, reusing and recycling waste in your own homes until local policies allow you to gather again in groups.

World Ozone Day, held on September 16, celebrates this achievement. It shows that collective decisions and action, guided by science, are the only way to solve major global crises. The theme for the celebration of this year's World Ozone Day to be marked on 16th September is "Montreal Protocol - Keeping us, our food and vaccines cool".

Also referred to as ZeDay, the initiative started back in 2008 in Nov Scotia as a day to minimize the use of electricity generated by fossil fuels.

#ZeroEmissionsDay
#zeday

The United Nations designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. The Day is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns

In 1993, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center created International Migratory Bird Day. This educational campaign focused on the Western Hemisphere and celebrates its 25th year in 2018. Since 2007, IMBD has been coordinated by Environment for the Americas (EFTA), a non-profit organization that strives to connect people to bird conservation.

Second Saturday of May and October

The snow leopard species faces the threat of extinction despite both its ecological importance and spiritual significance to indigenous communities. Recognizing it would take more than individual efforts to conserve snow leopards, at the first Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Forum held in October 2013, all 12 snow leopard range countries endorsed the Bishkek Declaration. They pledged their “commitment to present and future generations…to protect and recover snow leopard populations and their fragile habitats for all people to enjoy.” A year later and annually thereafter on October 23, International Snow Leopard Day has been held in order to commemorate the anniversary of the Bishkek Declaration and to create awareness about the snow leopard.

#StopSoilErosion is at the heart of the Global Soil Partnership’s mandate as demonstrated by the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion. We work to ensure that people have safe and nutritious food to ensure active and healthy life without endangering essential ecosystems services.