The United Nations Environment Programme today (June 5th) commemorates World Environment Day and is telling the world to Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy.

Climate change is becoming a defining facet of our era, UNEP claims, and has launched this year's World Environment Day in order to highlight the need for the world to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels.

Initiatives and resources that will help to achieve a low carbon lifestyle will be highlighted at events across the globe, such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, conservation and environmentally-friendly consumerism.

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon has conveyed his message to the world in order to bring attention to the issues at hand.

"Addiction is a terrible thing," he said.

"It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions. Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit."

World Environment Day was launched in 1972 for the opening of the Stockholm conference on the Human Environment.