HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO EVERYBODY IN THE WHOLE WORLD CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION AND THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLEAN ENERGY!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO EVERYBODY IN THE WHOLE WORLD CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION ON JANUARY 24-TH AND ON JANUARY 26TH THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLEAN ENERGY AND THE INTERNATIONAL DAY ON EVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION!!

Access to education and to clean affordable energy are two mai priorities for the whole world but especially for the underdeveloped, poor countries.

This is why these two areas MUST represent TOP priorities for all parliaments and governments!

This is why these objectives represent two of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of "The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,?that was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, providing a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

At the heart of this Agenda are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests." (https://sdgs.un.org/goals)

This is why I am currently involved in two very important projects with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) - Global Environment Outlook report - 7th edition and InvestEU - EBRD Green Guarantees project that are focused to contribute to the sustainable development strategy and programs and to the fight against pollution, global warming, climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation!

MY DEEP RESPECTS TO ALL EXPERTS WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENT AREA AS WELL AS TO ALL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT ARE AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING OUR PLANET AND THE LIFES OF PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS!!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION AND HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLEAN ENERGY TO EVERYBODY THAT CARES FOR THE SURVIVAL OF MANKIND ON PLANET TERRA - OUR ONLY HOME!!

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EXCERPTS FROM UNESCO AND UNITED NATIONS WEBSITES

" UNESCO is dedicating the International Day of Education celebrated on 24 January 2024 to the crucial role education and teachers play in countering hate speech, a phenomenon which has snowballed in recent years with the use of social media, damaging the fabric of our societies. ?

The world is seeing a surge of violent conflicts paralleled by an alarming rise of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and hate speech. The impact of this violence transcends any boundary based on geography, gender, race, religion, politics, offline and online. An active commitment to peace is more urgent today than ever: Education is central to this endeavor, as underlined by the?UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development. Learning for peace must be transformative, and help empower learners with the necessary knowledge, values, attitudes and skills and behaviours to become agents of peace in their communities."

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"Clean energy: for all…

Energy lies at the core of a double challenge: leaving no one behind and protecting the Planet. And clean energy is crucial to its solution.

In a world grappling with climate change, clean energy plays a vital role in reducing emissions, and can also benefit communities lacking access to reliable power sources. Still today, 675 million people live in the dark - 4 in 5 are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The connection between clean energy, socio-economic development, and environmental sustainability is crucial in addressing issues faced by vulnerable communities worldwide.

For populations without clean energy access, the lack of reliable power hinders education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, and many of these developing regions still rely heavily on polluting fossil fuels for their daily life, perpetuating poverty. If current trends continue, by 2030 one in four people will still use unsafe, unhealthy and inefficient cooking systems, such as burning wood or dung.

Although this situation has been improving, the world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7?(SDG7), which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. The General Assembly will hold a Global Stocktaking on SDG7 in April 2024 to assess progress and recommend solutions.

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… and for our planet

But adopting clean energy is integral to the fight against climate change, as well.?

A large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the Sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas) to generate electricity and heat.

The science is clear: to limit climate change, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable. Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.

At the same time, improving energy efficiency is key. Using less energy for the same output – through more efficient technologies in the transport, building, lighting, and appliances sectors for instance: saves money, cuts down on carbon pollution, and helps ensure universal access to sustainable energy for all."

(https://www.un.org/en/observances/clean-energy-day)

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PS The photos are taken last week in Vienna, at the United Nations headquarters, during the second session of the authors involved in the writing of the UNEP GEO 7 report where I participated as an Eastern Europe Regional Coordinating Lead Author.