World Rivers Day, World Environmental Health Day & World Cassowary Day!

WORLD RIVERS DAY

Sometimes we’re a day late and a dollar short here on The Climate Daily. On occasion, we don’t deliver news to you in a timely manner.  For example, yesterday was World Rivers Day. However, it’s still important—even though it was yesterday, that yesterday, the fourth Sunday of September was World Rivers Day. Why does it matter to us the day after? Because in the words of WRD founder, Mark Angelo, “Rivers are the arteries of our planet; they are lifelines in the truest sense.”

World River day is a celebration of the world’s waterways. It highlights the many values of rivers and strives to increase public awareness and encourages the improved stewardship of rivers around the world. It’s an evolution of BC (British Columbia) Rivers Day, an event founded by Canadian Mark Angelo in 1980. So in 2005, when the United Nations launched the Water for Life Decade to help create a greater awareness of the need to better care for our water resources, it seemed natural to Angelo to establish World Rivers Day.

That first event in 2005 was a great success and Rivers Day was celebrated across dozens of countries.  Since then, the event has continued to grow.  It is annually celebrated on the fourth Sunday of every September.  Last year, several million people in up to 100 countries celebrated the many values of our waterways.

DEEPER DIVE: World Rivers Day, Twitter, News18

WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DAY

Strengthening environmental health systems for the implementation of the sustainable development goals is the point of celebrating annual World Environmental Health Day on September 26th. The sustainable development goals (SDGs), also known as the global goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity now and in the future.

Environmental health plays a pivotal role in the implementation of these SDGs. It’s interesting to note that environmental health fits into 7 SDGs, 19 targets and 30 indicators of the SDGs. 

As the United States continues to experience increasing numbers of severe weather events and national foodborne illness outbreaks, the nation’s environmental health is pushed front and center. Addressing environmental health issues such as climate change, food safety and security, water and air quality, and the spread of vector-borne diseases is one of the most important duties public health professionals are tasked with. Local health departments need to be strong advocates for continued environmental health education, funding, and support.

How are other countries celebrating World Environmental Health Day? In Portugal, Environmental Health Institute at the Lisbon School of Medicine, University of Lisbon is organizing the 2022 World Environmental Health Day Conference : “Urban planning for healthy cities” Register by clicking on the link in the Deeper Dive section of this story at theclimate.org/episodes

In India, at the University of Delhi, Department of Environmental Studies, Shivaji College is organizing an International Seminar on Environment and Public Health on the occasion of World Environmental Health Day, on September 26, 2022 through google meet. There’s a link to the event, also in the Deeper Dive section of this episode at theclimate.org/episodes.

These are just a few of the worldwide happenings around World Environmental Health Day. Be curious.

DEEPER DIVE: Naccho.org, Portugal Conference Registration, India Conference Registratio

9/26—WORLD CASSOWARY DAY

Hey! Don’t forget about the Cassowaries. Sept. 26th is also World Cassowary Day. It’s a day to draw international attention to the reasons Cassowaries are globally important and need to be protected. World Cassowary Day is a not for profit conservation movement aiming to promote Cassowaries and all their Wet Tropical Rainforest friends.

So what the heck is a cassowary, where do they live and why do they matter to us? The cassowary is a large, flightless bird most closely related to the emu. Although the emu is taller, the cassowary is the heaviest bird in Australia and the second heaviest in the world after its cousin, the ostrich. It is covered in dense, two-quilled black feathers that, from a distance, look like hair. These feathers are not designed for flight but for protection in the cassowary’s rainforest habitat, keeping the bird dry and safe from the sharp thorns found on many rainforest plants. Long, strong bare quills hang from the bird’s tiny wings. 

Cassowaries range across Northern Australia, New Guinea, and surrounding islands. They live in tropical forests and wetlands. So why do cassowaries matter to us? Cassowaries play an important role in maintaining the diversity of rainforest trees. Cassowaries are one of only a few frugivores (fruit eaters) that can disperse large rainforest fruits, and the only species that can carry large-seeded fruits over long distances.

If you still don’t know what a cassowary is, check out the video in the Deeper Dive section of this story at theclimate.org/episodes to get a glimpse of a positively prehistoric bird! 

DEEPER DIVE: Youtube, San Diego Zoo, Wikipedia