Speaking at the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day at the Botanical Garden, Kohima, the minister said over the past century, the world has fallen into a pattern of unsustainable economic growth. He said, "In an effort to support our lifestyle, we are exhausting the planet's natural resources and aggravating climate change which in turn threatens life-sustaining ecosystems and the economy."

Patton apprised the gathering on "green economy" which has the potential of generating millions of jobs. Referring to this year's theme "the face of climate change", he said Nagaland is vulnerable to climate change and as per scientific reports, "our forest area is dwindling and in due course of time some plant species will disappear." He also mentioned about indiscriminate felling of trees, poaching and unplanned development.

He said the need of the hour is to create awareness among all stakeholders, including school children, NGOs and women, for protecting the environment. He stressed on the need to plant trees and implement the green pledge in our day to day life.

Principal secretary, forest, ecology, environment & wildlife, L Kire, appealed to all to create awareness among all stakeholders to protect the environment. He also spoke about sustainable use of power and the need to conserve energy.

He also gave away prizes to the best eco clubs. The first prize was bagged by Fernwood School, Kohima, while the Children's Christian School, Kohima, and Government Primary School, Daklane bagged the second and third prizes respectively.

Additional principal chief conservator of forests M Lokeshwara Rao gave an introduction on the history of Earth Day and its importance.