World Environment Day
Official nameUN World Environment Day
Also calledEco Day, Environment Day, WED (world environment day)
TypeInternational
SignificanceEnvironmental issues awareness
ObservancesEnvironment Protection
Date5 June
Next time5 June 2024 (2024-06-05)
First time5 June 1973 (5 June 1973)
World Environment Day in India

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on 5 June and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, government entities, and represents the primary United Nations outreach day supporting the environment.[1][2]

First held in 1973, it has been a platform for raising awareness on environmental issues as marine pollution, overpopulation, global warming, sustainable development and wildlife crime.[3] World Environment Day is a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually, incl. participation from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, South Africa and the United States. Every year, the program has provided a theme and forum for businesses, non government organizations, communities, politicians and stars to advocate environmental causes.[4][5]

History

World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment (5–16 June 1972), that had resulted from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. One year later, in 1973 the first WED was held with the theme "Only One Earth".[6]

Host cities

World Environment Day celebrations have been (and will be) hosted in the following cities:[7]

Year Theme Host city
1972 Stockholm Conference on Human Environment Stockholm,United Nations
1973 Geneva, Switzerland[8]
1974Only one Earth during Expo '74[9]Spokane, United States
1975Human SettlementsDhaka, Bangladesh
1976Water: Vital Resource for LifeOntario, Canada
1977Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil DegradationSylhet, Bangladesh
1978Development Without DestructionSylhet, Bangladesh
1979Only One Future for Our Children – Development Without DestructionSylhet, Bangladesh
1980A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development Without DestructionSylhet, Bangladesh
1981Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food ChainsSylhet, Bangladesh
1982Ten Years After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns)Dhaka, Bangladesh
1983Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and EnergySylhet, Bangladesh
1984DesertificationRajshahi, Bangladesh
1985Youth: Population and the EnvironmentIslamabad, Pakistan
1986A Tree for PeaceOntario, Canada
1987Environment and Shelter: More Than A RoofNairobi, Kenya
1988When People Put the Environment First, Development Will LastBangkok, Thailand
1989Global Warming; Global WarningBrussels, Belgium
1990Children and the EnvironmentMexico City, Mexico
1991Climate Change. Need for Global PartnershipStockholm, Sweden
1992Only One Earth, Care and ShareRio de Janeiro, Brazil
1993Poverty and the Environment – Breaking the Vicious CircleBeijing, People's Republic of China
1994One Earth One FamilyLondon, United Kingdom
1995We the Peoples: United for the Global EnvironmentPretoria, South Africa
1996Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our HomeIstanbul, Turkey
1997For Life on EarthSeoul, Republic of Korea
1998For Life on Earth – Save Our SeasMoscow, Russian Federation
1999Our Earth – Our Future – Just Save It!Tokyo, Japan
2000The Environment Millennium – Time to ActAdelaide, Australia
2001Connect with the World Wide Web of LifeTorino, Italy and Havana, Cuba
2002Give Earth a ChanceShenzhen, People's Republic of China
2003Water – Two Billion People are Dying for It!Beirut, Lebanon
2004Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive?Barcelona, Spain
2005Green Cities – Plant for the Planet!San Francisco, United States
2006Deserts and Desertification – Don't Desert Drylands!Algiers, Algeria
2007Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?London, England
2008Kick The Habit – Towards A Low Carbon EconomyWellington, New Zealand
2009Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate ChangeMexico City, Mexico
2010Many Species. One Planet. One FutureRangpur, Bangladesh
2011Forests: Nature at your ServiceDelhi, India
2012Green Economy: Does it include you?Brasilia, Brazil
2013Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your FoodprintUlaanbaatar, Mongolia
2014Raise your voice, not the sea levelBridgetown, Barbados
2015Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.Rome, Italy
2016Zero Tolerance for the Illegal Wildlife tradeLuanda, Angola
2017Connecting People to Nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equatorOttawa, Canada
2018Beat Plastic Pollution[10]New Delhi, India
2019Beat Air Pollution[11]People's Republic of China
2020 Time for Nature[12][5] Colombia
2021 Ecosystem restoration[13] Pakistan
2022 Only One Earth Sweden
2023 Solutions to Plastic Pollution Côte d'Ivoire

