Happy World Environment Day!

World Environment Day 2008, on June 5, was hosted by New Zealand, one of the world’s first countries to pledge a carbon neutral future.

The theme of the day this year was “Kick the CO2 Habit”.

Organisers hoped to encourage people to cut back the amount of CO2 they emit, and to increase awareness that CO2 is a key contributor to global warming.

The UN began World Environment Day in 1972 to raise awareness of environmental problems and to give a human face to green issues.

In a statement regarding this year’s World Environment Day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that global warming is the defining issue of our era, and will hurt north and south, rich and poor alike.