Federation of World Peace and Love

World Environment Day
A “Conscience Revival Movement” for
Environmental Sustainability

Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good day!

World Environment Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, and this year marks its 50th anniversary. Over the half century, tens of millions of people have participated in various ways, and this day has grown to become one of the world’s largest environmental advocacy platforms. The theme of the 2023 event is “Beat Plastic Pollution,” focusing on countermeasures to plastic pollution, hoping that people will collectively pay attention and propose solutions.

For people living in the 21st century, plastic products can be seen everywhere in various aspects of life, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment. Initially created as a convenient alternative to paper products, plastic has unexpectedly damaged the ecosystem and pushed humanity towards the serious challenges of climate change and environmental pollution. Since humans began using plastic bags in the 1950s, in just over seven decades, the world has produced more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic. Of these, only nine percent have been recycled, with most plastic ultimately ending up in landfills, oceans, and other natural environments.

The production of plastic requires the use of non-renewable resources such as oil and natural gas, and emits greenhouse gases during manufacturing, leading to global warming. These changes cause sea-level rise and damages to ecosystems, making natural disasters more frequent and severe. Many studies and data confirm that the use of plastic products has a significant impact on the ecological environment, and that plastic products even contain chemicals that interfere with the normal functioning of endocrine and body hormones and enter our food and water, and even the air we breathe, leading to a series of developmental problems, reproductive diseases, and different types of cancer. It can also have adverse effects on the reproductive development of pregnant women, fetuses, and infants.

Yesterday’s inventions have caused today’s ecological catastrophe! Plastic pollution actually reflects a fundamental issue of human nature. Overdevelopment and overuse, due to convenience and self-interest, pose a major threat to our planet. It requires the cooperation of governments, businesses, and individuals to slow down the rate of ecological destruction. Many countries are gradually implementing policies to reduce plastic use, encouraging the development of environmentally friendly alternative materials and inventions for recycling, or adjusting regulations to extend the lifecycle of plastic products. However, many well-intentioned policies or agreements cannot be effectively implemented because people fail to change their behaviors. We must admit that the biggest group damaging the environment is humans. All human actions stem from the heart, and the human heart is naturally filled with the five poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and skepticism. Overcoming these issues requires the guidance of conscience and a willingness to change. Only then can the quality of the “heart” change, with thoughts and actions positively influencing each other, which can effectively influence human behavior towards coexistence, shared prosperity, and collective virtues.

Goal 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is “Partnerships for the Goals.” The key to reaching this goal is the consensus and unity of our hearts. We provide conscience education as the countermeasure to deal with environmental challenges. Through conscience education, we inspire the inherent conscience of humanity to cherish resources, treat the environment kindly, practice moderation, be willing to change, and respect all things in the universe. This focus on spiritual improvement is about helping global citizens establish a worldview emphasizing global sustainability and motivating them to take action for the goal. With a heart that loves the Earth, we can create a trend and make good use of our conscience as a compass to guide ourselves to do the right things, quickly and fundamentally alleviating pollution and allowing the ecosystems to return to normal. It is therefore important for world citizens to adopt conscience education, establish good living habits and moral values from a young age, truly reduce waste in life and work, develop sustainable habits, and take actions for sustainability. Through joint efforts and actions, we can restore the harmonious balance and coexistence between people and the environment.

Conscience education can benefit all beings and create eternal values for life. Our hopes and actions can benefit the world and fulfill the glory of being the most intelligent living beings on Earth. There is no mechanism for going back in time in human history. Standing at the critical point of the destiny of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, we sincerely call on all global citizens to take a minute every day to calm themselves for deep introspection and protect the environment with conscience-guided actions and create a better world. We hope that under the united efforts of the people of the world, we can coexist harmoniously with nature and unite with Heaven and Earth. All living creatures are interconnected and share a common destiny. By uniting the power of kindness, we can save the environment, which is rapidly deteriorating, and create a sustainable future for our offspring.

Thank you all!

May everyone safeguard the Earth with conscience.

May everyone take action to protect the environment.

May all beings develop sustainably.