Annual themes and major initiatives and accomplishments

For almost five decades, World Environment Day has been raising awareness, supporting action, and driving changes for the environment. Here is a timeline of key accomplishments in WEDs' history:

2005

Standard WED banners hung in San Francisco in May 2005

The theme for the 2005 World Environment Day was "Green Cities" and the slogan was "Plant for the Planet!".[14]

2006

The topic for WED 2006 was Deserts and Desertification and the slogan was "Don't desert drylands".[15]

The slogan emphasised the importance of protecting drylands. The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2006 were held in Algeria.

2007

The topic for World Environment Day for 2007 was "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?" During International Polar Year, WED 2007 focused on the effects that climate change is having on polar ecosystems and communities, on other ice- and snow-covered areas of the world, and the resulting global impacts.

The main international celebrations of the WED 2007 were held in the city of Tromsø, Norway, a city north of the Arctic Circle.[16]

Egypt issued a postage stamp for the 2007 World Environment Day.[17]

2008

The host for World Environment Day 2008 was New Zealand, with the main international celebrations scheduled for Wellington. The slogan for 2008 was "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." New Zealand was one of the first countries to pledge to achieve carbon-neutrality, and will also focus on forest management as a tool for reducing greenhouse gases.[18]

The Chicago Botanic Garden served as the North American host[19] for World Environment Day on 5 June 2008.

2009

The theme for WED 2009 was "Your Planet Needs You – UNite to Combat Climate Change", and Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" was declared "World Environment Day Song". It was hosted in Mexico.[20]

2010

"Many Species. One Planet. One Future", was the theme of 2010.

It celebrated the diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. It was hosted in Rwanda. Thousands of activities were organized worldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community events and much more.[21] Each continent (except Antarctica) had a "regional host city", the U.N. chose Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the host for all North.[22]

2011

The world environment day of 2011 was hosted by India. It was the 1st time for India to host the day. The theme for 2011 was 'Forests – Nature At Your Service'. Thousands of activities were organized worldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community events, tree plantings[23] and much more.

2012

The theme for the 2012 World Environment Day was Green Economy.[24]

The theme aimed to invite people to examine their activities and lifestyle and see how the concept of a "Green Economy" fits into it. The host country for the year's celebrations was Brazil.[24]

2013

The 2013 theme for World Environment Day was "Think.Eat.Save".[25]

The campaign addressed the huge annual wastage and losses in food, which, if conserved, would release a large quantity of food as well as reduce the overall carbon footprint. The campaign aimed to bring about awareness in countries with lifestyles resulting in food wastage. It also aimed to empower people to make informed choices about the food they eat so as to reduce the overall ecological impact due to the worldwide production of food.[25] The host country for the year's celebrations was Mongolia.

2014

The Theme of the 2014 WED was International Year of Small Islands Developing States (SIDS). By choosing this Theme the UN General Assembly aimed to highlight the development Challenges and successes of the SIDS. In 2014, the World Environment Day focused on global warming and its impact on ocean levels.[26] The Slogan of the WED 2014 is "Raise your voice not the sea level", as Barbados hosted the global celebrations of the 42nd edition of the World Environment Day.[27][28] The UN Environment Programme named actor Ian Somerhalder as the official Goodwill ambassador of the WED 2014.[29]

2015

The Slogan of the 2015 edition of the World Environment Day is "Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care". The slogan was picked through a voting process on social media.[30][31] In Saudi Arabia, 15 women recycled 2000 plastic bags to crochet a mural in support of the WED 2015.[32] In India, Narendra Modi planted a Kadamb sapling to celebrate the World Environment Day and raise awareness for Environment.[33][34] Italy is the host country of the 43rd edition of the WED. The celebrations took place as part of Milan Expo around the theme: Feeding the Planet – Energy for Life.[35]

