Family and climate change: Observing the International Day of Families

WEB DESK: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established the “International Day of Families” annually on May 15 of every year to bring awareness to significance of families globally.

The day serves as a means to raise awareness about family-related issues and understanding the social, economic, and demographic dynamics impacting families worldwide. Each year, the UN Secretary-General announces a theme for the International Day of Families in order to shed light on pressing issues.

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Themes differ every year and often reflect an issue affecting billions of people globally. Recent themes have addressed critical issues such as climate change, urbanisation, and the impact of new technologies on family dynamics.

Previous themes have encompassed topics ranging from gender equality and children’s rights to migration, poverty, and health-related challenges faced by families.

This year’s theme is “Families and Climate Change.” As per the UN website, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. The event to mark the occasion will feature presentations on the outcomes of different projects and initiatives the UN undertook. It will also offer recommendations on family policies for climate action.

For this year’s theme, the UN aims to raise awareness on how climate change impacts the “health and well-being of families” through “increased pollution” and other extreme weather conditions. Recently, countries across the world have witnessed and lost precious lives to floods caused by heavy rainfall, from Brazil in Latin America to Afghanistan in Asia.

Such natural calamities lead to forced displacement of families who also lose their livelihoods. According to the UN, such events impact agricultural productivity and access to water. This leads to increase in hunger and causes economic disruption in industries dependent on nature.

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By raising awareness, the UN aims to educate families on the impact of consumerism on environment to be able to advocate for an effective climate action. Families pass on values across generations. Hence, the UN aims to pass on sustainable habits and climate awareness from one generation to another.