2016

The 2016 WED was organized under the theme "Go wild for life". This edition of the WED aims to reduce and prevent the illegal trade in wildlife.[36] Angola was chosen as the host country of the 2016 WED during the COP21 in Paris.[37][38]

2017

Activities for World Environment Day in Bhopal, India

The theme for 2017 was 'Connecting People to Nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equator'. The host nation was Canada.[39]

2018

The theme for 2018 was "Beat Plastic Pollution". The host nation was India.[40] By choosing this theme, it is hoped that people may strive to change their everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution. People should be free from the over-reliance on single-use or disposables, as they have severe environmental consequences. We should liberate our natural places, our wildlife and our own health from plastics.[41] The Indian government pledged to eliminate all single use of plastic in India by 2022.[42]

2019

The theme for 2019 was "Beat Air Pollution". The host nation was China. This theme was chosen as air pollution kills about 7 million people annually.[43]

In Réunion Island, Miss Earth 2018 Nguyễn Phương Khánh from Vietnam delivered her speech during World Environment Day with the theme "How to fight [[global warmifgerhtyou[csbauyyuhg yts7jdasdseadfwng]]".[44]

2020

The theme for 2020 was "Time for Nature", and was hosted in Colombia in partnership with Germany.[12]

Colombia is one of the largest megadiverse countries in the world and holds close to 10% of the planet's biodiversity. Since it is part of the Amazon rainforest, Colombia ranks first in bird and orchid species diversity and second in plants, butterflies, freshwater fish, and amphibians.

2021

The World Environment Day falls on June 5. The theme for 2021 is "Ecosystem Restoration",[45] and was hosted by Pakistan. On this occasion UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration was also launched.[46][47]

2022

The World Environment Day theme for 2022 is "Only One Earth" and the event was hosted by Sweden.

2023

The World Environment Day theme for 2023 is "Solution to plastic pollution" and the event was hosted by Côte d'Ivoire. It is a reminder that people's actions on plastic pollution matters. The steps governments and businesses are taking to tackle plastic pollution are the consequence of this action. It is time to accelerate this action and transition to a circular economy.[48]

Celebrations

1981 World Environment Day celebration

On 5 June 1981, World Environment Day 1981 was celebrated.

2022 World Environment Day celebration

On 5 June 2022, millions of people in multiple different countries across the whole world celebrated World Environment Day 2022 despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

World Environment Day edition dates

1981 and earlier

Edition numberDateAlso known asDay of the Week
1st5 June 1973World Environment Day 1973Tuesday
2nd5 June 1974World Environment Day 1974Wednesday
3rd5 June 1975World Environment Day 1975Thursday
4th5 June 1976World Environment Day 1976Saturday
5th5 June 1977World Environment Day 1977Sunday
6th5 June 1978World Environment Day 1978Monday
7th5 June 1979World Environment Day 1979Tuesday
8th5 June 1980World Environment Day 1980Thursday
9th5 June 1981World Environment Day 1981Friday

1982–2021 (Post-1981 and pre-2022)

Edition numberDateAlso known asDay of the Week
10th5 June 1982World Environment Day 1982Saturday
11th5 June 1983World Environment Day 1983Sunday
12th5 June 1984World Environment Day 1984Tuesday
13th5 June 1985World Environment Day 1985Wednesday
14th5 June 1986World Environment Day 1986Thursday
15th5 June 1987World Environment Day 1987Friday
16th5 June 1988World Environment Day 1988Sunday
17th5 June 1989World Environment Day 1989Monday
18th5 June 1990World Environment Day 1990Tuesday
19th5 June 1991World Environment Day 1991Wednesday
20th5 June 1992World Environment Day 1992Friday
21st5 June 1993World Environment Day 1993Saturday
22nd5 June 1994World Environment Day 1994Sunday
23rd5 June 1995World Environment Day 1995Monday
24th5 June 1996World Environment Day 1996Wednesday
25th5 June 1997World Environment Day 1997Thursday
26th5 June 1998World Environment Day 1998Friday
27th5 June 1999World Environment Day 1999Saturday
28th5 June 2000World Environment Day 2000Monday
29th5 June 2001World Environment Day 2001Tuesday
30th5 June 2002World Environment Day 2002Wednesday
31st5 June 2003World Environment Day 2003Thursday
32nd5 June 2004World Environment Day 2004Saturday
33rd5 June 2005World Environment Day 2005Sunday
34th5 June 2006World Environment Day 2006Monday
35th5 June 2007World Environment Day 2007Tuesday
36th5 June 2008World Environment Day 2008Thursday
37th5 June 2009World Environment Day 2009Friday
38th5 June 2010World Environment Day 2010Saturday
39th5 June 2011World Environment Day 2011Sunday
40th5 June 2012World Environment Day 2012Tuesday
41st5 June 2013World Environment Day 2013Wednesday
42nd5 June 2014World Environment Day 2014Thursday
43rd5 June 2015World Environment Day 2015Friday
44th5 June 2016World Environment Day 2016Sunday
45th5 June 2017World Environment Day 2017Monday
46th5 June 2018World Environment Day 2018Tuesday
47th5 June 2019World Environment Day 2019Wednesday
48th5 June 2020World Environment Day 2020Friday
49th5 June 2021World Environment Day 2021Saturday

2022 and later

Edition numberDateAlso known asDay of the Week
50th5 June 2022World Environment Day 2022Sunday
51st5 June 2023World Environment Day 2023Monday
52nd5 June 2024World Environment Day 2024Wednesday
53rd5 June 2025World Environment Day 2025Thursday
54th5 June 2026World Environment Day 2026Friday
55th5 June 2027World Environment Day 2027Saturday
56th5 June 2028World Environment Day 2028Monday
57th5 June 2029World Environment Day 2029Tuesday
58th5 June 2030World Environment Day 2030Wednesday

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Global actions on World Environment Day underscore urgent need to protect the planet". United Nations. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "World Environment Day 2021". America's Charities. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Kenyatta, Jomo; Waldheim, Kurt; Strong, Maurice F.; Palme, Olof (5 June 1973). "Telephone Conference for World Environment Day - Part 1". United Nations UN Audiovisual Library. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "World Environment Day". United Nations. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  5. 1 2 "World Environment Day 2020: Theme, History, Quotes, Celebration". S A NEWS. 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Hill, Gladwin (4 June 1973). "Environment Day to Mark First Year of World Effort". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "World Environment Day: driving five decades of environmental action" Archived 8 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine, worldenvironmentday.global, no date; has most theme, some host country and a few host city identifications. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  8. ↑ Hill, Gladwin (4 June 1973). "Environment Day to Mark First Year of World Effort (Published 1973)". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Proclamation 4296—World Environment Day, 1974 | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Nelliyat, Prakash (21 June 2018). "Beating plastic pollution". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "World Environment Day: Beat air pollution". World Meteorological Organization. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  12. 1 2 Environment, U. N. "World Environment Day". World Environment Day. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "World Environment Day 2021: Press Release". UNEP NEWS. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  14. ↑ lish/About_WED_2005/ World Environment Day 2005 Official Site, 2005, "About World Environment Day 2005" Archived 19 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 28 May 2009
  15. ↑ "UN World Environment Day 2006, in Algiers, to focus on Desertification". UN News. 13 February 2006. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  16. ↑ Norwegian Polar Institute, World Environment Day 2007–information in English Archived 1 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine and Norwegian
  17. ↑ "Ministry of State for Environment Affairs (MSEA) celebrations of the World Environment Day 2008". www.sis.gov.eg. 5 June 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  18. ↑ UNEP Press Release, 1 October 2007, "Kick the Habit – World Environment Day 2008 to be Hosted by New Zealand with Focus on Fostering Low-Carbon Economies" Archived 13 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 10 November 2007
  19. ↑ "world environment day 2008 host countries". Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "WED That Was – 2009". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  21. ↑ "World Environment Day 2010". Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  22. ↑ "The New Emerald City". Pittsburgh Magazine. April 2010 [22 March 2010 (Web publication date)]. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  23. ↑ "Club news" Archived 17 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine, unenvironment.org, 7 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  24. 1 2 Times News Network (31 May 2012). "World Environment Day 2012: Let's pledge to make earth a better place". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  25. 1 2 "'Think.Eat.Save' World Environment Day 5 June". World Environment Day. United Nations Environment Programme. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  26. ↑ "World Environment Day 2014 | Department of Environmental Affairs". www.environment.gov.za. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  27. ↑ Staff Reporter (5 June 2014). "World Environment Day 2014: Theme, History, Host Country and Observances". International Business Times UK. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  28. ↑ "World Environment Day 2014". www.icimod.org. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  29. ↑ "Ian Somerhalder named Goodwill Ambassador for World Environment Day 2014". TreeHugger. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  30. ↑ "Event: World Environment Day 2015". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  31. ↑ "Vote for your World Environment Day 2015 slogan". europa.eu. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  32. ↑ "World Environment Day 2015 :: Our Planet". web.unep.org. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  33. ↑ "PM plants "Kadamb" sapling on World Environment Day". www.narendramodi.in. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  34. ↑ "Why PM Modi planted 'Kadamb' sapling on World Environment Day?". Microfinance Monitor. 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  35. ↑ "Italy hosts the official World Environment Day celebrations at Expo Milano". TreeHugger. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  36. ↑ "Event: World Environment Day 2016". Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  37. ↑ "Angola to Host World Environment Day in 2016". Angola Press Agency (Luanda). 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  38. ↑ "Angola to host World Environment Day 2016". www.climateactionprogramme.org. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  39. ↑ "2017 Host country named as Canada, UNEP, 31 Jan 2017". Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  40. ↑ "India Raises Curtain on Historic World Environment Day". unenvironment.org. 25 May 2018. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  41. ↑ "Host Nation India Focuses On 'Beat Plastic Pollution' Theme". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  42. ↑ "India aims to partner with UN to promote use of solar energy". The Economic Times. 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  43. ↑ "World Environment Day – How the world came together to #BeatAirPollution" Archived 12 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine, www.worldenvironmentday.global, 7 June 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  44. ↑ Hoi, Dao Van (10 June 2019). "Hoa hậu Phương Khánh được báo quốc tế ca tụng vì bài diễn văn tại "Ngày môi trường thế giới" (Miss Phuong Khanh was praised by the international newspaper for her speech at "World Environment Day")". Pháp Lyuy9e07wiqwdash Us7dasdajsd6s,d oisadiofkfdyfjfaduật Plus. 4rADSA7K89/*JFVHSDHJAA Y Y2DDHDGYSDJD67NGFyuioUOI-duoc-bao-quoc-te-ca-tung-vi-bai-dien-van-tai-ngay-moi-truong-the-gioi-d99321.html&prev=search Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2019. {{cite news}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)
  45. ↑ "World Environment Day 2021 Date, History, Theme, Significance, Quotes". S A NEWS. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  46. ↑ Team, BS Web (5 June 2021). "World Environment Day 2021: Theme, ecosystem restoration, pics, and more". Business Standard India. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  47. ↑ 2021 Theme: Ecosystem Restoration Geneva Environment Network, 31 May 2021
  48. ↑ Solutions to Plastic Pollution. worldenvironmentday.global
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